Exploring the hedonic dimension of mental well-being in commute experiences: insights from the satisfaction with travel scale in the Indian context

Commuting, often viewed as a mundane task, profoundly influences individuals’ well-being and overall quality of life. Literature identifies four key dimensions of well-being: physical, economic, social, and mental. Although extensive research has highlighted the connection between commuting and various physical and economic aspects, its impact on mental well-being, especially the hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions, remains relatively underexplored. To help bridge this gap, the present study investigates the hedonic aspects of commuting well-being through a Face-To-Face (FTF) questionnaire survey at IISc, Bengaluru. After data cleaning, 211 responses were analyzed, evaluating the travel experiences of work/education trips using the “Satisfaction with Travel” scale (STS) on a 5-point Likert scale. The results show that activation (ACT), spanning the continuum from sadness/boredom to happiness/enthusiasm, did not significantly influence commute satisfaction. In other words, neither high-arousal positive emotions nor low-arousal negative emotions meaningfully changed satisfaction levels. In contrast, deactivation (DACT), ranging from relaxed and calm to tense and worried states and cognitive evaluations (CE), from smooth and enjoyable to poor and displeasing trips emerged as strong predictors. These findings highlight the central role of calmness and evaluative judgments of trip in shaping commute satisfaction and indicate that fostering positive emotional experiences during commute can contribute to enhanced mental well-being and overall quality of life. Furthermore, this study underscores the need for a more contextually relevant transportation based psychometric scale than the existing Satisfaction with Travel Scale (STS) to more effectively capture hedonic well-being within the Indian commuting context, considering local perceptions, safety concerns, and commuting practices that shape emotional responses.