need a response to this discussion answer from a classmate I want to know if the world is more stressful than it was in the past. I found a study that compared stress's impact on middle-aged people (45-64 years old) between 1995 and 2012. The study compared data collected from 1,499 adults in 1995 to a study of 784 different adults in 2012. The results showed a sense of overall well-being and day-to-day stress much higher in the 2012 group (Mastroianni, 2020).

This study also looked at the stress response of people of other ages. All age groups experienced about 2% more stress in 2012 vs. 1995, but the difference was 19% higher for those of middle age. Why are middle-aged people so much more stressed than a few decades ago? Eleven more years have passed since this study was done, and I suspect that people are even more stressed now (Mastroianni, 2020).

The data from the studies shed some light on why those in midlife tend to be the most stressed. One reason is that people of those ages are often caretakers for their young adult children and their aging parents (Mastroianni, 2020). I am not yet within the age range they defined as middle age, but I am beginning to feel this stress. I have a hectic week this week, and I am still determining how I will finish all my work. On top of that, I am dealing with some health issues, and I have a doctor's appointment today. When my appointment ends, I have to pick my children up from school for another appointment. While I was desperately trying to get some of my work done this morning, my 87-year-old mother-in-law called me and asked if I could drive her to an appointment tomorrow or Friday. I am terrified that my employer will get upset if I take too much time off. Being responsible for the healthcare needs of five people

is incredibly difficult.

Many of today's problems were also around in the 1990s, so it doesn't explain why middle-aged people are more stressed today than in the past.

One theory is that our constant access to information and people at all times due to the internet feeds our stress (Mastroianni, 2020). In my research on the brain's response to stress, the real danger is when you enter the phase where exhaustion sets in. Your brain does not function well when it is always in a state of stress. In today's world, we are connected at all times. People bring work home on laptops, so they never get a break. My kids have cell phones and can call me from school. My mother-in-law texts me asking for help when I am in a work meeting. Access to information and people never ends, constantly barraging us with minor stressors.

Another difference is that it is harder to keep up with the changes in technology as you age. In 1995, the internet began to take off. People who were middle-aged at that time were not yet being overly pressured to adapt to this new technology. Even though those who were middle-aged in 2012 were some of the first adults to adapt to the internet, they were often unable to keep up with the rapidly changing technology environment (Mastroianni, 2020).

References

Mastroianni, B. (2020).Why Americans Are More Stressed Today Than They Were in the 1990s.https://www.healthline.com/health-news/people-more-stressed-today-than-1990s