REELING FROM IT
The Second Shift Effect
The weariest commuters tend to be women with children at home. In a survey of rail passengers, working moms had higher stress than working dads. The culprit is women's added child-care responsibilities, says Richard Wener, a psychologist at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and a co-author of the study. Even in households where men share child-rearing duties, it's the beleaguered moms who have deadlines at both ends of the commute, he says. Whether coming or going, he says, "They have a job waiting for them."
Bypass Ahead
Commuters who endure heavy traffic nearly triple their odds of suffering a heart attack the next hour, according to a German study. Among women, the risk is even higher—almost five times the norm.
Day Shifts
The typical car commuter is most stressed out on Thursdays. Researchers have attributed this to a "weekend effect," in which stress builds during the week and peaks just before Friday.
DEALING WITH IT
Don't Beam Me Up, Scotty
When asked if they would teleport Star Trek-style to and from work if given the chance, 67 percent of commuters said no. For some people, traveling is an opportunity to return phone calls, listen to iPods, or simply chill out and watch the scenery, says Patricia Mohktarian, the psychologist at the University of California at Davis who conducted the study. Commuting may also provide a buffer between work and family by serving as "the transition from one domain to the other," says Michael Ford, a psychologist at the University at Albany.
Rage of Innocence
Older drivers handle traffic jams better than younger ones—possibly because younger workers take more job stress home every evening.
The Tortoise and the Harried
When it comes to commuter happiness, predictability trumps brevity. In a survey of drivers, those who merely hit congestion or needed to arrive by a certain time experienced less stress than did those affected by unknowns.
Commuter Sentence
Average Daily Commute in American Cities (in minutes):
New York: 68
Washington: 63
Chicago: 62
Los Angeles: 58
Boston: 56
Dallas: 55
Detroit: 51
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