From road to rage: Why commute demands are associated with interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors (and what...

Previous literature on commute demands, or the presence of stressors during a commute, has largely concluded that affective processes do not account for the impact of commuting on employees' work behavior. In this article, we challenge this conclusion by showing that when the specific affective state aligned with the distinctive characteristics of commute demands is identified, it spills over into counterproductive work behaviors. Based on core affect theory (Russell, 2003), we propose that commute demands are specifically linked to irritability, a negative, high-arousal affective state without a clear, identifiable cause. We further posit that elevated morning irritability will be associated with higher levels of interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors during the workday. In a field-experimental experience sampling study, where we captured naturally occurring commute demands daily, we found support for these relationships. Further, we consider two interventions, listening to relaxing music and perspective taking, to weaken the indirect effect of commute demands on interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors via irritability. We found evidence that listening to relaxing music after commuting to work weakens the positive association between commute demands and irritability. Overall, these findings show that in contrast to previous assertions, demanding commutes spill into negative affective states and, in turn, to behaviors at work. However, there is a quick, low-cost way to mitigate these associations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).