Commuting - The Commuting Paradox - Eric Weiner

NPR correspondent Eric Weiner was on the Diane Rehm show, this morning, talking about his new book: The Geography of Bliss.

Since I often find bliss in bicycle commuting, I was interested to hear what he had to say about the other kind of commuting:

"Commuting, in particular, has been found to be detrimental to our happiness, as well as our physical health. Every minute spent on the road is one less minute that we can spend with family and friends - the kind of activities, in other words, that make us happy."

The paradox is that many of these folks grinding out time on the freeway are there because they thought they would be "happier" in a more rural environment ... farther away from the cares of the urban world.

Similar to the paradox of our increasingly obese children: parents move to the distant suburbs so kids can be "safe" ... but then chauffeur their offspring around and confine kids to the house because that "safe" environment is perceived as being too dangerous.

I disagree. It's probably self projection on the part of the author. Some people enjoy their commute. At home, wifey/hubby/kids are whining. At work, bosses/coworker/employees are whining. Their commute is the only time they have all to themselves. So they kick back and listen to tunes.

Depends on the commute... I commute 70 miles round trip 5 days a week. If i drive, it's only enjoyable if i'm not crawling along in traffic. Bike/train commuting is more enjoyable but i lose about 2 hours of "home time" because i have to go to bed an hour earlier (meaning i gotta wake up an hour earlier) and i get home an hour later compared to driving.

Today 69% of American drivers say they like to drive, down from 79% in a 1991 Gallup survey. And just 23% say they consider their car "something special -- more than just a way to get around," barely half of the 43% who felt this way in 1991.

The biggest reason for the cooling of the affair isn't the recent spike in gas prices. Rather, it appears to be the result of a longer term trend -- the growing hassle of traffic congestion, according to a Pew Research Center telephone survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,182 adults (including 1,048 drivers) conducted from June 20 through July 16, 2006.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/316/americans-and-their-cars-is-the-romance-on-the-skid

NPR correspondent Eric Weiner was on the Diane Rehm show, this morning, talking about his new book: The Geography of Bliss.

Since I often find bliss in bicycle commuting, I was interested to hear what he had to say about the other kind of commuting:

"Commuting, in particular, has been found to be detrimental to our happiness, as well as our physical health. Every minute spent on the road is one less minute that we can spend with family and friends - the kind of activities, in other words, that make us happy."

The paradox is that many of these folks grinding out time on the freeway are there because they thought they would be "happier" in a more rural environment ... farther away from the cares of the urban world.

Similar to the paradox of our increasingly obese children: parents move to the distant suburbs so kids can be "safe" ... but then chauffeur their offspring around and confine kids to the house because that "safe" environment is perceived as being too dangerous.


I'm saddened by all those that commute long miles via car and highways daily.

Time away from family is one issue. But there are other sacrifices they make that add up. I bet they don't have the home cooked meals I enjoy. I imagine they don't go home during the daytime ever--whereas I do occassionally for a variety of reasons. I know biking takes up more time for me, but that's my excersize time. Those that drive with long commutes have to sacrifice that to a certain extent.

The one case that this makes sense is to be near parents or siblings.