Women smile twice as much as men when driving, according to new research. Scientists used AI-powered facial-recognition technology to map 468 “landmarks” on the faces of 30 motorists, tracking small muscle contractions linked to joy or happiness. The results were converted into a “smiles per hour” (SPH) score.
On average, women recorded 337.5 SPH while driving, compared with 171.4 for men. Cognitive scientist Dr Duncan Williams developed the metric using MediaPipe — a facial geometry framework developed by Google AI — to analyse involuntary emotional responses during real-world driving.
The test was carried out as part of FIAT’s roll-out of SPH as a new way to assess its cars, with the Grande Panda averaging 258.1 SPH.
Dr Duncan Williams said: “This study was designed to measure involuntary emotional response rather than performance.
“By analysing changes across hundreds of facial landmarks in real-world driving conditions, we can detect genuine smiles that indicate authentic enjoyment.
“Measuring these responses over time allows us to calculate a scientifically robust Smiles Per Hour score for each model.”
SPH provides an additional way to understand the driving experience, based on how drivers genuinely feel behind the wheel.
FIAT said the new metric is intended to reflect driving experience and emotional response rather than performance statistics, aligning with its Dolce Vita philosophy of celebrating joy, colour and optimism in everyday driving. The approach follows initiatives including the brand’s decision to stop producing grey cars.
Alongside overall SPH, the study reported minimal difference in enjoyment between hybrid (257 SPH) and electric (259.5 SPH) driving. It also found colour had no impact on enjoyment, with scores remaining consistent across different finishes.
Kris Cholmondeley, FIAT UK managing director, said: "We always try and give customers as much information as possible about our cars, but we don’t believe that speed alone is what makes driving enjoyable.
"Driving a FIAT has never been about chasing numbers; it’s about how you feel behind the wheel. Smiles Per Hour gives us a meaningful new way to talk about that feeling."