Only 40 percent?
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Researchers at the Stanford Calming Technology Lab analysed the data produced by 1,000 commuters over 20,000 commutes on Spire, a wearable monitor that tracks heart rate and the amount and depth of breaths you take every minute.
They found that commuters who relied on motorised transport displayed shallower breathing in the hour after their commutes than their cycling colleagues.
Shallow breath and a raised heartbeat are typically identified as signs of stress. “It’s particularly interesting to see that many people don’t transition back into the home after a long day of work very well,” Neema Moraveji, co-founder of Spire and head of the Calming Technology Lab, told BikeBiz.
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“By biking to work we know that the physical nature of cycling and physical exertion will engender a more calm and focused state of mind. So while being good for us physically, we also see lots of psychological and emotional benefits.”
I’m a walker . . . NO STRESS AT ALL . . .
The headline should really read “People are 40 per cent less stressed when they commute by bike compared to commuting by other ways”.
Now they should test the difference in stress levels between a bike trip made all on separated infrastructure vs. riding in traffic on the roads. 🙂