The case for not driving to work
By Abby Phillip, Washington Post
Your commute is making you unhappy, and you probably didn’t need a scientific study to tell you that.
In 2000, 76 percent of Americans drove to work alone every day. In addition to the frustrations of rush-hour traffic, those commutes also tend to be longer and start earlier in the morning than, say, walking or biking to work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Not to mention that fitting in a few minutes of activity before and after work can come with some important physical health benefits.
A new study makes an additional case for at least considering a change in your means of getting to your 9-to-5. British researchers at the University of East Anglia found that walkers and bikers reported positive psychological effects from getting a little fresh air and moderate exercise on their way to work.
The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, found that people who went from another mode of transportation to walking or cycling reported improvements in their well-being — specifically, they felt that they were able to concentrate more at work and were under less strain that when they traveled by car.
