Trade time for space: Does living space moderate the relationship between commuting duration and mental health in Beijing?

Abstract

Previous research has shown that a long commuting duration and shortage of living space are associated with poor mental health in individuals. However, most studies have regarded the two as separate factors and have focused exclusively on one dimension of mental health. To address these gaps, we use survey data from 2018 in Beijing to re-examine how commuting duration is associated with both the absence of psychological illness (depression) and the presence of positive mental well-being (happiness), and to test whether and to what extent living space moderates the commuting–mental health relationship. The results show that both commuting duration and living space are significantly associated with the two dimensions of mental health. Furthermore, living space has a quasi-moderating effect on the association between commuting duration and depression, but the moderating effect is insignificant for happiness. This implies that the “trade (commuting) time for (living) space” approach might matter for the absence of mental illness, but this is not an effective approach for the presence of positive subjective well-being. This study echoes the equilibrium location theory but argues that the negative effects of commuting duration on mental health might be partially compensated by the benefits of housing conditions.