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. 2022 Aug 6;9:481. doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01557-2

Table 2.

Description of the top five driving scenarios that induce each emotion according to the number of participants.

Triggered emotion Scenario description Frequency
Anger The vehicles next always change their way maliciously, or they occupy the road while driving very slow. 12
The next car decides to cut in line with the turn signal off while the distance between the driver’s car and the car in front is small. 8
Others keep the high beam on while meeting the car, which affects the vision. 4
Being in a traffiic jam for a long time. 3
Being forcibly overtaken. 3
Fear Driving on a road with no light or pedestrian in the nighttime. 6
Driving on a mountain road with high cliff beside. 5
Witnessing some serious traffic accidents while driving. 4
Feeling very tired after driving for a long time, and even almost causes an accident due to fatigue. 4
Driving next to a large truck. 4
Disgust The driver in front keeps throwing garbage, water bottles, and spitting out. 12
Being forcibly cut in line by a nearby vehicle during a traffic jam. 6
Seeing a lot of garbage on the road. 5
Some drivers do not follow the traffic rules. 4
The passengers in the car is making some uncivilized behaviours. 4
Sadness Hearing sad things while driving, such as an earthquake. 11
Witnessing an accident while driving. 10
Thinking of his/her break-up while driving. 4
Thinking of his/her family conflicts while driving. 3
The driver feels sad about his/her poor driving skills when he/she compares himself/herself to other drivers who have good skills. 1
Superise Seeing some novel things while driving, such as small animals suddenly running out. 16
Seeing one of his/her acquaintance/friend while driving. 3
Some unknown problems happened with his/her vehicle, such as some kind of noise. 3
Seeing some pedestrians walking on the highway. 1
Suddenly see 100 RMB in the car while driving. 1
Happiness Noticing interesting things happened on the road and the scenery outside is very beautiful. 16
Chatting and joking with his/her family and friends while driving and feeling very relaxed. 11
Driving on a road with few vehicles, especially on highways, and feeling that the whole road belongs to himself/herself. 11
About to go home or arrive at his/her destination after being busy all day. 8
Driving while listening to his/her favourite music. 7
Neutral Driving on all normal town roads. 11
Encountering slight road congestion. 10
Driving on a highway. 9
Driving while listening to soft music. 6
Driving on a country road. 3