The Recipe for a Happy Commute

"How to create the perfect commute?" asks Sue Shellenbarger. "People can enjoy commutes as long as 45 minutes, studies show—and men are less frustrated by long commutes than women. But a happy commute is predictable. It is productive—often enlivened by mobile devices and satellite radio. And it offers clear rewards for the hassle. A person who commutes an hour each way has to make 40% more money to be as satisfied with life as a person who lives near the office, according to research co-authored by Alois Stutzer, an economics professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland."

Though extreme commutes of more than an hour are on the rise, more commuters are enjoying their daily trip, "regard[ing] it as 'a positive bridge' between work and home," says Alan Pisarski, a Falls Church, Va., transportation consultant and author of a series of national commuting studies.