Title: Modifications to Your Car Indicate You Are "Sadistic and Psychopathological"!

A new study found that those who wish to own loud cars and modify them to produce deafening sounds have high levels of sadism and psychopathy. The study was conducted by Western University in Ontario, Canada. The team, led by psychologist Julie Aitken Schirmer from Western in London, Ontario, analyzed data from over 500 individuals to investigate the relationship between dark personality traits and a preference for loud cars. Schirmer wrote in the research paper: "Since these exhaust modifications represent a disturbance to people and animals and are illegal in some places, understanding who wants their car to be loud is an interesting research question." Among the 529 participants, 52% were male. They were asked about their feelings towards loud cars, their identification with their own vehicles, and the likelihood of modifying their mufflers (a device to reduce noise from the exhaust in vehicles with internal combustion engines). The results indicated that a preference for loud cars is associated with high levels of psychopathy and sadism. Schirmer conducted interviews and psychological tests on the 529 participants based on the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) personality scale, which assesses malevolent personality traits. She stated: "We found that it relates to sadism and psychopathy, indicating those who want to modify their mufflers, feel more connected to their cars, and believe loud cars are really great." Researchers explained that this harsh disregard for the feelings and reactions of others is a "manifest psychopathy," where such individuals likely enjoy watching people feel shocked and horrified.