From the weaponization of social media, growing partisan divides, economic instability, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate-related disasters, Americans are grappling with an unprecedented convergence of challenges that are taking a toll on mental health and societal stability. In 2024, 43% of adults said they feel more anxious than the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. The only more stressful year was the pandemic year of 2020, which was riddled with anxiety. Stress levels in 2024, however, already exceed those of 2021, another pandemic year:
Economic Concerns
Economic instability is another critical stress point for Americans, with inflation emerging as a central concern in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global supply chains, leading to shortages and price increases in essential goods. The U.S. inflation rate hit a 40-year high in 2022, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 8.5% year-over-year. For many Americans, rising living costs — especially in areas such as housing, healthcare, and groceries — have strained household budgets and increased financial stress.
According to an April 2023 Gallup poll, 55% of Americans say their financial situation is “only fair” or “poor” rather than “excellent” or “good” (45%). This financial strain disproportionately affects low- and middle-income families, who are more likely to experience food insecurity, housing instability, and reduced access to healthcare. Economic uncertainty has also led to heightened stress about the future, as many worry about job security, retirement savings, and the potential for an economic recession.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) says society is experiencing the psychological impacts of collective trauma. Financial strain is a predominant source of increased stress, particularly among adults aged 35-44. The economy ranks as the top anxiety-inducing factor for 77% of respondents. With persistent inflation and economic uncertainty, many Americans struggle to meet basic needs and plan for the future.
Social Media Weaponization
Once heralded as a tool for connection and communication, social media has increasingly become a battleground where misinformation, disinformation, and toxic discourse proliferate. The rise of platforms like Facebook, Reddit and Twitter has amplified divisive content and created echo chambers where users are exposed predominantly to information that reinforces their beliefs. This environment fosters an “us vs. them” mentality, heightening stress and anxiety as individuals feel besieged by opposing viewpoints and the constant barrage of negative news.
A 2020 Pew Research Center study found that 64% of Americans believe social media has increased political polarization, citing misinformation, hate and harassment they see on social media.
The constant barrage of curated content and algorithmic echo chambers has led to increased anxiety and depression, particularly among younger users. Younger adults (18-34 years old) are more likely than older adults (50+) to say social connection has the biggest impact on their mental health.
Data from the 2017 American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” report indicates that 86% of U.S. adults report they often or sometimes check social media, and 42% of those who do say political and cultural discussions on social media cause them stress. The perpetual cycle of outrage, fear, and anger propagated online has exacerbated the nation’s mental health crisis, leading to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.
Growing Partisan Divide
The U.S. is witnessing a widening partisan divide, with political polarization reaching levels not seen in decades. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, the ideological gap between Republicans and Democrats has widened significantly, with fewer Americans holding a mix of conservative and liberal views.
The constant tension between opposing political ideologies creates a stressful environment for many Americans. The 2020 presidential election and its aftermath, including the January 6th Capitol riot, were particularly polarizing events that left the nation on edge. A report by the APA found that 68% of adults considered the 2020 election a significant source of stress, with fears about the country’s future contributing to feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.
Perhaps the most noticeable shift is the extent to which partisans regard members of the opposite party as dishonest. Pew found a pattern similar to other negative partisan stereotypes: 72% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats believe people from the opposing party are more dishonest than other Americans. Six years ago, fewer than half of each party said this.
A large majority in both parties also believe members of the opposing party are more closed-minded than ordinary Americans, with 83% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans agreeing, and this opinion has only grown in recent years. Growing polarization is not just a political issue; it is deeply personal, affecting relationships, communities, and overall well-being.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
A separate report, 15. COVID, provides more detail on this Trendscape phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has also produced a huge amount of stress for people worldwide, with its effects still reverberating through society.
The pandemic disrupted daily life, causing widespread fear, isolation, and grief. As of 2024, the U.S. had recorded a total of 2.35 million deaths, consisting of 1.22 million official deaths and 1.13 million excess deaths attributable to COVID-19 infections, leaving countless families grappling with loss. The psychological toll of the pandemic is immense, with a 2020 APA report noting that 67% of Americans experienced increased stress due to the pandemic.
The pandemic also exacerbated existing mental health issues, with a surge in cases of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 41% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder in January 2021, a significant increase from 11% recorded by NHIS in 2019. The prolonged nature of the pandemic, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding its long-term impact, continues to strain the mental health of Americans.
Climate-Related Disasters
Climate change is another significant stressor, as Americans face increasingly frequent and severe weather events. Hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and heatwaves have become more common, causing widespread destruction and displacement. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2023 saw 28 weather and climate disasters in the U.S., each causing over $1 billion in damages, for a total of $92.9 billion in damages.
These disasters result in physical destruction and have profound psychological effects. The stress of losing homes, livelihoods, and even loved ones to climate-related events can lead to long-term mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. A 2022 International Review of Psychiatry report highlighted that climate-related stressors are linked to increased rates of mental health disorders, particularly in communities directly impacted by such events:
“Climate change acts as a risk amplifier by disrupting the conditions known to support good mental health, including socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions, and living and working conditions. The disruptive influence of rising global temperatures and extreme weather events, such as experiencing a heatwave or water insecurity, compounds existing stressors experienced by individuals and communities.”— Emma Lawrance et al.
27-Sep-22 International Review of Psychiatry
Impact on Mental Health and Crime Rates
The cumulative effect of these stressors has taken a significant toll on the mental health of Americans. The 2023 National Health Interview Survey found that in 2023, 13% of adults 18+ (PDF) regularly had feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety. Between 2001 and 2021, the total age-adjusted suicide rate increased from 10.7 per 100,000 to 14.1 in 2001, a 32% increase in two decades. The rise in stress and mental health issues has also been linked to an increase in crime rates. A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (PDF) found that areas with higher levels of economic distress and social fragmentation experienced more significant increases in violent crime.
In particular, the surge in gun violence has become a pressing concern. The Gun Violence Archive reported that in 2023, there were 656 mass shootings in the U.S., up sharply from 414 in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Experts attribute this rise in violence to a combination of factors, including the stress and despair stemming from economic hardship, social isolation, and political unrest.
History of Stress
In a July 4, 1936 letter to the editor of Nature, entitled “A syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents,” Selye described stereotypical manifestations of the “general alarm reaction” of the human body, including “thymicolymphatic involution, gastric ulcers, lipid discharge from the adrenal and loss of chromaffinity in the medulla,” which Selye believed was a “non-specific, adaptive response to various kinds of agents.” In layman’s terms — the physical mechanisms of stress. He first coined the word in a 1950 monograph entitled “Stress.”
It was not happenstance that Selye’s book would appear in a whirlwind, post-war boom period during which the first series of Time Compression artifacts would make their societal debut. The Polaroid camera, Raytheon microwave oven, jet aircraft, use of “speed” by long-distance truckers, first McDonald’s, and concept of “realtime” all joined existing means of accelerating time, including radio, television and the rapidly proliferating automobile.
Stress in all its expressions was about to reverberate through society, and many would attempt to mitigate this by-product of faster living with a host of increasingly popular therapies, ranging from massage to yoga and, most notably, the 1981 launch of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
When The Upjohn Company, now part of Pfizer, introduced Xanax, it was considered an aspiring me-too competitor of Valium, America’s most popular 1970s anxiety drug. In 1980, “panic disorder” — the medical term for panic attack — was first officially recognized with the publication of the American Psychiatric Association’s “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” Within two years of its availability, Xanax was a blockbuster drug. Xanax sales rose 85% in 1985 from $82 million to $152 million.
During the 1980s, Upjohn produced several studies to show that Xanax also ameliorated the effects of panic attacks. The FDA’s 1990 approval of Xanax to treat panic disorders led to another surge in the drug’s popularity. Today, Xanax remains one of America’s most popular psychiatric medications (see table below).
It has become a staple of popular culture, with the slogan “I need a Xanax” landing on memes, mugs and t-shirts. Xanax even became the rap artist’s drug of choice when Tyler, The Creator, referred to it on “Yonkers” in 2011. Since then, such artists as Young Thug, Future and 2 Chainz have mentioned it in music, according to Genius’ “Drugs in Hip-Hop: A 30-Year Analysis.”
In 1954, Dr. Leo Sternbach, a pharmacist and chemist working for Hoffmann-La Roche, was tasked with developing a safer alternative to barbiturates and meprobamate (“Miltown”). Over the next few years, Sternbach tested 40 new compounds, finally developing a new “anxiolytic” drug under the trade name Librium. As the name suggests, anxiolytic describes a class of drugs that are used to treat anxiety.
Benzodiazepines (“BZDs or Benzos”)
Source: 2009 “Before Prozac”
Librium was the world’s first clinically useful benzodiazepine (BZD or “benzos”). The second successful BZD was diazepam, which was introduced in 1963 under the trade name Valium. Between 1969 and 1982, Valium was the most prescribed drug in the U.S., with sales peaking in 1978 at more than 2.3 billion pills.
The following table points to a society that either suffers from more anxiety, is obtaining better care, or abuses it, as the case may be for Xanax or its benzodiazepine cousin Lorazepam (Ativan), which is not shown in the table but ranks 16. In 2013, Xanax still ranked as the No. 1 prescribed psychiatric medication. Although it has dropped to No. 9 in this 2020 ranking, that’s still impressive considering the drug’s 43-year history. There is also much more competition in psychiatric medications, including such newcomers as Lexapro (No. 2) and Cymbalta (No. 7). At the same time, older competitors Prozac (No. 6) and Klonopin (No. 12) also still do well.
Top 10 Psychiatric Medications (2020)
Source: 01-Nov-22 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
This exploration of pharmaceutics history is critical to understanding the invisible dynamics of Time Compression. The dimensions and scope of the anxiolytic drug category are astonishing, especially considering how quickly it evolved. And it will continue to develop, for percolating in our midst is perhaps the greatest inducer of stress ever, the information revolution. That trend is reflected in the number of adults filling a benzodiazepine prescription, which increased 67%, from 8.1 million in 1996 to 13.5 million in 2013.
“The study found that 38% of management consider their working environment extremely stressful, and 94% don’t believe the situation will improve, contributing to ‘Information Fatigue Syndrome.’”— Dying for Information?
October 1996 Reuters Holdings PLC
A preview of the information juggernaut was provided by the October 1996 Dying for Information?” survey of 1,300 global managers by Benchmark Research on behalf of Reuters Holdings PLC. The study discovered that 68% of managers surveyed associate “information overload” with tension with colleagues and loss of job satisfaction — in other words, stress. The study found that 38% of management consider their working environment extremely stressful, and 94% don’t believe the situation will improve, contributing to “Information Fatigue Syndrome.” Amazingly, this was before the internet started creating the deluge of content it produces today.
The delicate nature of the subject, Reuters is, after all, an information provider, persuaded the company to remove any traces of the study from the internet. One can only wonder why Reuters carried out the study in the first place.
You might call it poetic justice that a poet first envisioned this anxious state of affairs. In 1947, W.H. Auden published “The Age of Anxiety” — 138 pages of allegorical poetry that attempted to describe this hectic scenario. While few have read the entire poem, constrained by the vagaries of Time Compression, its title has become the mantra of modern humankind, appearing in the titles or subtitles of no less than two dozen books since 1990, plus the cover of Time:
During the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Time published a special edition that honored W.H. Auden’s groundbreaking 1947 poetry again. “The Age of Anxiety” discussed anxiety disorders, which impact 40 million adults and are among the most prevalent mental ailments in the country.
Welcome to the Age of Anxiety.
Ubertrend: Time Compression
