New research shows that English cities with higher rates of cycling are happier overall. The south east, east and south west areas of England have the highest rates of cycling, according to the findings from Merlin Cycles, while they’re also the three highest-scoring regions for happiness. Residents in these areas have a higher life expectancy than the national average, coming in at 80 for men (national average: 79.2) and 83.5 for women (national average: 82.9). Moreover, with the exception of Westminster, these areas experienced less congestion than the rest of the country, and traffic is a leading cause of stress and unhappiness. Despite these findings, however, only 7% of us cycle to work, with one in four of us thinking it’s too dangerous. Time to ditch the nerves and hit the saddle.