国际英语新闻:Long commutes cause lower happiness level, higher anxiety:study

BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Commuters who spend more than half an hour on the way to work suffer the most from their daily ordeal, a study has found as quoted by media reports Thursday.

According to the ONS report, more than 60,000 British people, 91.5 percent of whom were commuters, participated in the research based on the Annual Population Survey.

Participants were asked the levels of their satisfaction of their lives and daily jobs, how happy or anxious they felt the day before surveyed, and aspects of their daily commutes.

Researchers found that misery was particularly acute amongst those whose one-way commute lasts between 61 and 90 minutes.

Whilst those who traveled for a quarter of an hour or less each way were relatively unscathed.

They also found that walking or cycling, long regarded as desirable health-enhancing, may not have the stress-relieving effects that would be expected with additional exercise.

Cyclists who traveled for 16 to 30 minutes each way had lower happiness levels and higher anxiety than those who traveled between one and 15 minutes to work via transport.

Also, people who walked for the same amount of time had lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that daily activities were worthwhile and lower happiness levels.