• Commuting makes you unhappy and anxious
    74 replies, posted
[quote] Commuting to work makes you unhappy and anxious, particularly if you spend more than half-an-hour on a bus, according to a study on the wellbeing of workers by the Office for National Statistics. "Holding all else equal, commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non-commuters," the report said, with the worst effects of travelling to work associated with journey times of between an hour and 90 minutes. The research was based on data from the Annual Population Survey, where people were asked where they worked, how long they travelled for, how satisfied they were with their life, and how happy or anxious they had felt the previous day. The final sample of more than 60,000 people included employees and the self-employed, and 91% were classified as commuters. [/quote] [url]http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/feb/12/commuting-unhappy-anxious-ons[/url]
Yeah, no shit. Even more sad when one's bus or train gets cancelled because there's a snowflake somewhere, despite living in a northern country which regularly experiences strong winters.
I've like 2 hours of commuting to my University (One-way). It sucks pretty bad having to get up 5AM in the morning to get to lecture at 8AM. I can only blame myself though, for not moving yet. [editline]12th February 2014[/editline] But yeah, it' sucks pretty bad having to commute +1 hour.
Its the feeling of loneliness that does it for me. I only have a friend who occasionally appears on the odd occasion and that's it. I've got my brother I suppose but we are worlds apart in terms of things to talk about.
Long distances causes anxiety in general, live far away from other people and lack on transportation and you will evolve into anxious person who is scared or everything.
Can confirm, commuting sucks. Especially when you have to take a train and you have to stand for an hour just because there are too many people. It' better now, new job just 3 minuts away by foot.
Sometimes I get the chav cunts on the bus makes it pretty bad. Plus because its only a single-decker bus it's always, always rammed.
commuting doesn't suck when the place you have to get to is the last stop and they kick you off... then you can just sleep for an extra 1-2 hours. just kidding it still sucks
Holy fuck I have commuted an hour an a half in the car for a year and a half now. I have never suffered from depression and anxiety before I started but now I have it ridiculously bad. This thread has made me feel less alone. Thank you OP and posters.
I've been driving to college for a while now and I quite like it. Pop in some tunes, crank it up, and go. I think I just like to drive really.
It probably does, but what can you do? you have to travel for work nowadays. When I was on JSA I had to sign a form stating I was willing to travel up to 90 minutes either way for work.
Commuting sucks ass, i'm shoulder to shoulder with miserable people for 3 hours a day with not even enough room to blow my nose but hey thats work i guess
commuting is probably the best part of my day, get to stare out of a window and listen to music and forget everything for a while driving makes me incredibly stressed, I can't focus on music and it costs more
Houston rush hour is the worst. A trip that should take 15 minutes ends up taking about an hour of stop and go traffic. God help you if there's an accident or construction somewhere on the way.
[quote]When the researchers looked at transport methods they found that those who travelled to work by bus or coach had a lower sense that what they were doing was worthwhile than those who travelled by car, while those who used the train were more anxious. People who walked to work reported lower satisfaction levels than those who went by car,[/quote] I'm not surprised. It's hard to be unhappy and anxious if you're in a car you like that isn't trying to break your back or pulverize your pelvis with every pothole. [quote] but those who reported travelling "some other way", which would include cycling to work, had higher satisfaction levels and were less anxious than those who travelled in cars.[/quote] This, however, is a bit surprising. Cyclists, at least those few in my area, are paranoid as all fuck when they get within two or three miles of city limit. But then again some people are wired in a wierd way and find getting all hot and sweaty and tired every morning is a great way to start the 8-5 office drone grind, so maybe that makes up for it. Idunno. I'm quite happy with a car myself.
Commuting by bike makes you feel good. So that's what I do every day regardless of weather, rain snow and ice doesnt stop me.
Of all the things that I dislike about going to college, commuting is the lowest ranked. I can do a lot of things I like in the train and do it in peace and quiet. My train takes 45 minutes and walkings takes half an hour, maybe the walking part is what makes it tolerable. Although, I do really hate seeing the same stuff when I walk to college.
This is the reason I bought a car. Both cut my commuting time down to almost ½ of the normal time, [B]AND[/B] I don't have to deal with being in close proximity of utter twats or dicks. Morning traffic is slightly annoying though, but that's where music comes in.
I disagree, I like my daily commute. I have a slot of 90 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes in the afternoon where I have nothing to do since reading or otherwise trying to be productive on the train/bus makes me nauseous. It's one of the only times I'm alone with myself and otherwise unoccupied so it gives me time for silent reflection and contemplation. I think about and reflect on things that have happened, things I've done and what I can learn from it, on things I need to do and how I should approach them. I use that time to realize my mistakes and plan ahead to keep myself from making new ones. I think about things I've said and ways I've acted and how people responded to it, and I think about how I might change or better myself. I honestly think I would be lost without it, considering how easy it is to get and stay occupied in the presence of an internet connection.
Did anybody take the fact that people who commute are probably already working at a sub-optimal, probably short-term job, likely for a sub-optimal pay, because otherwise they would get a living closer to the place? Correlation doesn't guarantee causation etc. I mean, I commute to school ~30 minutes literally every day and while I can't say I would consider myself the happiest, i find it very hard to find the cause in that specifically. At least I get some basic physical activity daily.
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;43885979]Did anybody take the fact that people who commute are probably already working at a sub-optimal, probably short-term job, likely for a sub-optimal pay, because otherwise they would get a living closer to the place? Correlation doesn't guarantee causation etc. I mean, I commute to school ~30 minutes literally every day and while I can't say I would consider myself the happiest, i find it very hard to find the cause in that specifically. At least I get some basic physical activity daily.[/QUOTE] You've never lived in a big city or a suburb. Commuting is commonplace there, and even when living in the city, your place could be at one end and your job at the other.
[QUOTE=O Cheerios O;43886081]You've never lived in a big city or a suburb. Commuting is commonplace there, and even when living in the city, your place could be at one end and your job at the other.[/QUOTE] I'd assume he's in a suburb, actually. Inner city and rural people are the ones who usually have fuckhueg commutes. Suburbanites are the most likely bunch to find a job within 30 minutes of their house, seeing as suburbs tend to be built in close proximity to retail sectors and retail sectors have a LOT of retail jobs.
I'm lucky enough to only have to drive 20-30 minutes to work. I used to work 10 minutes from my house, that was pretty nice. I feel horrible for people who have to do over an hour or more.
I commute an hour to school on the bus and subway every day, and yeah, it is rather depressing, especially during rush hour. At times, for some reason, the song Worker Bees by Billy Talent pops into my head, "March on, worker bees. Know your enemy"
City life in and of itself makes me unhappy and anxious
I actually like a long commute sometimes. I have some time to reflect on things or just to relax. However I'd probably hate doing it every day for a long period of time. Luckily my uni is a 15 minute walk away and the city in general is small enough to get across in about an hour.
to get to work, I used to take 2 bus's and a 10 min walk, it took about 2 hours, it got to me after a week, so i got a car, and then it was 10-15 mins through the countryside. made me a lot happier even though spending loads on a new car.
[QUOTE=Gustafa;43885422]Holy fuck I have commuted an hour an a half in the car for a year and a half now. I have never suffered from depression and anxiety before I started but now I have it ridiculously bad. This thread has made me feel less alone. Thank you OP and posters.[/QUOTE] Oh believe me you are not alone. I had a 90 minute bus ride to and from school every day from grade 1 to grade 11. Those were the worst days of my life, without a doubt. [QUOTE=Squarebob;43885527]I've been driving to college for a while now and I quite like it. Pop in some tunes, crank it up, and go. I think I just like to drive really.[/QUOTE] I think having the privacy and familiarity of a car makes it a lot less stressful for me.
2 hour commute on bus to work then the same back. Not an issue though, gives me time to play/mod games.
No kidding.. i commute 1hr 40 mins a day. 25 min walk train - wait - train which takes 60 minutes Taxi\carpool for 15 minutes.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.