Commentary
If you’re feeling stressed out these days, you’re not alone.
Clearly, Americans’ stress levels are moving in the wrong direction.
Current Events Are Driving Anxiety Levels Higher
The mental health poll determined that the declining state of the economy was responsible for 77 percent of Americans’ elevated anxiety levels, with the U.S. election being cited by 73 percent as another factor, a third cause is gun violence, with 69 percent saying that it contributed to their anxiety level.
But it’s not just the fact that current events can be disturbing and even frightening that’s causing rising anxiety in Americans; it could be how those events are consumed and even reported. Today, with the 24-hour news cycle, all of us are living in a world saturated with bad news in the form of conflicts around the world, political and other forms of corruption, and other bad news that can trigger fight or flight stress mechanisms in us.
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News Reporting More Negative Now Than In Recent Past
But that wasn’t always the case. A 2022 study on news reportage has determined that the “proportion of headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness” steadily increased from 2000 to 2019. In other words, decisions made by the news media on how to present the news may have resulted in higher anxiety and overall poorer mental health for Americans. The study also stated that “news content has also been shown to be a predictor of public mood [and] public opinion.”
For me, the connection isn’t hard to see. The news outlets are peddling fear, which is stressing Americans out more than ever.
Is it too much to speculate that the American public is being manipulated into anxiety crises on a national level?
Perhaps.
Social Media’s Negativity Driving Anxiety, Too
Another factor that is having a similar effect on American adults’ anxiety levels is social media. Online disapproval or other negativity communicated through online social media is increasingly leading many young adult Americans into social anxiety, where they feel stressed, nervous, uncomfortable, and inadequate compared to others in personal situations.
More Americans Medicating Anxiety Away
Regardless of the causes for rising anxiety, the pharmaceutical industry is cashing in on it. The market size for drugs to treat anxiety disorders was valued at about $11.5 billion in 2023. The market is expected to increase to almost $16 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent from 2024 to 2032.
In other words, treating stressed-out America is very profitable. The fact that pharmaceutical companies sponsor many of the most-popular news channels—ones that have increased the level of fear and negativity in their broadcasts over the past two decades—may lead one to make a connection between the two phenomena of rising stress levels and rising sales for anti-anxiety medication.
Stress Less—Three Things You Can Do
The good news is that lowering your stress and anxiety levels is possible and easy to do. And it takes minimal commitment to do so.
Research indicates that individuals who engage in regular prayer and hold a belief in a caring God are better equipped to manage stress and anxiety compared to those who do not pray.
One of the primary causes of stress and anxiety is the sensation of losing control over one’s life.
Reclaiming control can lead to an improved sense of well-being.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not align with the views of The Epoch Times.
