The Psychological Benefits of Commuting to Work
Embarking on a daily journey to work might seem mundane, yet it holds untapped psychological benefits. Let's delve into the surprising ways commuting can enhance mental well-being, from fostering mindfulness to providing unexpected moments of solitude and reflection.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the scourge we’d spent a lifetime bad-mouthing as a tedious time-waster went away
many others have lived for more than a year in a commute-less world
- Some think they’re never going back to the office, while others are receiving “return to work” notices from their employers explaining that, come September, butts will once again need to be in cubicle chairs
- And employers-even the ones that have provided the tools for remote work-see cause for alarm.
How did the rest of my routine hold up?
I sought the advice of Ezra Bookman, a corporate-ritual designer whose work includes coming up with ideas like “funerals” for failed projects.
- “Every single conversation I have with corporate clients is the same,” he told me: “Employees are burnt out and have no separation between home and life.”
- He has come up with some rituals to replace the commute and mark the beginning and end of each day.
Researchers have explored boundary theory, a body of research loosely known as “boundary theory,” which holds that however much Facebook encourages employees to bring their “authentic selves” to work, we have multiple selves, all of them authentic
Crossing between one role and another isn’t easy; it’s called boundary work.
- The commute is actually a relatively efficient way of simultaneously facilitating a physical and psychological shift between roles
- Workers who engage in “role-clarifying prospection” during their morning commute-deliberately thinking about plans for the workday-reported higher levels of satisfaction with both their work and home lives than those who either zoned out or ruminated on personal problems
What if the commute never comes back?
How do we replace the lost productivity of a commute if it is not to be the same as commuting to work
- An underdressed day is an unproductive day
- When people are asked to do a difficult task involving visual concentration, they make about half as many errors if they first put on a white lab coat
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