A national survey revealed that nearly half (44%) of U.S. adults indicated their stress levels had increased over the past five years. In comparison, 31% reported their stress levels stayed the same, and 25% reported a decrease.

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Stress is a universal human experience, familiar to everyone to some degree. Moreover, recent trends indicate that the overall prevalence of stress has been increasing over the last several years.

Ubiquity and Rising Levels of Stress

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A survey on changes in stress levels over a five-year period found that a plurality of respondents, 44%, reported an increase in their stress. Meanwhile, 31% indicated their stress levels had stayed the same, and 25% reported a decrease.

Reported Changes in Stress Levels Over the Past Five Years

A common belief is that life in the 21st century is significantly more stressful than it was in previous generations. Evaluate this claim. In your response, consider how the nature of common challenges has changed over time and explain why the *perception* of stress might be higher today, even if the objective dangers have decreased.

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