Thoughts that mentally tire us more than we admit - study reveals what really stresses us out
Some decisions we make almost automatically, like what to eat tonight, while others carry much more weight and can seriously weigh us down. Moving, changing jobs, ending or starting a relationship… these are all moments that can stir up stress and uncertainty. A new study reveals which life decisions people consider the riskiest and most stressful, and the results may surprise you.
It's a comprehensive study published last month in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers asked more than 4.000 participants to name real, recent decisions that had been a big challenge for them, rather than offering them hypothetical scenarios. Analysis of the responses showed that some types of decisions are repeated much more often than others, reports Telegraph.
Work and career, the biggest source of stress
Work and career-related decisions were at the top of the list. Regardless of age or gender, the decision to accept a new job was the riskiest, followed closely by quitting your job.
Money, driving and starting a business
Financial risks ranked third, mainly investing in stocks, cryptocurrencies and stock trading. Although it may sound trivial, the decision to get behind the wheel ranked high, fourth. This is especially stressful in situations of fatigue, bad weather, lack of attention or driving under the influence of alcohol.
In fifth place was the decision to start a personal business.
Buying a home, the sixth most stressful decision, was also mentioned frequently, with terms such as "property purchase", "investment" and "new purchase".
Health and social life, less stressful than thought
The last four places in the top ten belong to decisions related to health and social life. In seventh place was the decision to undergo surgery, while in ninth place was vaccination. The researchers note that distrust of vaccines is growing and, as an example, cite the decline in the rate of vaccination against influenza in the US.
Eighth and tenth place were taken by marriage and moving to another country, two major life transitions that were not experienced as the most dangerous.
Unexpected findings
What surprised the researchers most was the fact that decisions related to health or social relationships, such as dating or traveling alone, were not at the top of the list.
"We were interested to see these results, but our data show the opposite," said the study author. Renato Frey, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich. “First of all, people think about risky career choices.”
The authors note that they intentionally left the term “risk” broadly defined, as for some it is associated with financial consequences, while for others with decisions that shape their lives in the long term. Age also influenced risk perceptions: older respondents considered accepting a new job more risky, while younger respondents were more afraid of losing their job.
The researchers hope that this knowledge will help provide better support for people when making important life decisions. “These nuanced models help us understand which population groups are exposed to which types of risk,” Frey concludes.
The 10 most stressful decisions in life, according to the study
▪ Accepting a new job
▪ Resignation from work
▪ Investing money (stocks, cryptocurrencies, stock market)
▪ Driving a vehicle
▪ Starting a personal business
▪ Real estate purchase
▪ Undergoing surgery
▪ Marriage
▪ Vaccination
▪ Moving to another country
/Telegraph/
