For any of us driving is routine until it isn’t. A missed signal, a slow merge, a perceived slight, and suddenly frustration flares. Anne O’Dwyer has spent her career studying how emotion and perception influence behavior. A professor of psychology at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, she brings years of classroom experience and scholarly research to her latest work.
In the new book “A Driving Anger: The Psychology of Road Rage” O’Dwyer investigates the psychological forces that make driving such fertile ground for anger. She explains how the illusion of anonymity, cognitive distortions, and the stressors of modern life can converge on the roadway turning minor inconveniences into outsized reactions.
Combining accessible science with real world examples she also outlines practical techniques for deescalating as well as self-awareness. The result is an exploration of road rage.
