James Wilkinson of the Daily Mail reports on the psychological toll associated with this year’s presidential race.
The election is just weeks away, but it’s not just the respective Democrat and GOP campaigns that are feeling the pressure – most of the country is stressing out alongside them, experts say.
According to a new report from the American Psychological Association, 52 per cent of American adults say that the election is a ‘very or somewhat significant source of stress.’
‘We’re seeing that it doesn’t matter whether you’re registered as a Democrat or Republican – US adults say they are experiencing significant stress from the current election,’ Lynn Bufka of the association told the Washington Times.
Bufka, who is the associate executive director for research and policy for the organization, said that 55 per cent of Democrats and 59 per cent of Republicans blamed the election for their stress.
That, she says, is because of daily coverage of ‘one of the most adversarial contests in recent history.’
In fact, the survey said, social media was more likely to cause anxiety, with 54 per cent of those on social media reporting the election as a prominent source of stress.
Meanwhile, those who’d rather scrapbook than Facebook were less tense – only 45 per cent of them were troubled by the election.
And stress peaks among those under 30 and over 55, the report says.
In order to deal with stress, the association suggests stepping away from the Twittersphere and spending more time with actual, physical people.
It also suggests swapping online arguments for personal research, and preparing to make an educated vote in November – something that can help regain a sense of control in an increasingly intense environment.
