Friday, August 29, 2003
How Stressed Out Is America?
New Survey Says 36% Admit Stress is a Problem in Their Lives
16% of Americans have considered suicide at one time, while 13% use medication to try to lift their mood. And 5% say stress is so severe they don't know what to do.
Strong warning signs seemed to be flashing for the youngest age group surveyed, those aged 18 to 24. In that age group, 11% surveyed said their life was so stressful they couldn't cope -- well over twice the national average. An astounding 21% of 18-to-24-year-olds said they had thought of killing themselves.
According to the survey, 55% of Americans say they are able to achieve that peace or serenity through the practice of their religion.
But 82% say they are able to achieve a calm or serene state as a result of practices unrelated to religion. "That's very significant," says Hale Dwoskin, president of Sedona Training Associates in Sedona, Arizona.
The strength of an individual's religious belief plays a much less clear role than other variables in the creation of happiness: only 50% of happy people said they were "very religious" -- a much lower correlation than was found with other significant factors surveyed. But 27% of unhappy people also said they were "very religious."
"According to the survey, religious practices were an effective way for many Americans to achieve the calmness and serenity that seem to be key to achieving happiness, but non-religious methods worked just as well," said Dwoskin.
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