This makes us even happier than sex

and it is very practical

Those who think you can skip along the most beautiful pink clouds after a wild night in bed are mistaken, because we become happier from something very different than sex.

And that is actually something special practical. No, we are not talking about wine, nor about chocolate, and not about finding true love and meeting your soulmate. No way, we know those jokes by now. We actually become happier living close to our work than from a solid romp. Yes, really. Romantic as we are.

How is it that something silly like travel time makes us bounce? Here, people actually benefit from it every day. Not having to get up too early, not being home too late in the evening, not experiencing traffic jams or having to endure dull train rides next to smelly strangers: it does you good. Very good even. We become massively happy from it.

Dutch people find a bit of travel for a nice job and some success in their career by the way not so bad at all. On average, we commute 70 to 90 minutes a day, back and forth. In other words: the average distance between home and work is 22.6 kilometers. But if the distance becomes too great, we are still willing to go a long way. About 29 percent of people simply move when they find a dream job in a completely different city. Off we go, kids and husband in tow, and let’s go. And when we travel to our job, half of the people do so comfortably by car. Quite comfortable. And relaxing.

Well, the whole commuting to work might be a bit less juicy than a bit of kama sutra between the sheets, but yes, we are a practical people, folks, practical.

FACTS

• With an average of 36.8 minutes, residents of the United Kingdom travel the fastest to their jobs.
• Men make twice as many commuting kilometers as women do.
• Between the ages of 25 and 39, we travel the most for our jobs.
• 30% of the Dutch live so close to work that they can walk or bike.