Nowadays stress is practically unavoidable and this is not beneficial for anyone. An estimate from The American Institute of Stress indicates that workplace-related stress alone costs society over $300 billion per year.
AND to find out how stressed the main cities of the United States live, WalletHub recently conducted a study comparing more than 182 cities across 40 key metrics. The data set ranged from average weekly work hours to the unemployment rate to divorce and suicide rates.
The analysis is based on four key dimensions: 1) work stress, 2) financial stress, 3) family stress, and 4) health and safety stress. The sample considers only the city itself mentioned in each case and excludes the cities of the surrounding metropolitan area.
Each metric was rated on a 100-point scale, with a score out of 100 representing the highest levels of stress. Each city was then weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score, and the resulting scores were used to rank the sample.
“Stress is not always a bad thing. Certain types of stress can have positive effects on a person’s well-being, at least in the right doses,” according to Psychology Today. “A little bit of stress, known as ‘acute stress,’ can be exciting, keeping us active and alert. However, when stress reaches an unmanageable level, it becomes ‘chronic’. It is then that we become vulnerable to its harmful effects, such as health problems and loss of productivity.”.
US cities most and least stressed:
(1) City: Cleveland, Ohio
Total score: 64.66
(2) City: Detroit, Michigan
Total score: 61.20
(3) City: Gulfport, Mississippi
Total score: 57.03
(4) City: Baltimore, Maryland
Total score: 56.72
(5) City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Total score: 56.45
In counterpart:
(178) City: Fargo, North Dakota
Total score: 31.46
(179) City: Overland Park, Kansas
Total score: 31.46
(180) City: Madison, Wisconsin
Total score: 31.27
(181) City: South Burlington, Vermont
Total score: 31.14
(182) City: Fremont, Calif.
Total score: 28.58
To see the complete list, enter here.
We don’t like to admit it, but the vast majority of stress is due to desires and expectations that do not correspond to reality. We all want life to go a certain way, and when it doesn’t, we experience stress,” said Sara Lázaro, Research Associate in Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“For example, we all want to have a great job that perfectly matches our skills and interests, with demands that are reasonable to meet and for which we are fairly compensated. We all want to be able to go on vacation somewhere that is fun, relaxing, and memorable. The reality is that many times this is not the case. When we start by accepting reality and then match desires and expectations to match that reality, we can greatly reduce our stress”, added the expert.
Keep reading:
· The cities in the United States where people live the happiest, according to WalletHub
Finland gives away trips to learn to be happy
· The 10 happiest countries in this 2023, what place does the United States occupy?
