You will be amazed at Fiat’s find. Driving a convertible makes you happier, according to the company that sells the most convertibles. Before you click away, Fiat has actually had scientific research done. Doctor Lisa Dorn from Cranfield University conducted the study and we were subjects.
A total of 23 participants participated in the study. Each person was fitted with a heart rate monitor that records the number of heartbeats before, during and after driving with the fabric roof raised and lowered. The participants also have to complete questionnaires about alertness, happiness, stress and anger. For the test we use a Fiat 500e Convertible.
According to angry tongues on the internet, the 500e is not a real convertible, because the C-pillar remains intact. We overlook it for this study. However, we wonder whether the research is entirely fair. Because wouldn’t you be a lot happier if you were in a Bentley Continental GTC? Might be good for further research.
Results of the survey: does a convertible make you happier?
The research shows that drivers at least six percent happier are with the roof down. In fact, the most aggressive participants are 20 percent happy when the convertible top is down. The heart rate measurements show that the variation in heart rate – a strong sign of stress – drops by a third. This suggests that you are a lot more relaxed when the roof comes off.
The researcher from the university explains: ‘The state of mind while driving will clearly fluctuate depending on various factors that have an impact on the driver, the vehicle and the state of the road.’ The conclusion is that there is a significant effect between ‘health-related benefits’ and driving a convertible with the roof down.
Is TopGear happier in a convertible?
Our variation in heart rate is 8 percent lower and the voltage measurement drops by 10 percent (versus the general 19 percent) when we drive without a roof. According to the scientists, driving in a convertible made us more relaxed. Apparently we are already happy people, because the cheerfulness was already 16 percent higher at the start than among the other participants. This remained the same in all tests.
When in doubt always guess B | Photo: © TopGear
Anger and frustration also remained at exactly the same level as before the start of the experiment. We have been different from the other participants from the start, only the level was lower with us than with the rest. We are glad that we were allowed to leave the office for a day anyway. Perhaps a follow-up study on how happy you get from a year of paid leave?
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