Move closer to work a short commute is worth more than a big house our commute to the office can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our happ ness. The fact that we tend to do this twice a day, five makes it unsurprising that its days a week, effect would build up over time and make us less and less happy. We tend to try to compensate for this by having a bigger house or a better job, but these compensations just don't work.