It's nuanced and different for everyone. The isolation has been brutal for a couple of my single friends in tech. Being able to mingle at the office was a big portion of their social interactions pre-covid.

Also not everyone has a living setup that works for WFH.

WFH is great for someone with a big house where they can convert some part of a room into a study. It’s less great for someone living in a studio or apartment with limited space.

Why a studio? If you WFH you can choose anywhere in the world with the space.

Lots of people have rent terms or leases, which can’t be changed amidst corona. Especially without knowing what post COVID life will look like.

Moreover, some people like being in the heart of the city and as such, can only afford a studio.

I re-upped my lease just after WFH and they didn't raise the rent. So I'm not going anywhere and it seems like we'll be back to normal-er by the time it comes up again.

Why do people live far from big cities or in rural areas? With a cushy enough job you could downsize to a studio right by work.

People have different preferences on where they want to live. I don't really see how shaming one choice is supposed to be better than shaming another.

I've heard people say commutes are helpful for their mental health.

If you live in a rural place and commute into a suburb your commute is probably like an hour of forced meditation. If you like driving it might actually be good for you.

If, on the other hand, either end of the commute is in a city/you don't like driving it probably wears on you every day.

> I've heard people say commutes are helpful for their mental health.

I'm sure that for any drudgery out there, you can find someone to extoll their positive aspects. In my case my commute was rather pleasant, a comfortable 30 min bicycle ride. However most of my colleagues had to endure crowded public transport.