Nine steps to dealing with commuter stress
Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Friday 20 April 2007
The Guardian
Whether gridlocked in traffic, crammed on to public transport in unbearable heat or forced to sit next to someone with poor hygiene, most of us have experienced downsides to our commute. But now a study has revealed the secrets to avoiding commuter hell.
The findings, presented yesterday by researchers from Nottingham Trent University at the 1st Applied Positive Psychology Conference in Warwick, found travellers used up to nine types of coping strategies to avoid becoming victims of commuting stress.
Effective methods included singing or talking to oneself, doing laptop work, reading, making plans for after work, and "oral gratification" - which includes chewing gum. Talking to other commuters, admiring attractive fellow travellers, and making journeys outside rush hour where possible were also popular.
In contrast, some methods which had little success included venting anger at other commuters, smoking, or drinking alcohol on public transport.
The study, Resilience and Positive Coping as Protection from Commuting-Related Stressors and Strain, was carried out by researchers Glenn Williams and Rowena Hill from the university's school of social sciences. It found those individuals with high levels of resilience to stress were most likely to have the inner-strength to master their commuting environment.
The study included a variety of transport modes - notably car, bus, train, tube, bicycle and foot. About 14% of those who took part were found to have low levels of tolerance and so using simple coping techniques was likely to have little effect.
Worst problems highlighted by commuters included insufficient room, loud music, delays, and personal odours. Others highlighted smelly foods, terror alerts, unreasonable employers, lack of facilities for people with disabilities, and being molested.
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Coping with the daily grind
By David Millward
Published: 12:01AM GMT 15 Feb 2006
The first nationwide study into the daily stress faced by commuters is being carried out by researchers at Nottingham Trent University.
The team, led by Glenn Williams, senior lecturer in psychology, is trying to ascertain how Britons cope with the daily grind of getting to and from work.
Official figures show that Britons are commuting longer distances than in the past, in many cases by road adding to congestion.
"Previous research has shown that commuting often brings about the same physical responses in us than if we were going into battle," said Dr Williams. "We want to see how commuting affects people's physical and emotional well being.
"Most importantly, we are interested in finding out the secrets to a relatively stress-free commute - is it found through going in your own car, walking or public transport?
"We want to capture the diversity of the nation's commuting experiences to provide the authoritative guide on what works to help commuters cope with the stress of getting to and from work."
The study will also take into account how Londoners' reaction to commuting has been chaged by the July tube bombings.
It is recognised that commuting can be stressful at the best of time, especially during the rush hour peaks when space on buses, trains and roads is at a premium.
It has even led to the the production of a beat travelling stress CD by Ashok Gupta, director of the Harley Street Stress Management Clinic.
Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Friday 20 April 2007
The GuardianWhether gridlocked in traffic, crammed on to public transport in unbearable heat or forced to sit next to someone with poor hygiene, most of us have experienced downsides to our commute. But now a study has revealed the secrets to avoiding commuter hell.
The findings, presented yesterday by researchers from Nottingham Trent University at the 1st Applied Positive Psychology Conference in Warwick, found travellers used up to nine types of coping strategies to avoid becoming victims of commuting stress.
Effective methods included singing or talking to oneself, doing laptop work, reading, making plans for after work, and "oral gratification" - which includes chewing gum. Talking to other commuters, admiring attractive fellow travellers, and making journeys outside rush hour where possible were also popular.
In contrast, some methods which had little success included venting anger at other commuters, smoking, or drinking alcohol on public transport.
The study, Resilience and Positive Coping as Protection from Commuting-Related Stressors and Strain, was carried out by researchers Glenn Williams and Rowena Hill from the university's school of social sciences. It found those individuals with high levels of resilience to stress were most likely to have the inner-strength to master their commuting environment.
The study included a variety of transport modes - notably car, bus, train, tube, bicycle and foot. About 14% of those who took part were found to have low levels of tolerance and so using simple coping techniques was likely to have little effect.
Worst problems highlighted by commuters included insufficient room, loud music, delays, and personal odours. Others highlighted smelly foods, terror alerts, unreasonable employers, lack of facilities for people with disabilities, and being molested.
**************************************************************
Coping with the daily grind
By David Millward
Published: 12:01AM GMT 15 Feb 2006
The first nationwide study into the daily stress faced by commuters is being carried out by researchers at Nottingham Trent University.
The team, led by Glenn Williams, senior lecturer in psychology, is trying to ascertain how Britons cope with the daily grind of getting to and from work.
Official figures show that Britons are commuting longer distances than in the past, in many cases by road adding to congestion.
"Previous research has shown that commuting often brings about the same physical responses in us than if we were going into battle," said Dr Williams. "We want to see how commuting affects people's physical and emotional well being.
"Most importantly, we are interested in finding out the secrets to a relatively stress-free commute - is it found through going in your own car, walking or public transport?
"We want to capture the diversity of the nation's commuting experiences to provide the authoritative guide on what works to help commuters cope with the stress of getting to and from work."
The study will also take into account how Londoners' reaction to commuting has been chaged by the July tube bombings.
It is recognised that commuting can be stressful at the best of time, especially during the rush hour peaks when space on buses, trains and roads is at a premium.
It has even led to the the production of a beat travelling stress CD by Ashok Gupta, director of the Harley Street Stress Management Clinic.
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