If you drive more than two hours a day, you're probably getting dumber

A new study means bad news for people who spend a lot time commuting. Photo / Getty

If you think the worst part of your low commute was having to deal with obnoxious drivers and long traffic queues (shout out to fellow Auckland traffic sufferers), we've got some bad news for you.

A new study shows that driving more than two hours a day will actually lower your IQ (and not just because, in those two hours, Despacito will probably come on the radio about 37 times).

These results affect middle-aged drivers because getting old wasn't already bad enough.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Leicester, analysed the lifestyle of over 500,000 people in Britain, aged 37 to 73, for a total of five years.

It found noticeable "cognitive decline" in people driving more than two hours a day.

"We know that regularly driving for more than two or three hours a day is bad for your heart," Kishan Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist from the University of Leicester, told the Sunday Times in the UK.

"This research suggests it is bad for your brain too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours."

The same study also found that two hours a day watching TV will also contributes to lowering cognitive skills.

Using a computer, on the other hand, was found to give participants' brains a much-needed boost - so there's your excuse for another few minutes of brain-stimulating Facebook browsing.