Smartphones and the amazing benefits of technology were supposed to make our lives better and easier, but for a growing number of young adults, it seems that things may only be getting worse — and for a range of reasons. A new survey says that about 3 out of 5 millennials (58%) feel that their life is more stressful right now than ever before.
The survey also said that there were numerous causes of the frustration for this young population group. Many feel their overall levels of stress are caused by the accumulation of daily small-stressors — seemingly trivial events — such as being stuck in traffic, waiting in lines, or various smartphone issues.
As an example, even though losing one’s wallet or credit card was ranked as the top source of stress for people who responded, 1 in 5 say they’d be even more worried if their smartphone screen broke. For more than 2 in 5 millennials (41%), a damaged phone screen is far worse than noticing their “check engine” light flash on in the car.
At the same time, getting into an argument with a partner was the second largest source of stress for participants overall, but nearly 1 in 5 said that getting zero “likes” on a social media post is a more stress-inducing endeavor. One-third said that having their phone die is a more miserable scenario than seeing a fraudulent charge on their credit card bill.
And while gridlock was ranked as the third most frequent source of stress for young adults, 30% of those surveyed agreed that slow WiFi was even more stressful than slow traffic.
“Stress isn’t an abstract issue – it’s a significant problem and doesn’t necessarily have to be caused by one large inciting incident,” said 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 made a list of the top 20 list of stressors for millennials, and though being the first to a party did not make the 20 item list, 22% of participants find that experience to be more stress-inducing than a job interview.
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