Inventing “Highway Hypnosis”: Billboard Advertisements, Driving Simulators, and the Politics of Attention on the Interstate Highway
MHS Event
Author: Jonathan MacDonald, Brown University
Comment: Catherine Gudis, University of California, Riverside
This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception will begin at 4:30 PM.
Limited-access superhighways and smooth-riding automobiles encouraged millions of Americans to take to the roads after 1945. Yet, as one headline warned, our “Dream Roads” were “Turning into Death Traps.” What explained the rising tide of mysterious crashes? A small group of psychologists offered a persuasive answer. Using hypnotic trances and early driving simulators, they proposed a novel diagnosis: “highway hypnosis.” Rather than accidents caused by "distraction," they blamed under-stimulation and the monotony of the road. “Highway hypnosis” soon became a favorite theory of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, which deployed it in lobbying campaigns and public relations.
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Hybrid Event
The in-person reception starts at 4:30 PM and the seminar will begin at 5:00 PM.
Masks are optional for this event.
The virtual seminar begins at 5:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
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