A Behavioral Scientist Explains How We Can Overcome Involuntary Road Rage
Metacognition may be the key to gaining control over your angry driving habit.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | May 26, 2023
A new study published in Transportation Research explores how emotional self-regulation can keep one's aggressive driving behaviors in check.
I recently spoke to Dr. Steven Love of the University of Sunshine Coast in Australia to understand how self-regulation can help prevent instances of road rage. Here is a summary of our conversation.
Could you define aggressive driving behavior? What inspired you to investigate the topic?
Aggressive driving can include a wide range of driving behaviors, such as:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Traffic rule violations
- Inappropriate lane changing
The behaviors often lead to altercations between drivers, resulting in the engagement of verbal or physical aggression, or even using the vehicle to express anger. The problem with aggressive driving behaviors is that they can be initiated instantaneously and can be an unconscious response to emotional impulses. This means that the behaviors are difficult to intervene in from both an enforcement and self-regulatory perspective.
This dynamic is what inspired me to look at the concept of self-regulation.
Which personality factors predispose people to engage in aggressive driving behavior? What are some of the countermeasures to this behavior?
We found that people who hold antisocial traits tended to be more resilient to change and had poorer control over their anger.
Specifically, people with these traits tended to attribute their aggressive behaviors directly to the fault of others, as they believed aggression was necessary to adequately "teach them a lesson."
They also lacked insight into their aggression, in that they were more likely to act without awareness of doing so and it took them longer to gain control of the behavior once they were aware of it.
Finally, such personalities were more likely to engage in anger rumination (as opposed to reflective rumination) following an event.
It is believed that anger rumination predisposes drivers to heightened and more out-of-control anger responses the next time a trigger is presented.
What role do self-regulation strategies play in preventing and managing aggressive driver behavior? What are some of the strategies that individuals could develop to prevent road rage?
Self-regulation strategies are the tactics we adopt when we want to change or control thinking. Any strategies that are aimed at avoiding the processing of negative feelings, such as avoidance and substance abuse, are maladaptive and can lead to underlying mental health difficulties.
Strategies that are aimed at positively processing negative feelings are helpful. For example, positive reappraisal is considered a very helpful strategy in the literature. A lot of drivers reported just 'letting it go,' taking on the perspective that they have no control over events like this and that there is no point letting the event affect them any further.
The strategies we adopt will depend on our metacognitive skills and how experienced we are at regulating thinking. For example, an experienced person might say "I just control it."
Based on your study, what would be your advice for those struggling to improve on their aggressive driving behavior?
First, change is all about acceptance and accountability. There have been numerous studies to show that antisocial attitudes toward a behavior are the biggest resistance to change.
If one truly wants to change a behavior, the first step is to recognize that there is an issue and that we (not others) are the cause of our behavior. For example, while there are plenty of triggers (e.g., other drivers) on the road that may initiate feelings of anger, the person themselves is the mediator to their response behavior.
A lot of trait-aggressive people will directly attribute their behavior to others because they don't have that internal insight. What they see is their reality.
The next step is practice. While this can be done during everyday life, there are also several mindfulness-based approaches that can speed up the process of building metacognitive skills and positive orientations towards one's thinking.
What was the methodology of your study? What was your most significant finding?
We developed a semi-structured interview, which looked at a number of factors involved in angry driving experiences, including:
- What typically triggers drivers' anger
- What situational, psychological, and perceptual factors may increase the propensity for anger
- What psychological processes are involved in the regulation and control of anger
- How people evaluate angry driving experiences afterward
The most significant finding was probably the underlying theme that people who have a high awareness of their thoughts and feelings (metacognition) have an increased ability to control and regulate anger on the road.
This skill also enabled drivers to evaluate angry driving events more adaptively, so they were likely to respond more effectively the next time a trigger occurred.
How do the theories of aggression talked about in your study inform aggressive driving behaviors in individuals?
We utilized concepts around a term known as metacognition or the notion of having thoughts about thoughts. The general idea is that people hold specific beliefs about how thinking processes operate, what purpose they hold, and how effective they are.
So, in circumstances where an individual holds the beliefs that anger rumination is a useful and positive experience, they will tend to engage the thought process more often. Unfortunately, this leads to experiences of anger, which then intensifies these angry thought processes in a cyclical nature and forms the belief that anger is uncontrollable. It is like going down a whirlpool, it starts with some simple thoughts, but can lead to 'tunnel vision,' effectively cutting off one's metacognitive awareness, and thus control over thinking.
What exactly are 'metacognitive awareness levels' and how can individuals develop this to handle a triggering situation?
Metacognitive awareness refers to how attuned one is to their thinking. Someone with a high metacognitive awareness is able to 'detach' from thinking and identify what thoughts they are experiencing. This helps people understand when they might be experiencing thinking that is harmful to their well-being. It essentially allows people to regulate their thinking, and therefore emotions, more effectively.
Fortunately, as with any skill, practicing the process of being self-aware can be learned, and in time, mastered. There are a lot of mindfulness-based practices which foster this learning process. The most difficult part is first understanding which thinking patterns and perceptions aren't helpful for us. For example, some people may believe that ruminating may help them process anger, however, it more so intensifies anger and reduces control.