Black Sheep : The Secret Benefits of Being Bad (9781473610828) by Stephens Richard

Author:Stephens, Richard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA
Published: 2015-05-26T00:00:00+00:00

Motorcyclists of Taiwan

The realization that driving can sometimes be engaging but at other times be a bore brings us closer to understanding the hidden benefit of flooring it. A particularly relevant aspect of Flow Theory is the relationship between enjoyment and challenge. As the degree of challenge in any situation gets lower, so feelings of flow (enjoyment) decrease also. But this carries an important implication – if an activity becomes less enjoyable, then it is possible to ramp up the enjoyment by increasing the degree of challenge. Perhaps speeding is the expression of ramping up the degree of challenge during everyday driving. At faster speeds the driver is more challenged because they must respond to the road environment with greater urgency. Maybe the hidden benefits of fast driving arise because of the greater risk and challenge that it presents. A study carried out in Taiwan points towards exactly that [see Chen & Chen, below].

Researchers asked 277, mainly male riders of ‘heavy motorcycles’ (as opposed to scooters or mopeds) a series of questions about how they rode and what they thought about riding. The study specifically included questions arising from Flow Theory about the degree of challenge and enjoyment of riding a motorcycle, such as: ‘I have fun riding a heavy motorcycle’, as well as questions about intentions and experiences of going over the speed limit, such as: ‘When riding a heavy motorcycle, I intend to speed, if possible.’ They also asked questions around attitudes towards speeding and sensation-seeking.

Interestingly, of all the questions asked, the answers that best explained speeding were challenge and enjoyment. Those riders that rated challenge and fun highly were also more likely to say that they would ride over the speed limit. This was particularly the case for high sensation seekers. This confirms the idea that when driving conditions are perceived as unchallenging, speeding is an expression of boredom, or rather people floor it as an antidote to boredom. At least that seems to be the case for high sensation seekers.

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