Researchers have revealed how emotions like happiness, pain, stress, sadness and fatigue vary during travel and by travel mode.
Eric Morris, lead author on the study and assistant professor in Clemson's planning, development and preservation department, said they found that people are in the best mood while they are bicycling compared to any other mode of transportation.
He said that bicyclists tend to be a self-selected group who are very enthusiastic about their mode of transportation.
Next happiest are car passengers and then car drivers. Bus and train riders experience the most negative emotions, though a small part of this can be attributed to the fact that mass transit is disproportionately used for commuting to and from work, according to the researchers.
The scientists utilized data from the American Time Use Survey, collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to determine the average mood felt by people during different types of travel.
The new study has been published in the journal Transportation.
