Study proves men prefer cars to women

MEN FEEL more emotion when looking at beautiful car design than they do when looking at beautiful women, new research has discovered.

To coincide with the launch of its new Concept Coupe, Volvo carried out the study to see exactly what makes men and women tick when it comes to aesthetics.

Images of the Concept Coupe, which has been designed to create a much more ‘expressive’ link to potential customers’ emotions, were shown to individuals who were wearing brain activity-measuring equipment in sequence with images of old or ‘ugly’ cars, crying and happy babies, plus images of people traditionally considered to be ‘beautiful’.

Compared to men, women felt almost double the intensity of emotion while looking at the images of the babies.

Conversely, men experienced more emotion when looking at the design of the Concept Coupe, feeling some negative emotions about the distressed child but remaining comparatively unmoved.

What’s more, 75% of the men tested felt more emotion when looking at the car than when looking at images of beautiful women.

Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, said: “This survey finally proves what we’ve always suspected. Beautiful car design can elicit strong emotional responses ranging from a positive frame of mind to a sense of empowerment.”

In a parallel study conducted by OnePoll, women rated the rear of a car as the most important element of its design, while men said the front end was the most crucial.

Dr David Lewis, a UK leader in the neuroscience of consumerism and communications said of the results: “Appreciating an aesthetically pleasing design is an experience which combines understanding and emotions.

“These are so closely intertwined that it is impossible to distinguish between them.”

By Press Association reporter