HighlightsWhen in a sad mood, drivers response to hazards is slowed.Visual search patterns were also negatively affected.Being in a happy mood, however, is not necessarily more safe.Hazard perception is influenced by mood and arousal.
AbstractPrevious research shows that negative emotions have a detrimental effect on cognitive processes in general and on driving safety in particular. However to date, there has been no empirical investigation of the impact that positive emotions might have on driving safety. This research examined the influence of mood on driving safety using hazard perception videos an P mood was manipulated (Sad, Neutral, Happy) after which they had to observe videos containing a number of potential hazards.Hazard response times and eye fixations were measured. The Sad mood affected drivers the most, with the longest response times and fixation durations. The effects of the Happy mood were less clear, suggesting that apart from emotional valence, emotional arousal should be considered. In addition, hazard response times differed as a function of hazard onset (i.e. unexpected or developing hazard) and type of hazard (i.e. human, car). The results are interpreted in terms of theories of positive emotions and psychological arousal.
D ability to maintain their attentional focus and that mood is one of the factors which influences this ability. This driving simulator study used mind wandering theory to understand the changes in car following behaviour and driver glance patterns when affected by neutral, happy, sad and angry moods during car following. Two types of cognitive load were used to investigate ways of disengaging drivers from the mind wandering state. The moods were induced via music and mental imagery and assessed via self-reports and physiological measures. The results show that mood valence and arousal have different effects on driving safety, with negative moods resulting in the most dangerous driving, regardless of arousal. The cognitive load, in some cases, disengaged drivers from mood-related mind wandering. However, more detailed research is needed to understand the amount of load necessary for this disengagement in different moods. The importance of using driving-related measures together with glance patterns in mood research was highlighted to overcome ambiguities resulting from conclusions based on single measurements.
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