If that bicyclist whizzing by seems a little happier than the average gridlock-bound car commuter, you’re not imagining it: A recent study found that two-wheeled commuters were happier than their gas pedal-stomping, car-caged peers.

Becoming a bike commuter might seem daunting, but the benefits can be worth it: exercising regularly, saving money, decreasing your carbon footprint, absolving yourself of guilt over that break-room doughnut.

Benefits aside, that happiness bikers had over their driving counterparts? It’s all about control.

“If you’re waiting for a bus or stuck in traffic, you don’t have that same level of control,” said Dr. Oliver Smith, the author of the study, which was published in The Journal of Transport and Health. “For many bike commuters, it’s one of the few times of the workday when we have control over what we’re doing.”