We’ve speculated here, there and elsewhere about the subliminal power of mental structures, such as the face-recognizing fusiform gyrus, to influence our perception of art and other visual experiences. So I was interested to see an article on the topic in the Toronto Globe and Mail (original story from Agence France-Presse), which was left at the hotel room on my last day in Newfoundland. It reports a study by Karl Grammer of the University of Vienna on how we react to cars on the basis of their “facial” characteristics.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that most people viewed cars as having faces. Nor that there was often agreement on the corresponding “personalities,” as with the “submissive and friendly” Nissan Micra pictured above. What was surprising to me, though, was that most people, including both men and women, seemed to agree on their preference. From the study:
…the better our subjects liked a car, the closer it matched the shape characteristics corresponding to high values of “power.” Thus, people seem to like mature, dominant, masculine, arrogant, angry-looking cars.
I wonder whether car designers pay any explicit attention to the car-face analogy in developing appealing designs? If so, I was unable to find evidence for it in an Internet search. I do suspect it might influence my personal decision-making. My favorite car for looks had a short, squarish jaw like a retriever puppy. However, I generally pay so little attention to cars, I was competely clueless as to what make and model I had rented and was driving for the last two and a half weeks.
Do you have a favorite car (owned or not)? Do you like its face?
Update: immediately after posting, I came across a news(?) item which mentioned that the Obamas have recently traded in a Chrysler 300C (cited in the article as one of the more aggressive styles) for a Ford Escape Hybrid (looks pretty docile to me, see below). Significant?
Chrysler 300C
Ford Escape
Good choice for the Obamas.
I liked my previous car, the freddymobile, in which my dog and I drove across the US. I also like my current car, a Subaru Forester, because, sitting up a little higher, it gives me good visibility, gets me through snow and is roomy enough to carry small trees. I also dig its ‘celery’ color.
I hate cars that hug the road, totally impractical. I did not occur to me that a car has a face. I do see faces in stones when I walk along the beach.
Bottom line, for me cars are utility objects and I prefer to walk to work, 35 minutes.
Steve:
Hope you enjoyed your vacation and that you have a lot of images to share.
With whatever justification it has often been pointed out that the Chrysler in question has a gangland vibe. Maybe the Obamas are stepping away from that association.
As I have mentioned before, I do my grandfatherly duty – and gladly so – watching the Pixar movie, Cars. In the film the front of the vehicle is used expressively in a highly developed way, and is engaging at almost every level. Next time I sit down to watch I’ll find something new to admire and enjoy.
Furthermore, in my regular forays out to the Borders, I pick up a glossy Italian mag mag that deals with automotive design. Sheet metal is discussed with loving seriousness as is the ‘face’ of the vehicle.
Birgit,
I use a Forester, too, and I like it for the same practical reasons. Can’t take any credit though, my wife bought it while I was still in Japan. As for face, I’d say it has a take-charge look without being overbearing.
Jay,
I can see the gangland association. Perhaps appearing more eco-minded was also a factor (not to mention gas savings).
Thanks for the news from the Italian auto design community. It does beg the question of what you’re driving yourself. Does it end in “i”?
As for pictures, I’ll be showing some, though in some ways they’re not so different from other work. It was a vacation for people, not photography. What I did was fun, and I learned a bit.
Steve:
We have the classic combination of a 2002 Prius and a 2002 Dodge Caravan. Both vehicles have classic good looks. Pixar has already weighed in on the topic of the personality of utilitarian boxes like the Caravan, but has not yet featured a Prius. It will likely be depicted as sipping on an ethanol smoothie.
Steve,
I have an idea why I don’t perceive a face in a car. As a child, I sat in a car killing a bicyclist making a U-Turn on a highway lacking a speed limit. I suppose that experience made cars into dangerous object rather than friendly faces in my perception.
The only cars that I like are those associated with happy experiences such as driving cross country with my dog.
Birgit,
Sorry for your terrible experience. The worst in my case was rabbits.
I’ve always had old Volvo station wagons. I like a car to have a placid, stoic look, a look that says “I will be steadfast irregardless of your abuse.” There’s something both beaten-down and quietly prideful about a Volvo face. It’s a look of smug martyrdom.
McFawn,
Is that because you’re a smug martyr yourself, or because you require one as sidekick?
We had a gray Volvo wagon (used, of course) for a while, until the engine caught fire on a Minnesota freeway at 20 below or so. Probably not the car’s fault, though. It was kind of the opposite of my first car, a little Fiat 128.
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Im a woman and for as long as i can remember, since about 11, I have always liked sleek and feminine cars such as a lotus.
I was reading that women prefer masculine powerful square cars. That’s not true for me at all. square cars are just, ew. So are square looking men.
Actually, I don’t really have any attraction to men at all, and yes, im really old enough to know. I wouldn’t say that I was gay, I just don’t generally like the way men look, or the way masculine cars look. This whole powerful, angry and protective thing does nothing for me as a concept or an aesthetic. So for example Dodges, id never buy one, the face just really puts me off.
Anyway, I like trains. Trains have such cute faces.
I don’t drive, but I think that if I did id like a really happy looking car.