From slow WiFi to broken phone screens to zero “likes” on social media, everyday stressors are causing young adults to have struggles falling asleep 138 nights each year, researchers say.
NEW YORK — Smartphones and digital technology are supposed to make our lives easier, but for young adults, it seems that things may only be getting tougher — and for a slew of reasons. According to one recent survey, about 3 out of 5 millennials (58%) feel life is more stressful right now than ever before.
In fact, the survey of 2,000 American millennials, commissioned by CBD oil company Endoca, reveals that one-third of millennials believe their lives are more stressful than the average person’s life.
The survey also pointed to numerous causes of the frustration for this young segment. Many feel their overall stress level is caused by the accumulation of daily micro-stressors — seemingly trivial experiences — such as being stuck in traffic, waiting for appointments, or various smartphone issues.
For example, although losing one’s wallet or credit card ranked as the top source of stress for respondents, 1 in 5 say they’d be even more apoplectic if their smartphone screen broke. For more than 2 in 5 millennials (41%), a damaged phone screen is worse than seeing their “check engine” light flash on in the car.
Meanwhile, getting into an argument with a partner was the second greatest source of stress for participants overall, but nearly 1 in 5 agreed that getting zero “likes” on a social media post is a more stress-inducing experience. One-third feel that having their phone die is a more miserable scenario than seeing a fraudulent charge on their credit card bill. (For good measure, the researchers found that the average remaining-battery percentage for when millennials begin to feel stress is 23%.)
And while gridlock was the third most common cause of stress for young adults, 30% of those surveyed agreed that slow WiFi was even more stressful than slow traffic.
About half of the survey respondents said they don’t feel they deal with stress well in general, and two-thirds said they’d like to find more coping methods.
“Stress isn’t an abstract issue – it’s a significant problem and doesn’t necessarily have to be caused by one large inciting incident,” says Henry Vincenty, CEO of Endoca, in a statement. “No matter what’s causing our stress, we should take care to be proactive about finding solutions before it begins affecting our health.”
Researchers compiled the top 20 list of stressors for millennials (see below), and though arriving first to a party did not make the list, 22% of participants find that experience to be more brutal than a job interview. Another 35% find that sticking to plans is more stressful than missing out on them.
As for how all this stress is affecting millennials, the survey found that participants struggled to fall asleep nearly three nights per week — about 138 nights each year — because of the various issues.
Here are the top 20 stressful scenarios reported by millennials:
1. Losing wallet/credit card
2. Arguing with partner
3. Commute/traffic delays
4. Losing phone
5. Arriving late to work
6. Slow WiFi
7. Phone battery dying
8. Forgetting passwords
9. Credit card fraud
10. Forgetting phone charger
11. Losing/misplacing keys
12. Paying bills
13. Job interviews
14. Phone screen breaking
15. Credit card bills
16. Check engine light coming on
17. School loan payments
18. Job security
19. Choosing what to wear
20. Washing dishes
