Stress affects every single human being at some point in their life, but what differs is the way people handle stressful situations. However, a new study suggests that the place of residence may also impact an individual's stress levels.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, undertook the study to determine which states in the United States recorded the highest and lowest stress levels.
The study revealed that residents of Alabama suffered from the highest levels of stress, while Minnesotans had the least anxiety levels.
How Was The Study Conducted?
To determine the stress levels in the different states, the researchers analyzed individuals from the 50 states in the country, along with the District of Columbia. They observed people in these states on four stress parameters related to work, family, health, and safety.
The scientists developed 33 metrics and each had a maximum grading of 100, which signifies the highest stress level. They analyzed the data from every state and assigned them individual scores on each of the metrics.
For example, job security and work hour metrics fell under work-related stress. On the other hand, parental choices and child care costs fell under family-related stress.
Information from the U.S. Census, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and several other sources were also observed to enhance the study's results.
After the completion of this process, the researchers calculated the overall score for all the states and the District of Columbia, using this as a guideline for the final ranking of the most stressed state.
Alabama: The 'Most Stressed' State
Alabama topped the list and emerged as the "most stressed" state with a total score of 56.91. The state recorded the highest number of people with poor health and the fewest psychologists. The study also revealed that Alabamians get the least amount of sleep in the country and have very poor credit scores.
Alabama was closely followed by Louisiana and Mississippi as the most stressed states with scores of 56.22 and 55.62, respectively.
Minnesota: The 'Least Stressed' State
Minnesota emerged as the state that has the least amount of stress, scoring 31.07. The state had the lowest number of people suffering from poor health. It also recorded a high number of psychologists per capita. Residents of Minnesota also get sufficient hours of sleep each night and the state touts the lowest divorce rates.
Minnesota was followed by North Dakota and Iowa in the ranking of the least stressed states with scores of 33.16 and 33.66, respectively.
The 2017 study for the least and most stressed states conclude that southern states suffer from the highest stress levels, whereas the Middle American states seem to be doing a better job at minimizing it.
