Long Commutes Linked to Divorce, Fewer Social Connections and Obesity

Here at CFHomes, our nonprofit program tries to make buying a home more affordable, so people can people afford a house in Washington, DC that is close to where they work.  That's because we know that commuting to work is often more expensive than people think, when you add up the gas bills and car repairs.


However, there are a number of other negative consequences to long commutes that are not just related to your wallet.  Recently, Slate magazine compiled a fascinating number of studies examining the negative outcomes from lots of commuting. Some of the wilder findings:

• Couples in which one partner commutes for longer than 45 minutes are 40 percent likelier to divorce. 
• Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam found that every 10 minutes spent commuting results in 10% fewer "social connections"
• Longer commutes are associated with greater risk for obesity
• About one in six workers commutes for more than 45 minutes, each way. And about 3.5 million Americans commute a whopping 90 minutes each way
• And here's the zinger:  A Swiss study tried to measure the "happiness lost" from commuting and found that for an extra hour of commuting time, you would need to be compensated with a massive 40 percent increase in salary to make it worthwhile.

The article really nails it when they identify the key reason people have long commutes, is that many jobs are in cities and towns where workers cannot really afford to live.  The DC Government launched the City First Homes program precisely to counter this trend, and help households afford a home close to their jobs in Washington, DC. Read the full article here.