Long commutes linked to stress and unhappiness

According to recent census data, the average UK commute is 54 minutes, in comparison to about 3 hours in the US.

Each day millions of people around the world commute to work through a variety of transportation options. While there may be those who zone out and enjoy the scenery, others are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or crowded conditions, cramping their well-being. Think about it; we spend about a year of our lives getting to and from work (or 10,634 hours) and in the long run, this experience is likely to have an impact on our psychological and physical health.
According to Nick Paumgarten, the author of 'There and Back Again: The soul of the commuter', the word commuter derives from early days of rail travel in US cities where people could use trains to get into the city, paying a reduced or 'commuted' fare. Later, the 'commute' and 'commuter' were coined to refer to this activity.
The time we spend cruising comfortably or jammed grouchily differs greatly across cultures. According to recent census data, the average UK commute is 54 minutes, in comparison to about 3 hours in the US (New Yorkers have the longest with an average of 6 hours and 18 minutes), 70 minutes in Portugal, 80 minutes in Ivory Coast and only 23 minutes in Italy.
The world average is about 40 minutes and the worst commute goes to Bangkok, Thailand, where people spend about 2 hours a day travelling to and from work, sometimes crawling at the average speed of only 7mph. Perhaps we should all move to Malawi, the world's shortest commute which is about 2 minutes.
Studies show that there is direct link between our commute experience and sense of well-being, productivity and mood. Daniel Kahneman and the economist Alan Krueger, surveyed 900 working women in Texas and found that commuting was by a long shot, the least enjoyable part of their day. It seems our personal happiness decreases with every mile a commuter travels. The pressure caused by a lack of control, traffic, pollution, delays, dullness and seclusion can cause lower life satisfaction, stress and anxiety.
Swiss economists, Bruno Frey and Alois Stutzer explain a new human foible, called 'the commuters paradox' which occurs when people are choosing where to live, they consistently underestimate the pain of a long commute. This leads us to mistakenly believe that the big house in the exurbs will make them happier, even though it might force them to drive longer to work.
Frey and Stutzer also found that a person with a one-hour commute would need a 40 per cent pay rise to be as satisfied with life as someone who walks to the office.
When asked to elaborate on this phenomena, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert notes, 'Driving in traffic is a different kind of hell every day. One reason is that it's a painful ritual we never get used to - the flow of traffic is inherently unpredictable. As a result, we don't habituate to the suffering of rush hour. So if traffic was always bad, and not just usually bad, it would be easier to deal with.'
Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam offers a calculation by saying, 'There's a simple rule of thumb: Every 10 minutes of commuting results in 10 per cent fewer social connections. Commuting is connected to social isolation, which causes unhappiness.'
A longitudinal study of 2 million married people in Sweden conducted by Erika Sandow titled 'To Work Do Us Part' found that couples with long commutes, (about 45 minutes by car) were 40 per cent more likely to divorce than couples who never commuted. Interestingly, another study by Irene Huang and her colleagues at The Chinese University of Hong Kong claim that the direction of the commute matters greatly. Participants included 280 married couples in the US and 139 in Hong Kong and from them they found that the couples who headed to work in the same direction tended to be more satisfied in their relationships than those who travelled in different directions.
We know that this journey is an inevitable part of our daily life so is it possible to become a more content commuter?
University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley asked suburban Chicago commuters to chat with strangers on the train, in order to increase social contact and he found that they ended up enjoying the ride that day more than they usually did. Would you be willing to start a conversation with a stranger?
Commuters need to regain some sense of predictability and control by deciding to do something positive and even proactive on this journey. So if you don't feel comfortable bonding with a fellow commuter, you could listen to your favourite music, read a novel, organise your smart phone or lap top folders or even meditate.
Deciding to walk, bike or even take the train have been found to result in greater satisfaction in comparison to people who drive, take the bus, or take the subway according to McGill University survey of 3377 commuters in Montreal. However, if you have to drive, listen to an audio book related to enhancing your skills and abilities or an engaging work of fiction about love and loss during the Second World War, for example. Don't only focus on all that's pending or hasn't been done; remind yourself of all that you have accomplished and reflect on the best parts of your day. The upside of all this is that the ride to work can be used to plan the day, clear your thoughts and even catch up on unfinished tasks and the ride home can be a great time to decompress, process stress, and make a smoother transition back to family and home life.
Dr Samineh I. Shaheem is an assistant professor of psychology, learning & development specialist and the owner of Life Clubs UAE. Please forward your thoughts and suggestions for future articles to OutOfMindContact@gmail.com