Survey says: You spend 2,000 hours stressed out each year

NeuroBliss recently released the results of a stress study that surveyed more than 1,200 Americans ages 18 and older. The findings were… stressful.

According to the study, 76 percent of Americans said they spend at least half their day-to-day life stressed out, and only 9 percent are happy during their average workday.

This stress, unhappiness and overall get-me-out-of-here attitude appears to be taking its toll on the workplace, because only 27 percent of respondents described their mood during the average workday as productive. That’s a whole lot of solitaire.

(Editor’s note: Have you heard of Coffivity? Research shows that you are more productive in a coffee house environment, so this web app lets you stream the ambient noise of a coffee shop. Try it!)

Stress and the cities

The study also compared the stress of people living in New York to those in Los Angeles. It turns out the Big Apple really can take its toll on you —  more than 77 percent of New Yorkers spend half their days stressed, compared with 62 percent of Angelenos who reported the same feeling.

New Yorkers also described spending more time being anxious or frustrated at work than their Californian counterparts did.

Take me away

More than half the respondents said what they needed most right now was a good old-fashioned, take-me-away vacation.

Coming in second place was a need for more personal time, with 24 percent of respondents craving some time to themselves to de-stress. Interestingly, only 11 percent of respondents said what they needed most to unwind was a night out on the town.

Whatever the reason or fix, it’s clear that most people are stressed out. Nine out of 10 Americans said they would enhance their mood if they could.

More on stress

The dangers of stress on your heart health
Stress relief through technology
How being overworked affects your health