Sports Cars Make Men Feel Macho, Study Shows

Let’s say we didn’t need a study to tell us that testosterone levels in men increases when they drive a high-end sports car, but for those who though otherwise, a recent study found the link between automotive luxury and libido is more than a metaphor.

Moreover, men driving a battered Toyota did not produce a significant change in male testosterone levels, the Daily Mail reported.

The Canadian researchers, authors of the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, said that men believe the conspicuous displays are the best way to grab a female's attention.

Based on evolutionary psychology, a discipline which looks at our brains and behavior as products of an evolutionary process, lead author Gad Saad made a positive match between sports cars and testosterone level.

He found that a middle-aged, divorced businessman can rationalize all he wants about what reasons make him buy a Ferrari, but his testosterone levels reveal what is really driving him.

Testosterone is a hormone found in both males and females, but men have a far higher amount of it in their bodies. The researchers had a group of 39 college students to take part at the experiment.

They each spent one hour driving a 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, and one hour driving a "dilapidated 1990 Toyota Camry wagon."

The study concluded: “Men use their cars to advertise their wealth. They consider them as extensions of themselves: they feed them, bathe them, observe their age and nurse them. They believe that owning the right car is akin to possessing a powerful sexual charm that renders them irresistible to women. Through their lurid displays of wealth, Porsche owners signal to others that they could bear substantial financial costs.”