A new study suggests that people should start walking or cycling to work instead of driving a car in order to improve their well-being.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) analyzed the data of 18,000 active commuters, aged 18 to 65, from across the United Kingdom for 18 years. About 73 percent of the participants drove to work by car, 13 percent walked and 3 percent cycled. Roughly 11 percent admitted that they use public transportation, such as a bus or train.
Those who walked or cycled showed higher levels of productivity and happiness than those who drove or used public transportation. To test this initial finding, researchers asked the groups to switch their modes of transportation and noted that the previous group felt happier after giving up their cars and other methods.
"Our study shows that the longer people spend commuting in cars, the worse their psychological wellbeing. And correspondingly, people feel better when they have a longer walk to work," said study author Adam Martin from UEA's Norwich Medical School in a university news release.
Income, children, location and relationship changes were included in the calculations for the well-being of the participants.
Martin explained that his team was surprised by the results. He expected the participants' happiness to decrease because of the stress that is often associated with commuting, such as a disruption of services or overcrowding.
The results of the study can be useful to health authorities in drafting new policies that would encourage people to leave their cars and consider walking or cycling, such as bike lanes and new public transportation schemes. These changes could promote sociability in the community that could lead to "noticeable mental health benefits."
Further details of the study were published in the journal of Preventive Medicine.
