Commuting makes you sad

It's not bad enough that commuting is a waste of time, money and the planet, it also makes you sad, says Wired contributing editor and writer Jonah Lehrer at his blog The Frontal Cortex who argues that the best way to make yourself happy is to have a short commute (and get married). He points out that not only is commuting terrible, people's commutes are, bizarrely, getting longer because (and I'm simplifying considerably here) they think an extra bedroom in a leafy suburb will make up for a longer commute. Which it doesn't and it makes them sad. Read Jonah's more detailed thoughts here.

And just as a reminder of the cost of commuting and to reinforce the cost effectiveness of shedworking, a survey by Virgin Media Business suggests that people enduring the average commute of 19 miles could save £3,800 a year by ditching the car and (shed)working from home once a week. Mark Heraghty, managing director of Virgin Media Business, says: “The daily drive to work can be a real bugbear for commuters and in many cases it's totally unnecessary. Advances in technology mean that most workers can now do their job equally well, if not better, from home. The fact that staff could save money, while enjoying a better work/life balance is really the icing on the cake."
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