Bicyclists are The Happiest Travelers: Study

People find bicycling more exhilarating than driving cars and other vehicles, according to a study.

Experts at the Clemson University say that mode of transportation can influence the mental state of its drivers or passengers. For the study, researchers examined data from the American Time Use Survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics to note the changes in emotions like happiness, pain, stress, fatigue and sadness while travelling.

The findings revealed bicyclists the happiest and most enthusiastic commuters followed by car passengers and car drivers. But, it observed that people who regularly commuted to work by public buses and trains suffered from negative emotions. The study cited irregular functioning of mass-transit system as the possible reason for negative feeling in commuters while travelling to work.

"We found that people are in the best mood while they are bicycling compared to any other mode of transportation," said Eric Morris study author and  assistant professor in Clemson's planning, development and preservation department in a news release.
"Bicyclists are generally younger and physically healthy, which are traits that happier people usually possess."

Earlier studies recommend adults to bicycle daily for half an hour to increase life span by reducing the risk for deadly health conditions like heart diseases, diabetes, blood pressure and high cholesterol levels in the body. A recent research by the University of Sydney found bicycling improves leg strength and body balance in older adults.

The authors believe these results promote bicycle use to improve physical health and emotional wellbeing of the public. They urge for the development of public transport system to reduce the travel stress in daily travelers than can help them keep calm and less agitated.

"Understanding the relationship between how we travel and how we feel offers insight into ways of improving existing transportation services, prioritizing investments and theorizing and modeling the costs and benefits of travel," said Morris.

More information is available online in the journal Transportation.