The role of testosterone in the right foot extension
Introduction
The right foot extension has been observed in many automobile drivers worldwide. This effect is identified by excessive depression of an accelerator pedal so that large amounts of money are wasted on petrol and tyres. This phenomenon has been frequently associated with an impaired mental state due to a blood flow insufficient to supply both brain and reproductive organs. Due to the limited nature of the human blood supply, it has been argued that many males suffer brain damage from this effect.
Here, we argue that this effect is not merely a psychological disorder in young male drivers but actually has a pathophysiological basis.
Experimental
To maintain the statistical integrity of the study, the time and location of the experiments was chosen at random. The subjects were selected from Chapel St (Sth Yarra) & Lygon St (Carlton) and observed between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Curiously, the sample populations were 99% male; however this is unlikely to have an impact on the study. Researchers from The Mill monitored the behavioural effects by measuring the acceleration and noise emissions of cars driven by the subjects.
Results and Discussion
It was seen in this study that the right foot extension was only observed when the subjects were in a car and in the immediate vicinity (as measured by whistling distance) of a young, attractive female.
A range of external factors was found to be quite important in this response, the most predominant of which was the power of the car speakers. The relationship was significantly enhanced (P<0.05) by speakers resonating to doof doof. Moreover, the effect was further augmented by increasing the number of males in the car, thus indicating that testosterone levels are additive. An interesting chemical link was observed between male hormone levels and hair gel concentration. It is postulated that hair gels have a similar biological effect to testosterone.
Conversely, a number of environmental factors inhibited the right foot reflex. The approach of flashing blue lights caused the most rapid, albeit short-lived, reduction in behavioural abnormalities. It was also noted that this effect could be genetically down-regulated; the presence of a subject's mother in the car inhibits the expression of this response almost entirely. In an unusual forward-looking genetic twist, the presence of a subject's girlfriend also caused substantial inhibition.
Conclusions and Further Work
This study has demonstrated that the previously accepted psychological mechanism for the right foot extension is incorrect and that a pharmacovehicular model may be better used to describe the observations. The aural up-regulation of the effect is quite unusual in hormonal responses and deserves further attention.
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Last Modified: Monday, 08-Sep-2003 10:24:09 EST
