Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S.

Hawaiians were the least likely in the United States in 2010 to say they felt stressed for much of the previous day, at 30.2%. Residents of Utah were the most likely to report experiencing stress, at 45.1%, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

These state-level data are based on daily surveys conducted from January through December 2010 and encompass more than 350,000 interviews. Americans’ average stress level was 39.4% last year, similar to 2009 (39.9%) and 2008 (38.8%).

Hawaii has had the distinction of being the least stressed state for three years in a row. Utah and Kentucky have been among the top two most stressed states for the past three years.

Stress levels decreased at least somewhat for residents living in about half of the states in 2010. This is a positive turnaround from 2009, when residents’ stress levels increased in most states. See page 2 for results for all states by year.

And, it seems the most stressed Americans live in the West and the Northeast. Here is the graph:

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index state data underscore that stress is a complex emotion that is likely related to numerous life issues. States where residents have higher levels of stress differ from each other on various fronts: Some have more high-income residents, while others have more low-income residents. Some, like Utah and Massachusetts, have residents who boast great physical health, while others, like Kentucky and West Virginia, have residents who are in poor health. And in some of the high-stress states residents rate their lives highly — as in Connecticut, Utah, and Massachusetts — while in others, residents rate their lives at the lowest end of the scale, as in Ohio and Rhode Island.

That finances and health aren’t the only determinants of Americans’ stress levels reveals that earning more money or being in great physical shape doesn’t necessarily protect against all of life’s stressors. Family and career issues likely play a large role in individuals’ daily stress levels.

That stress levels did not increase much during the recession provides additional evidence that Americans’ definition of stress goes beyond economic experiences. Still, further investigation into what drives stress and how stress affects people is needed as nearly 40% of American adults consistently report experiencing it a lot of the day “yesterday.”

I can understand Hawaii but why would the Western States of the USA be more stressed than the Midwest?

It is probably due to economic uncertainty and the migration of manufacturing jobs overseas and to the Midwest and South.

Gallup’s global surveys reveal that people with “good jobs,” those who are employed full time for an employer, tend to have the highest wellbeing of those in the workforce. They are more likely to be “thriving” than those who are self-employed, employed part time looking for full-time work, or unemployed.

Worldwide, individuals employed full time for an employer tend to report the highest evaluative wellbeing, with 29% thriving. Those employed part time and those who are unemployed do not fall far behind. Self-employed respondents report the lowest evaluative wellbeing, with 14% thriving.

This is noteworthy in dentistry in that most dentists are self-employed in America.

In advanced economies, self-employed folks continue to lag behind in wellbeing.

I can only surmise that although self-employed business owners have their own fate, so to speak, in their own hands, that the stress of it all, leads to lower wellbeing. But, this is of course, in developed countries.

Quality of life issues and the type of employment you have are intertwined. As worldwide business eventually ramps up after the global recession, it is a consideration that must be made.

One of the most important factors contributing to an individual’s wellbeing is his or her employment status. Globally, the difference in wellbeing between those who have good jobs and those who are self-employed is significant. In terms of one’s wellbeing, the worst job in the world is to be self-employed in a developing country. At 12% thriving, the self-employed in the developing world have the lowest wellbeing of any group. Many of the world’s poor are forced into growing or making things to sell on a street corner, working for themselves out of desperation. The picture is different in the developed world, where the self-employed are more likely to be entrepreneurs out of opportunity.

Traditional employment metrics do not always capture the complete jobs situation. Traditional unemployment does not include part-time workers who are looking for full-time work or individuals who are working for themselves in subsistence jobs. In the developing world, self-employed individuals may not only fail to make meaningful contributions to the formal economy, but also their jobs are not positively affecting their wellbeing. Gallup research reveals that full-time employment for an employer highly correlates with GDP per capita. Being employed full time for an employer is therefore a much better gauge of good jobs than unemployment, which has no statistical relationship to GDP per capita on a global basis.

As global leaders continue to make jobs their No. 1 priority, they need to use better metrics to assess whether they are actually creating good jobs. Good jobs not only have a significant impact on a country’s gross domestic product, but they also are fundamental to a country’s gross national wellbeing.