[alecbz]

I've never chased down the source but I'm pretty sure this is bullshit, or at least wildly misunderstood.

I believe that:

* especially long, unpleasant commutes can be a significant source of unhappiness

* shorter commutes are _consistently_, across different people, a source of happiness (whereas any other thing might bring a lot of happiness to some people but not so much to others)

But I think it's absurd to think that for any given person, a short commute is high on their list of things to make them happy or fulfilled (especially if they're not already actively unhappy with their commute).

[archydeb]

I think the popularity of this notion comes from the fact that it's one of the few effects upon happiness that doesn't wash out over time. People adapt to changes in circumstance remarkably quickly, adjusting their expectations to the new normal and ceasing to derive any pleasure from it (the "hedonic treadmill"). A long commute seems particularly hard to adjust to, and thus the negative utility of a long commute often outlasts the positive utility of e.g. the higher salary you attain by the commute.

Source: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/suz/dam/jcr:ffffffff-866d-1ee0-000...

Edit: typo