Middle-Aged Americans More Stressed Today than in 1990s

DMM英会話のdaily newsに対する自分なりの意見を、備忘録としてまとめています。今回取り上げるテーマはMiddle-Aged Americans More Stressed Today than in 1990sです。

Article:

Middle-Aged Americans More Stressed Today than in 1990s

A new study has found that Americans aged between 45 and 65 may be much more stressed today than people in that same age range were in the 1990s.

A team of researchers led by Penn State University looked at data from 1,499 adults in 1995, and data from 782 adults in 2012.

Both groups were interviewed every day for eight days, and were asked about anything stressful they had experienced in the previous 24 hours. This included things like arguments with family and friends, and problems at work.

The study, published in American Psychologist, found that 2% of adults experienced more stress in the 2010s than the 1990s. However, among those aged 45 to 64, 19% experienced more stress in the 2010s.

David M. Almeida of Penn State University said the researchers were very surprised that so many middle-aged Americans were more stressed.

Middle-aged people were also 17% more likely to think that stress would affect their future plans. The same age group was also 27% more likely to believe that their finances would be affected by stress in the 2010s than people that age in the 1990s.

Healthline.com reports that Almeida and his team had expected adults to be more stressed now than in the 1990s — but he said they thought it would be people in their 20s and 30s who would be most stressed.

Almeida says the research shows that middle-aged Americans seem to have more pressure on them now. For example, they might be looking after young adult children while also taking care of older family members. And at work, they are more likely to be in management roles with responsibility for many people.

----------------------------------

Discussion:

■1:What are your thoughts on the findings of this study?

I think the content was relatively convincing.

middle-aged people are in important posts in the company. In addition, the number of elderly people is increasing due to the fact that marriages and births tend to be delayed in the world and the life expectancy is extended. I think these changes worked comprehensively and contributed to the increase in the burden on middle-aged people.

■2:What do you imagine is the most common cause of stress among middle-aged people?

Considering that the target of this reseach is people in the 2010s, I think that the recession caused by the global financial crisis in 2008 was the strongest.

Of course, this is not absolute, but there are numerous research reports that people's well-being is linked to economic conditions.

If we consider the results of middle-aged people before and after the global financial crisis with the same protocol as this present study, I think that the results may be somewhat different.

■3:When would you say is usually the least stressful time in a person's life? Why do you think so?

The issue of which generation has the least stress tends to be biased by environmental factors and individual factors, so it seems difficult to distinguish between generations.

Environmental factors may include changes in politics, economy, and household conditions. Personal factors include individual differences in personality and stress tolerance.

However, considering that stress is considered to be relatively mild when there are generally no drastic changes, I would like to believe that older people who have few events in their lives are relatively less stressed.

■4:What's your favorite way to blow off steam when you're angry or stressed?

Personally, I try to get rid of these stresses through exercise and meditation.

When I'm feeling stressed, my mind is usually full of thoughts about what caused the stress.
By moving your body, you can reset and refresh your thoughts. If you are tired, you can sleep well at night.
When it comes to meditation, you can organize your thoughts. By changing your perspective, you will be able to deal with the same things without stress.

■5:What's the most stressful job you've ever had? What made it so stressful?

I don't often feel strong stress from the work itself, but I often feel stressed about the relationships.

The useless drinking meetings that I attend in order to take advantage of my boss. The task which I was instructed to start with my colleague who doesn't agree with me. A subordinate who doesn't listen to my advice at all.

When I look back on my life, I realize that most of the painful things in my life, not only at work, were due to the problems in my relationships.

----------------------------------

■1:Which of the people you know would you say has the least stressful job?

In my opinion, low risk jobs are relatively low stress. In other words, it's a low-risk, low-reward job.

These jobs have a relatively low level of urgency or where the results of your work are rarely fatal to the customer. Or it is a job that can be done under the patronage of a large organization such as the state.

■2:If given the choice, at what age would you like to retire? Why?

Basically, I want to keep working as long as I can live a healthy life.

In my personal opinion, "Contributing to society" is a major theme in my life.
It would be ideal if I could not only work, but also increase my assets by starting a company or investing in other like-minded people.

■3:Is there anything you plan to do more of once you retire? Please explain your answer.

When I retire in a positive sense, it means that I can stabilize my financial situation without having to work anymore.

In this case, I would like to participate in charity work. Or, if I seem to have excess assets at that point, I'd like to help those in financial need and I would consider donating to an organization that would support it.

■4:What do you imagine is the most difficult thing about being retired? Please explain your answer.

I think the biggest issue is whether or not you can get a stable income.

In a job that mainly requires you to work physically, I think the uncertainty of retirement will be relatively high.
To quote Kiyosaki Robert's Cash flow quadrant (employee, self-employed, business owner, investor), it is necessary to consider which section you are in,
The latter is said to bring you closer to financial independence.

■5:Would you rather retire in a city or somewhere in the countryside? Why?

When I retire, I want to move to the country.
I think the city is a good place to work and go about my daily life efficiently because it has a good transportation system and there are several retail shops nearby.
But if I don't have to work, I would personally long for a quieter town, a bigger piece of land and a house.

With the recent pandemic, though, telecommuting is getting a lot of attention, and I may be able to live in the country while working in the future.

---------------------------------

最後まで御覧いただきありがとうございました。少しでも面白いと思った方は、スキ・フォローをお願いいたします。