Research Confirms People Become Assholes When They Get Behind The Wheel Of A Car

You already know this is true - but now there's a word for it: "motornormativity." UK environmental psychology professor Ian Walker released a study that suggests a “cultural inability to think objectively and dispassionately” about how we use cars. Essentially, what the research shows is that the normal values and morals, as well as the cultural norms that we apply to our daily lives don't seem to apply once we get behind the wheel of a car.

Calm, kind people in all other aspects of their lives, become short-tempered jerks while driving. The study explains everything from drivers' dislike of cyclists to their lack of empathy for other driver's mistakes. Clearly, since the research classifies this effect as an "unconscious bias," becoming aware of your bias is the only way to overcome it. Try to remember that the next time someone cuts you off in traffic.