The Chainlink

is biking to work making you a happier person, or an angrier one?

So - I love riding my bike to work (which happens to be in downtown chicago).

However, I often arrive at work angry and/or sad and/or shaken by the behavior of clueless, distracted, thoughtless, reckless, etc. drivers…and sometimes pedestrians…and sometimes other bikers.

My assumption has always been that riding to work wakes me up, and energizes me, and makes me happier, but this morning I was thinking: Am I confusing “angry” with “awake”?

Does starting the day off in fighter mode change our days (and how we behave ourselves) for the worse?

anyone else have these thoughts on their way to work? 

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Permalink Reply by igz on November 9, 2012 at 10:10am

for a very short time, i drove to my job a mere 18 miles away yet took me an hour and a half to get there. road rage abound! once i discovered metra and being able to bike the difference, my life changed considerably. yeah, i get angry at dipshits and asshats, thats just my personality, but its nothing like beign stuck just sitting there rotting in traffic knowing you could be moving.

Permalink Reply by Derek on November 9, 2012 at 10:52am

Always happier.  On the rare occasion I don't ride in I find the urge to drink excess amounts of coffee in the morning far harder to resist.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 9, 2012 at 11:24am

+2

April said:

+1  Well said Chi! I love the scientific evidence you used to support your assertion!

Chi Lowe said:

If you're physically healthy and your commute involves riding that keeps your heart rate elevated for an extended period of time, it's a near-certainty that you're enjoying an all day long emotional boost (mood improvement/stabilization) from the neurochemicals that are released during and after your exertion.  That holds true even on days when you arrive temporarily agitated by folks in your path. 

My advice: be kind, ride hard, drink a lot of water, and let go as fast as you can when people do what people do :).

Permalink Reply by David Barish on November 9, 2012 at 11:35am

Bike commuting like pretty much everything else we do is really just a mirror of our personality. Some of us roll with the punches and some of us get pissed off. We do this regardless of our activities.  Certainly, there are benefits to cycling both physical and emotional. However, an "encounter" can ruin our day if we are so predisposed.  Preaching to you and telling you to feel good or not get angry will not do much. Its how we are wired. (I am admittedly being a little fatalistic here). I am fortunate to have a roll with it personality. It takes a lot of work to get on my bad side.  I am going to have a good ride as long as nobody gets injured. Wind? Traffic? Asshole drivers? Its all good. I  am still a kid on my bike. If I am stuck in my car there are sights to see, radio programs to listen to and my harmonica in a cup holder.  I will make the best of it, traffic or not.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on November 9, 2012 at 12:09pm

After being without my bike Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday during the day I was was a grumpy curmudgeon. I felt like I was in a drug-induced fog. My bike came back to me last night and I could not wait to get out on the lakefront. Wheeeeeee. I am a happy, smiling kid again.

Permalink Reply by Tim S on November 9, 2012 at 1:25pm

I had to hang my bike up the past week due to a project scope change and it has me bummed. 

Despite the idiots I would interact with on a daily basis over the 25.3 mile round trip I felt amazing when pulling into the office and house at the end of the ride.

Permalink Reply by Noah Weiss 1.2 km on November 13, 2012 at 8:32am
Although I don't use the CTA to get to work (it is less than a mile from my place), I seem to get a boost biking there rather than walking. But, certainly on other cases, I am much happier in travel if I can bike there rather than taking transit, or at least do part of the trip on bike. The most annoying part of CTA trips for me are transfers, which are a given from Evanston.
Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 13, 2012 at 9:21am

I am usually a lot more awake when I get to work after biking.  So on days when I take the train (like today) I leave home early and walk the last mile or so to the office.  It helps a little bit, until the effects of the time change wear off and getting up at 6:30 starts to become a chore.

Permalink Reply by Kara B on November 13, 2012 at 9:22am

that is a great idea. 



Tricolor said:

I am usually a lot more awake when I get to work after biking.  So on days when I take the train (like today) I leave home early and walk the last mile or so to the office.  It helps a little bit, until the effects of the time change wear off and getting up at 6:30 starts to become a chore.

Permalink Reply by April on November 13, 2012 at 11:51am

I have noticed that when I bike to/from work on the days I practice Tae Kwon Do, I have more energy and stamina in class than on days I work from home.  This is REALLY surprising to me. I would think that it would be the opposite.  Chi Lowe is there any science to support this? 

***small note of promotion, I attend classes at Dragon Martial Arts on Lawrence and Elston and we are currently seeking out new students for Tae Kwon Do and other martial art classes. If you are interested, please let me know. Master Ron and the other instructors are wonderful!  :-)****

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on November 13, 2012 at 6:32pm

Fascinating response, Chi Lowe. I always thought it was a raised metabolism, similar to setting the idle higher on a car, so your body is operating at a higher level. But, you seem to know your stuff and my stuff is filtered through a foggy memory.

Thanks for the response and congratulations on your first sub-freezing ride today.

Chi Lowe said:

There is a lot of science to suggest why people who exercise (counterintuitively) may feel more energetic - even euphoric - but the topic is quite complex. 

Permalink Reply by April on November 13, 2012 at 6:40pm

Thanks Chi Lowe! This is extremely interesting!   Are you a scientist?

Chi Lowe said:

There is a lot of science to suggest why people who exercise (counterintuitively) may feel more energetic - even euphoric - but the topic is quite complex. 

A lot of people are familiar with endorphins - opioid peptides largely credited for "runners high".  It seems likely those are a factor in the good feeling people get from exercise.  There's some fun stuff going on around research on Endocannabanoids - chemicals your body pumps into your blood stream during moderate to intense exercise, and which act on some fairly fundamental brain chemicals (BDNF in particular).  There's also the fact that your blood oxygen levels are higher when you exercise, and that when you stop, you'll have slightly elevated blood oxygen - at least until your body balances things out.

Science still isn't 100% sure on this, but it is very clear that exercising produces a whole range of physical and psychological benefits.


April said:

I have noticed that when I bike to/from work on the days I practice Tae Kwon Do, I have more energy and stamina in class than on days I work from home.  This is REALLY surprising to me. I would think that it would be the opposite.  Chi Lowe is there any science to support this? 

***small note of promotion, I attend classes at Dragon Martial Arts on Lawrence and Elston and we are currently seeking out new students for Tae Kwon Do and other martial art classes. If you are interested, please let me know. Master Ron and the other instructors are wonderful!  :-)****

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