Not surprisingly, it turns out that walking or biking to work improves our psychological well-being. Taking transit had a similar positive effect over driving.

Highlights drawn from this longitudinal survey from the UK show that:

  • Compared to driving, well-being was higher when using active travel or public transport.

  • Use of active travel reduced the likelihood of two specific GHQ12 psychological symptoms.

  • Switching from car driving to active travel improved wellbeing.

  • Well-being increased with travel time for walkers, but decreased for drivers.