The Friction of Distance

On January 30, 2019, it was -23 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago. The second coldest day on record. How cold is that? Let’s just say people were filling buckets of hot water and throwing it outside to see liquid turn into ice.

On that frigid day, I made the absurd decision to bundle up and walk to the gym.

It had nothing to do with motivation and everything to do with convenience. An 8-minute walk. If it was 20 minutes or if I had to warm up my car, I wouldn’t have gone.

Four years ago, I decided to live within walking distance to the gym. My previous commute was 25-minutes each way in miserable city traffic. Saving time is one thing. Removing an almost daily negative experience (I hate driving) meant increased happiness.

With it came more visits to the gym and getting into the best shape of my life.

Apparently, I am not the only one. A 2007 study showed the effects of proximity on gym attendance. People who go to the gym once a month travel an average of 5.1 miles. Those who go five times or more a month travel 3.7 miles.

We underestimate the effects of proximity on behavior. Sometimes distance means a few hundred feet.

A few years back, my office’s air vent was loud and annoying. I got sick of it and asked management if I could move to the vacant office down the hallway. The quiet office was nice, but I didn’t factor in the effect that a few hundred feet would have on socializing.

My old office was near all the cubicles. Once I moved, spontaneous socializing with coworkers went away. I felt FOMO when I heard laughter coming from the direction of my old office. A conscious effort was now involved if I wanted to join the conversation.

Behavior is an interaction between you and your environment. The closer something is, the more obvious the choice becomes. The further away, the less obvious.

Here are a few more examples of proximity effects on my behavior.

• I spend the most time with friends who live in my neighborhood. I have lifelong friends who live less than 90 minutes away but, I only see them 2–3 times a year.
• When tired and hungry, I gravitate towards restaurants closer. Short walks and less time to get food in my belly. Popeyes chicken sandwich, anyone?
• The water bottle on my desk will be noticed and consumed. If it’s empty or not in arms reach, I won’t bother with the extra effort.

Reduce the distance of desirable behaviors. Add distance to undesirable ones. It’s not the only factor in building good habits but makes a bigger difference than you think.