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In March 2022, the American Psychological Association declared that 41 percent of American adults say their stress levels have risen since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic 2 years earlier. Post-pandemic economic consequences and the invasion of Ukraine are among the factors affecting a population still sensitive from years of living in “survival mode.”
The data was profound but not unexpected. Anyone who has dialed into Twitter lately will have got an eyeful of America’s state of mind. Twitter is the place where users go to shout when there’s no one else around to listen.
And while the American Psychological Association report also showed us that the young, Latino adults and parents are experiencing higher stress than other groups, Twitter offers up-to-the-minute micro-reports on who’s feeling stressed about what – and where. So, PlushCare team has studied millions of tweets concerning familiar sources of stress to find which American states are most stressed and the parts of contemporary life that trigger anxiety and stress the most. As well as the overall results (below), the PlushCare team also showed the most stressed U.S. states in each category: news, money, education, careers, relationships, and social media.
To find out which U.S. states are the most stressed, PlushCare retrieved geotagged tweets from 340 major American cities. Then, to determine which subjects stress the United States the most, a tweet category was assigned to each tweet depending on the search query that returned it. These are the considered terms for each of the selected categories:
After collecting the tweets, the PlushCare team examined their stress level using a stress detection tool, TensiStrength, that estimates a text’s stress level based on its wording. They considered a tweet to be stressed if its predicted stress value is equal to or lesser than -2. Finally, PlushCare sorted the results based on the origin city and category.
Key Findings
• Hawaii is the most-stressed U.S. state overall, with a 45.31% stress rate. • South Carolina is the least-stressed U.S. state (36.99%). • Oakland in California is the most-stressed American city overall (47.35%). • Santa Clarita in California is the most-stressed U.S. city in any category, with a 63.45% stress rate for social media topics.
The Most Stressed U.S. States
Hawaii narrowly takes the crown for the most stressed U.S. state, with 45.31% of tweets about angsty topics showing signs of stress. Despite the chill reputation, Hawaii’s tourism industry can be a source of tension for overcrowded locals and hot-under-the-collar visitors.
The U.S. States Where News Causes the Most Stress
According to the American Psychological Association, one in ten American adults checks the news hourly, and one in five “constantly” monitors their social media feeds.
Doomscrolling is dangerous because our minds naturally emphasize scary news. And news-related anxiety “exacerbates the viewer’s worries, even when those worries are not directly relevant,” says Graham Davey, Journal of Experimental Psychopathology.
In Oregon, 52.40% of news-related tweets are stressed – the highest of any state. However, Pennsylvania (52.30%) is only just behind. The Dakotas are the least concerned, with South Dakota returning a meager 32.44% of stressed tweets.
The U.S. States Where Money Causes the Most Stress
According to Forbes, American inflation hit a 40-year high in June 2022, with fuel costs rising between 30-45%. Folks are dealing with high mortgage rates and derailed work patterns while worrying about the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. Montana is way out in front as 55.56% of money-related tweets are stressed, next to Vermont’s 47.01%. Mississippi (34.26%) is the most laid back, despite the U.S. Census Bureau revealing the state to be among the three with the most households facing budget hardship.
The U.S. States Where Education Causes the Most Stress
Teachers and administrators have their work cut out right now to counter the past two years’ negative learning, social, and emotional effects. And 72% of parents are still stressed by disruption to their child’s schedule, according to the American Psychological Association.
From the pressure of getting good grades to waiting to find out if you got into your chosen university, there are many reasons why education can be stressful no matter where you are in the world. In the states, this effect is most pronounced in Montana, where 48.65% of education-related tweets are stressed.
The U.S. States Where Careers Cause the Most Stress
Everybody feels stressed by work sometimes – but when stress inhibits you from following your ambitions, you may have an anxiety disorder that needs attention. Work environment and the commute contribute to career stress, so location is a factor to look out for.
Nearly half (46.87%) of all work-related tweets from New Hampshire show signs of stress. According to the New Hampshire Hospital Association, the pandemic is still a source of strain: nurses and HR officers are working together to counter a staff shortage that has doubled to 18% since 2019.
The U.S. States Where Relationships Cause the Most Stress
Relationships cause the least stress on average out of the categories in our study. However, Hawaii (44.43%) is the most stressed state concerning relations and the most stressed-out state overall.
But this is not to say that everybody is fed up with their relationships. Some 51% of Americans (61% among essential workers) say they have loved ones they couldn’t see for a full two years following the March 2020 outbreak, according to the American Psychological Association, causing both relationship strain and heartache.
The U.S. States Where Social Media Cause the Most Stress
Social media drives many other stress causes, including news and relationships. It is appropriate that social media is the highest cause of stress on average across the states, with 47.85% of social media-themed tweets showing signs of tension.
In fact, no state has a stress rate of less than 40% for this topic. Alaska (54.04%) is the most stressed. You can reduce social media-related stress by deleting phone apps and taking up an eye- and hand-related hobby, such as knitting or bonsai, to minimize the impulse to scroll.
PlushCare’s Expert Advice to Cope With Stress
Stress is a biological and psychological response to demanding situations and challenging circumstances we unconsciously deem as threats. It causes our body to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, increasing our blood pressure and our heart rate. When going untreated, chronic stress can develop and, over time, it can contribute to a range of physical and mental disorders – from a weakened immune system and high blood pressure to sexual dysfunction and anxiety disorders.
It is vital to tackle the effects of stress the moment we experience them, but it is also essential to understand that everybody experiences stress in their own way. And, as the American Institute of Stress points out, the methods that some people used to cope with stress can themselves be stressful when tried by others. However, it is worth trying some of the following techniques to see what works for you: • Limit the time you spend consuming news media. • Exercise regularly and maintain a balanced, healthy diet. • Develop a bedtime routine that will allow you to get a good night’s sleep each night. • Talk to people you trust and take the time to foster healthy relationships with your loved ones. • Practice deep breathing, meditation, and other relaxation techniques. • Acknowledge your stress levels and reach out for professional help if it’s getting worse.
For more advice on how to cope with stress, read the latest guidelines from the CDC available here.
