The physical health drawbacks are evident, but now might be the time to consider how your daily drive to work may be affecting your health from a mental standpoint.

A study published today in the journal Preventive Medicine reveals that the psychological well-being of commuters in daily life was higher when actively traveling, such as walking or cycling, as opposed to driving.

Researchers of the study, led by Adam Martin of the University of East Anglia’s Norwich School of Medicine, utilized longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) to analyze any relationships between well-being and (1) travel mode, (2) commute time by travel mode, and (3) changes to more active travel modes (namely walking and cycling).

The BHPS spanned 18 years worth of annual data from private households in Great Britain and consisted of approximately 18,000 adult commuters, aged 18-65 years. Researchers accounted for a number of factors associated with well-being, such as job satisfaction, relationship changes, children, and neighborhood quality.

Results showed significantly positive associations with well-being and commuters who travel actively to work compared to those who travel by car. More surprising to the researchers is that the same effect occurred with those using public transportation (such as bus or rail) as well.

According to Martin, “You might think that things like disruption to services or crowds of commuters might have been a cause of considerable stress. But as buses or trains also give people time to relax, read, socialise, and there is usually an associated walk to the bus stop or railway station, it appears to cheer people up.”

Additionally, there was a positive correlation between commute time and well-being for walking commuters and a negative correlation for the drivers. Researchers also observed an improvement in well-being for those who made the switch from car travel to active travel, whether it be through walking or cycling.

According to the study, the positive psychological benefits found in the research (in addition to potential physical benefits) should be taken into account in cost-benefit assessments for those promoting active travel.

“Does active commuting improve psychological wellbeing? Longitudinal evidence from eighteen waves of the British Household Panel Survey,” by Adam Martin, Yevgeniy Goryakin, and Marc Suhrcke, was published in Preventive Medicine on Monday, September 15th, 2014.