Study on Quantitative Assessment of Commuting Stress

Abstract

This paper examines ways to assess impacts of commuting by mass transportation both on physical and psychological health of workers. Two set of indicators are proposed, both of which are calculated by applying heart rate variability analysis to examine the condition of autonomous nervous system of commuters. One of the indicators assesses the magnitude of stress in a particular time or running section, while another indicator assesses the volume of overall stress accumulated during commuting. A comparative study of commuting stress for Express train and Local train running on one of major lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area is to be conducted.