Survey Americans reach a record level of unhappiness

Survey Americans reach a record level of unhappinessSurvey Americans reach a record level of unhappinessIf youre feeling gloomy at work, dont think that its just you. According to the annualGallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, Americans are currently more unhappy than they have been in a decade.In interviews with 160,498 U.S. adults, participants were asked about their sense of purpose, social relationships, finances, and relationships to their community and physical health. Calculating scores across these five elements, researchers found that the national well-being index dropped from 62.1 in 2016 to 61.5 in 2017, the largest decline in the indexs 10-year history.More Americans feeling worried and purposeless in 2017If you want to move to a state full of happy and fulfilled people, consider South Dakota, Vermont, and Hawaii - they were the top-ranked states in well-being scores. But its all too easy to live in a state with an unhappy bunch of citizens.In fact, 21 states, primarily in the West and the South - including Arizona, Washington, California, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida - showed a marked decline in well-being. Fewer Americans in these states said they liked what they did each day. More Americans in these states said they worried each day. They showed an increase in clinical diagnoses of depression with more people reporting that they had little interest or pleasure in doing things.They were less likely to say they had a leader in their lives who made them enthusiastic about the future and they were less likely to report reaching their goals.Researchers want their findings to be a call to action for employees everywhere to invest in mental health and well-being resources. The stark difference in our countrys well-being today versus just a year ago underscores the need to understand, assess and nurture the health of our populations comprehensively and continuously, Sharecare CEO and founder Jeff Arnold said.Whats causing the unhappiness?What caus ed the sharp decline in well-being in the last year? For Americans, 2017 was the year Donald Trump was elected to be the 45th U.S. president, and researchers believe this polarizing event played a role in participants declining social, emotional and psychological health.I think everyone would agree, whether youre a Trump supporter or not, that 2017 was a psychologically tumultuous year for America, Dan Witters, the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index research director, said. Whether youre Republican or Democrat, theres an increased probability youll be in relationships that are more contentious.Theres going to be more arguing and more negativity than there used to be around the dinner table. Thats going to hold true regardless of whether youre pro- or anti-Trump. But that swirling animosity, mixing it up at the dinner table, thats real, Witters added.