Not Boomers: This Generation Is Considered The 'Most Stressed'

To some extent, it makes perfect sense to think that baby boomers would be the most stressed-out generation. After all, they appear to be dealing with being empty nesters, numerous health issues, and all the surprising ways in which their bodies have changed as they have gotten older. However, research has indicated that millennials are actually the most stressed-out generation. A 2023 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 46% of people between the ages of 35 and 44 said their stress was "completely overwhelming" on most days.

Even 58% of younger millennials and Gen Z between the ages of 18 to 34 reported feeling the same way. In 2019, 26% of younger millennials and Gen Z and 21% of older millennials reported that, on a scale of 1 to 10, their stress levels were between 8 and 10. By 2023, the number of people in those generations who felt that way had risen to 34% and 31%, respectively. Chatting with the American Psychological Association, Chelsea Dudley, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist at Coastal Therapy Group, explained that some of the stresses of the two generations were due to typical factors for their age groups, such as finances, major career choices, and uncertainty about the future. 

It's worth noting that the survey found that Gen Z, younger millennials, and older millennials were all far more likely to report being "consumed" by financial worries compared to those aged 65 and over. However, Dudley believed that these two generations were also affected by unique factors like inflation, uncertainty about healthcare access, and navigating life after the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, there may be several other factors that make millennials the most stressed-out generation.

At a Women's Brain Health Initiative Engaging Millennial Minds event, Laura, a neuroscientist, offered one reason why millennials might be more stressed out than their predecessors, saying, "I think it's competition within your workplace, with job searches, with finances, and it's all heightened through social media." It's worth noting that there is enough information to indicate that comparison is one of the many unexpected habits that actually make anxiety worse. So, it's unsurprising that a generation that is as active on social media as millennials could experience a surge in stress levels due to comparison. 

Additionally, millennials are prone to following other bad habits that worsen stress. The American Psychological Association found that adults who slept less than eight hours a night were more likely to display symptoms of stress than those who did. Their survey also concluded that millennials were the most likely generation to say that they were stressed out from lack of sleep or report that they were unable to sleep because they had too much on their plates. 

According to the @Work State of Mind Project (via Forbes), millennials' perspective on work was also likely to increase their stress levels. "Millennials do not believe that productivity should be measured by the number of hours worked at the office, but by the output of the work performed," BDA's assessment of the report stated. "They view work as a 'thing' and not a 'place'" (via Forbes). Subsequently, they were more likely to blur the boundaries between their personal and professional lives and feel stress more frequently. Considering all the serious ways in which stress can damage our bodies, it's safe to say that millennials could do with more balance in their lives.