Why we missed our cars so much during lockdown
There’s a lot that we missed about “normal” life while lockdown kept us confined to our home. Time to yourself. Time with people. A sense of control over just about anything in life. Non-elasticated clothing. The pub. The list goes on.
Driving is one aspect that some of us might not even realise we’ve missed, but there’s good reason to feel relief and happiness whenever you finally got into the car – even if you don’t actively consider driving a hobby or interest.
In fact, there’s evidence to support that even mundane, ordinary stints behind the wheel offer some precious and beneficial ‘me time’ for many of us; the familiar act of driving can help us to order our thoughts and regain some equilibrium.
Lynne Pearce, Professor of literary theory at Lancaster University, stated in her book Drivetime that “driving is paradigmatic as well as formative of the way we think. By this I am suggesting that the way in which the mind travels through time and space on its everyday cognitive journeys – encountering a novelty here, a memory or an obstacle there – is figuratively similar to the way in which cars and their drivers engage with the temporal and spatial environments through which they pass”.
Inevitably, those who study the psychology of driving often focus on aspects of rage, anxiety and stress since these are widespread issues on our increasingly congested roads. Ironically, for anyone who – like me – loves driving, in the midst of lockdown even the brief, mundane drive to the supermarket felt like sweet, sweet freedom. The cathartic, almost meditative sense of being on the move, of being in control, and just that sense of finally getting the hell on with something, was for many of us a remarkable relief.
It’s not only lockdown that’s made me ponder the real mental health benefits of a good drive. Don’t get me wrong – I commute into London fairly often and it is very often stressful and frustrating enough to make me want to quit everything and go and start a pottery business in the Hebrides.
But more often than not, even in a sometime torturous commute, I find peace in the car. Podcasts are a revelation. Maybe I’m getting old, but a podcast on a subject matter that interests you is a great way to make the time feel both productive, educative and relaxing. Or good music, of course and, ideally, a car you trust and find comfortable. Before you know it, even a traffic jam on the A40 can feel like time well spent.
A scientific study published in the journal Ergonomics backs up that theory, suggesting that “listening to music can positively impact mood while driving, which can be used to affect state and safe behaviour. Additionally, driving performance in high demand situations is not negatively affected by music”.
Possibly a more crucial aspect of making driving relaxing is being on your own. Obviously, time away from the kids has been precious and rare in lockdown for many of us, but even in more routine life, solitude is essential for our mental health and being in the car is often where many of us spend the majority of that alone time.
“Going out for a drive lets us reflect and come back with greater insights,” says Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University and author of Going Solo. “There’s something about being in the driver’s seat – with the sense of control it affords – that lets you think productively and solve problems. People long for productive solitude, time to be alone in their heads to work through problems without the distraction of social media and email.”
Over the years I’ve often undertaken journeys of 10 hours or more on my own, and while most of my friends and acquaintances think I’m mad, personally I love it. I often sort a playlist in advance, then I’m off. It’s a getaway from normality – time to turn off the phone and emails, enjoy your music, the scenery and the time in which you are totally the master of your own environment. I relish the prospect.
Many people talk about the wellbeing benefits of colouring or sewing with that old cliché about how it “keeps the hands occupied but leaves the mind free”. I’d say the same of driving in good conditions, even if it’s on the motorway rather than a particularly inspiring road. I’m not talking about adrenaline here – I enjoy schlepping down a clear motorway almost as much as I do focussing on a challenging road in an appropriate car.
To state the obvious, there’s a significant aspect of confidence behind the wheel if you’re to enjoy the drive. Anxious drivers, or even if you’re lost or feeling pressured… I’m no psychologist, but that’s never going to restful. We’ve all being stuck in traffic when we’re running late, and it’s about as restful as a Chinese burn no matter how much you might enjoy driving.
So, while road rage and anxiety is still alarmingly prevalent, science also backs up my own experience that – with the right environment – even a mundane drive can clear your head and help with general wellbeing.
The benefits of driving are even well documented enough that some are asking what the impact of autonomous driving will have on human psychology. Professor Pearce talks of how “with the car facing necessary extinction on environmental grounds, evidence of the ways in which driving can positively direct and structure thought raises interesting questions for our 'driverless' future. What new thought-space will replace drivetime?”
The University of Warwick has carried out extensive research on how passengers feel when they’re in an autonomous car, and how different driving styles affect their response. The results suggest that a combination of both human and robotic driving style works best but that, ultimately, it’s being familiar with how the car responds that makes a person relax in an automated car.
While advanced semi-autonomous driving creeps more and more into mainstream cars, full automation is of course many years off. In the meantime, I suspect I won’t be the only one who’ll continue to consider the car as therapy, as well as a form of transport.
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