(I couldn't resist moving into the old language of the matchbook cover stenography schools. I'd suspect that those ads no longer make a whole lot of sense. Maybe now they hawk classes for Twitter and texting addicts?)
USA Today reports that the amount of stress begins to drop faster once you are past the age of 50. I'm a bit skeptical of the result. I am certainly past 50 but still feel the same stresses. The only real difference is that I can no longer stay up for days at a time to worry about it. (The original story is here.)
There are several points to the story that have a ring of plausibility to them. One is that the level of stress falls with age, but falls fastest once the age of 50 is passed. The other is that women feel more stressed than men. But, ...
My qualm with the study and screaming headline "Daily Stress and Worry Plummet After age 50" is that the study was done in 2008, before the long term impact of the economic downturn impacted people with its full weight. I suspect that the stress level has risen a bit for those in their late 50s seeing their retirement look less and less plausible. I also wonder if the seeming lower stress levels were the result of lower stress or of a better ability to cope with stress as we get older.
What do you think?
I think you're right about the retirement funds disappearing. That causes TONS of stress for those who are retirement age.
ReplyDeleteI think stress is highest among mothers of young children. I could be bias since I fall into that category, but I also think I'm right.
Not having kids in the house any more certainly reduces the stress level (as foursons mentioned). Also I suspect that people aren't as driven by sex as they age; looking for that next piece of nookie can be pretty stressful.
ReplyDeleteNow you got me looking forward to 50!!! I think life with young kids, though fun, is super stressful.
ReplyDeletestress depends on the person. My dad has little to know stress. My mother is stressed all the time about everything. Even the weather.
ReplyDeleteI've been pondering this for a long while and I have to say that both me and my husband have not really experienced that much stress as we aged until we had a baby. In fact, the peak of our stress was when we were in college. Afterwards, it went down a little because we are not real go-getter types and settle for mediocrity, therefore having less stress.
ReplyDeleteStress levels went up again when the child was born and would probably continue to go up as she grows up. Yea, not looking forward to all that stress...