The stressed-out electorate
Sick of the 2016 election, or even sickened over it? Join the club. More than half of Americans surveyed say the election is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to findings from the American Psychological Association published late last week. Fifty-two percent of respondents labeled the election very stressful. That finding was nearly the same regardless of party affiliation or gender. Using social media amplified the election stress, the study said. Fifty-four percent of adults on social media said they felt very stressed out, compared to 45 percent who weren’t tweeting and posting but who still found the election nerve-wracking. Laura Kubzansky, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, studies the effects of stress and emotion on heart disease and said she’s not surprised by the survey. “Stress is a function of people feeling either like they don’t have control over...