A report published in 2010 by the Young Foundation entitled 'The State of Happiness - Can public policy shape people’s wellbeing and resilience?' highlighted recent research that illustrated how "commuting in crowded conditions and long commutes are both associated with lower levels of frustration tolerance and job stability as well as with poor health and work absences." Basically, as shown in the graph below, the longer the commute time the less happy people are.
But it is not just the length of commuting time that is important - it is also how much control people have over their journey times that plays a large part in the stress and frustration of commuting to work. Traffic congestion, roadworks and finding somewhere to park can mean that for many journeys by car or public transport there is little control over the reliability of journey times - which can lead to stress and frustration - or unhappiness.
A more recent report by the New Economics Foundation 'Measuring our progress : The power of well-being' highlighted that "studies comparing the experiences of commuting by bicycle and car report that cyclists find their mode of transport at least as flexible and convenient as those who use cars, with lower stress and greater feelings of freedom, relaxation and excitement." (*)
Or put more simply, cycling provides a more reliable and controllable means of travelling to work (or the shops, pub, school etc) and when you add in the cost-savings and health-benefits of regular cycling then.... cycling can really make you happier !
(*) Anable, J. & Gatersleben, B. (2005). All work and no play? The role of instrumental and affective factors in work and leisure journeys by different travel modes. Transportation Research Part A 39, 163–181.
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