Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AM 820's Dr. Liz Hale ReportingA New Year is supposed to be a time of hope and renewal, but more and more Americans seem to be stressed out, miserable, and depressed. Over the last decade-and-a-half people report an increasing number of troubles.
The University of Chicago interviewed more than 1,300 people about negative life events they'd experienced. They were asked to select the ones that had happened to them over the last year. Topping the list were illness and high medical costs, unemployment, mounting bills and unstable romantic relationships.
Dr. Mark Reinecke, Chief of Psychology, Northwestern University: "It's the accumulation of negative events that leads individuals to feel unhappy, overwhelmed to feel stress."
Researchers were actually surprised with the results; they thought the economic boom of the 1990's would have made for a happier America. Instead, the study found financial concerns were a constant source of worry.
Dr. Reinecke: "Not having insurance coverage is one of the most frequent problems people have and one that has increased the most during the last decade."
There were a few bright spots that came out of the study. Infertility has decreased slightly, fewer people are being sued in a civil case and more people report owning cars.
