Is your commute the most stressful part of your day? Does your blood pressure rise when you get behind the wheel?

Or do you think of your car as a welcome retreat where you can listen to your music and podcasts in peace?

Many of us drive every day, but we rarely stop to think about how driving affects our moods, our emotions, and the rest of our

lives, and conversely how our emotions and our personality influence are driving.

Today we're going to talk to a traffic psychologist about what's going on when we get behind

the wheel. Why do some people find driving more stressful than others? What causes road rage?

And how can you defuse a tense traffic situation?

How will driving change with the rise of more automated

or even self-driving cars?

And how can psychological research help make

the roads a safer and more pleasant place for us all.

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

My guest today is Dr. Dwight Hennessy, a professor and chair of the psychology department

at Buffalo State University.

His research interests include driver stress and aggression, how to encourage safe driving,

and how driving stress spills over into everyday life.

He's the author of numerous research papers and editor of two books,

Traffic Psychology and International Perspective, and Contemporary Issues in Road User Behavior

and Traffic Safety. He's been interviewed about traffic and driver behavior by media outlets,

including The New York Times, the CBC, and the Seattle Times. Dr. Hennesse, thank you for

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