Hey. are you reading this on the way to or from work? Then know this, dear reader: we feel you.
A new study has been discussed by the Conversation, which concludes that capitalism is a flawed system which grinds workers up for profit. Sorry, that should read “that arduous commutes to and from work can be harmful for one’s physical and mental health”.
In related findings, water remains wet.
Yes, it’s unlikely that this is news to you as full-time Australian workers in the eastern capitals spend an average of 5.75 hours travelling to and from work in a week.
And it turns out that the method that one uses has an impact on just how awful it is for you.
Here’s a not shock for you: driving to work is easily the most stressful way to commute, and is also the most common. So that’s getting your morning off on an anxiety-inducing note.
But there is a solution, of sorts. Another of the findings was that “Those who commute short distances, walk or cycle to work, are more likely to be happy commuters, which makes them more productive.”
And not to to get all structural about it, in Australia work tends to clump in the cities, where walking and riding distance means living in eye-wateringly expensive real estate.
So this could also be phrased as “wealthy people who aren’t in a desperate rush to get to work are happier than poor stressed people”, for the same reasons that boat owners file fewer complaints regarding their treatment by Centrelink.
So… um, either you need to get real rich and live within a bike ride of where you work, or bring capitalism down and redistribute the spoils of modern production to all.
Either’s good.