Out of 143 countries in the world, the United States ranked No. 7 as the most emotionally distressed, according to a new study, showing that United States is one of the most stressed countries in the world.
In fact, 55 percent Americans were stressed during a lot of the day, 45 percent Americans felt worried a lot and 22 percent felt anger a lot in 2018, an increase from the previous year’s survey (49 percent stress; 40 percent worry; 17 percent anger).
This is all according to the 2019 Global Emotions Report, an annual report on the world’s emotional state by Gallup, a company that collects data and insights on peoples attitudes and behaviors.
The ranking of No. 7 is a numerical rank, not a statistical rank, a rep from Gallup tells Travelbinger.
For the report, Gallup asked more than 151,000 adults in 143 countries in 2018 if they had five positive experiences on the day before the survey. The questions asked were: Did you feel well-rested yesterday? Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday? Did you experience a lot of enjoyment yesterday?
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Gallup also asked: Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? The list included anger, sadness, stress, worry, pain, enjoyment, well rested, learned, smiled and respected, options that could be checked off.
The top ten most stressed populations in 2018 were:
10. Rwanda
9. Costa Rica
8. Uganda
7. United States of America
6. Sri Lanka
5. Iran
4. Albania
3. Tanzania
2. Philippines
1. Greece
“We don’t ask why people are stressed in the survey, but we do know who is more likely to be stressed,” Julie Ray, Gallup wellness expert and world news editor tells Travelbinger.
“Younger Americans (under 50) are the most likely to be stressed – in fact they are the most stressed, worried and angry of any major demographic. This is the prime working-age population, but workplace stress and demands don’t really explain it. People who were working full-time for an employer weren’t much more likely to experience stress than those who weren’t working full-time for an employer.
“We saw a lot of the same patterns with worry and anger that we did with stress, but more so with worry. Anger was more common among younger people – but we didn’t see any difference by income.”
Ray adds that income plays a role in emotional distress levels. “People in the lowest income group were far more likely to experience stress than those in the highest income bracket.”
Afghanistan had the lowest Positive Experience Index score in the world. Belarus Yemen, Turkey and Lithuania did not score much better, according to Gallup.
Some ways Americans can beat stress is going for a quick walk, rhythmic breathing exercise, eating brain-boosting food and putting your phone away. For now, United States remains as one of the most stressed countries in the world.
Scoring high was Latin countries, like Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. In fact, all the top ten most positive nations are Latin, except Indonesia.
What do you think about United States as one of the most stressed countries in the world? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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