Why Are Americans So Stressed Out?

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Commentary

If you’re feeling stressed out these days, you’re not alone.

According to the 2024 annual mental health survey by the American Psychiatric Association, 43 percent of adults are feeling more anxious than they did last year. In fact, the rise in anxiety is significant. In 2023, 37 percent of adults reported feeling anxious. In 2022, that percentage was 32 percent.

Clearly, Americans’ stress levels are moving in the wrong direction.

But why?

Current Events Are Driving Anxiety Levels Higher

The mental health poll determined that the declining state of the economy was responsible for 77 percent of Americans’ elevated anxiety levels, with the U.S. election being cited by 73 percent as another factor, a third cause is gun violence, with 69 percent saying it contributed to their anxiety level.

But it’s not just the fact that current events can be disturbing and even frightening that’s causing rising anxiety in Americans; it could be how those events are consumed and even reported. Today, with the 24-hour news cycle, all of us are living in a world saturated with bad news in the form of conflicts around the world, political and other forms of corruption, and other bad news that can trigger fight or flight stress mechanisms in us.

As American Psychiatric Association President Petros Levounis noted, “This increase [in anxiety] may be due to the unprecedented exposure that we have to everything that happens in the world around us, or to an increased awareness and reporting of anxiety.”

That’s certainly plausible. Our information consumption is, for most people, largely imbalanced, particularly with news. Just like any other imbalance, an overexposure to negative stimuli skews one’s outlook on life, triggering emotional and physical responses that are contrary to good mental and physical health.

News Reporting More Negative Now Than in Recent Past

But that wasn’t always the case. A 2022 study on news reportage has determined that the “proportion of headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness” steadily increased from 2000 to 2019. In other words, decisions made by the news media on how to present the news may have resulted in higher anxiety and overall poorer mental health for Americans. The study also states that “news content has also been shown to be a predictor of public mood [and] public opinion.”

For me, the connection isn’t hard to see. The media outlets are peddling fear, which is stressing out Americans more than ever.

Is it too much to speculate that the American public is being manipulated into anxiety crises on a national level?

Perhaps.

But to be fair, the old news reporting adage, “If it bleeds, it leads” is certainly a factor in determining what gets reported and how. What’s more, news channels live and die by ratings. They’ve got to attract eyeballs to their news shows. Keeping viewers agitated and anxious can help do that.

However, as noted above, there are negative psychological effects of overexposure to fear and other powerful, emotional stimuli, such as pornography. Both can trigger anxiety and depression. Fear-laden news, also known as “fear porn” is a real phenomenon today, just as the anxiety it causes is. It just so happens that fear is a close relative of anxiety.

How’s that for a coincidence?

Social Media’s Negativity Driving Anxiety, Too

Another factor that is having a similar effect on American adults’ anxiety levels is social media. Online disapproval or other negativity communicated through online social media is increasingly leading many young adults into social anxiety, where they feel stressed, nervous, uncomfortable, and inadequate compared to others in personal situations.

These mental outlook and self-image problems of young adults are both heavily influenced, if not determined, by their experiences on social media channels, as well as their experience as the first “digital-first” generation, in which a large portion of their interaction with others has been online instead of in person.

More Americans Medicating Anxiety Away

Regardless of the causes for rising anxiety, the pharmaceutical industry is cashing in on it. The market size for drugs to treat anxiety disorders was valued at about $11.5 billion in 2023. The market is expected to increase to almost $16 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent from 2024 to 2032.

In other words, treating stressed-out America is very profitable. The fact that pharmaceutical companies sponsor many of the most-popular news channels—ones that have increased the level of fear and negativity in their broadcasts over the past two decades—may lead one to make a connection between the two phenomena of rising stress levels and rising sales for anti-anxiety medication.

Stress Less—Three Things You Can Do

The good news is that lowering your stress and anxiety levels is possible and easy to do. And it takes minimal commitment to do so.

First, watch less cable news. Humans weren’t meant to be exposed to the negativity that dominates the news channels. That means stop watching it, even the channels that you agree with.

Second, exercise regularly. Physical exertion has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and increase your sense of well-being. It’s also just good for your body and ego because you’ll look and feel better. If you haven’t exercised for a while, be sure to get a health check before jumping back into it.

Third, engage in a spiritual life that includes prayer to a higher power. Numerous studies show that people who pray regularly—and have a belief that God cares about them—manage stress and anxiety better than those who don’t.

One of the biggest contributors to stress and anxiety is the feeling of loss of control over your life.

Take it back. You’ll feel better.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.