Is our or the next generation in danger of burning itself out?

[Judgeneo]

I don't buy we're more stressed these days.

Crime globally has been on the decline for a couple of decades

The welfare net has increased in the same time frame, so we're less likely to fall into absolute poverty.

We're more aware of 'evil' because of the internet, but also far more detached from it.

Hours are pretty much unchanged, and employee rights have increased.

Safe escapism is more prevalent than ever - TV, Internet, Games.

Information about dangerous escapism is more widespread than ever - drugs, alcohol etc..

We consume a lot more caffeine, but smoking has declined, so that balances the stimulants out somewhat.


We've got it good.

 

[Freakbro]

I don't buy it, people just complain more these days becuase they can.
Do you really think a few hundred years ago they where not stressed. Working long hours etc.
Its just we have the comfort now so that we can complain, we can see the news where ever it is the world, suicide is reported etc.

Also time pressure, I do think you are underestimating the level of background stress that everyone is under that we all just accept as 'normal'

Wake up late...stress, going to be late for work, kids playing up, stress going to be late for school.

Driving, stuck in a traffic jam, stress going to be late for work/school/meeting.

Of course in previous generations they had stresses, worries etc, but not the continual background level we all have to deal with today, which erodes your ability to cope with and manage that stress and leading to the levels of anxiety and metal health problems seen today.

Manual labour is less mentally stressful than tasks which require more advanced conceptual thinking.

Mental stress isn't the same as muscle fatigue - for a start when we perform phisically intensive tasks we get the same benefit we do mentally from exericse.

The same can't be said about mental labour.

Aye, physical labour is actually shown to reduce the levels of mental stress, and also because they would be working long and hard hours, they wouldn't have as much time to sit and worry about everything - that they didn't need to be worrying about.

 

[Glaucus]

Also time pressure, Glaucus, I do think you are underestimating the level of background stress that everyone is under that we all just accept as 'normal'

ng.

Lol, time pressure, of what losing a few £ or if your a muppet losing your job. Im not underestimating it all. But lets compare that too what use to happen. Oh wait we have a slight incovienue. Now compare that to the workshops in the industrial revolution.

There is no way we have it harder mental or physical.

But go back and complaining got you nothing, you did what you had to, too survive.
That burden does not exist now, with welfare. So we can and do complain more.


Lol so they cant worry when doing physical work, another good one. When doing physical work and no mental task you constantly think rubbish.

 

[Freakbro]

I don't buy we're more stressed these days.

Crime globally has been on the decline for a couple of decades

We've got it good.

I totally agree, we have it the easiest at any point in history, but I think you will find that peoples perception of the level of crime or illness or accident they may suffer hasn't fallen just because the reality has, mainly due to the fact we are bombarded by negative news reports 24/7

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/04/public-perception-crime-higher

 

[Glaucus]

I totally agree, we have it the easiest at any point in history, but I think you will find that peoples perception of the level of crime or illness or accident they may suffer doesn't fall just because the reality has, mainly due to the fact we are bombarded by negative news reports 24/7

I think thats complete rubbish, we may think its higher than it is.

But i don't think I'll get murdered walking down the street. Or that the country will be invaded, or that ill be called to war, and be shot if i don't. Or burned for being a witch.
Or be in complete poverty i have to be resort to prostitution.
If I'm lucky enough not to be a slave.

 

[aardvark]

kids these days, tsk.

compared to any other time in history we have got it easy.

 

[anything I don't mind]

My dad said that avocado was not available in the shops when he was growing up, same with pure pineapple juice. Just two examples.

I do agree that males are all being brainwashed with feminists marxist ideals. Most males that come out of state education are far too feminine and are taught that women are superior in every way. I have a few good lectures on the topic. How females are given an advantage in state schools. The teachers have the attitude that males are nothing more than misbehaving and underachieving females. Due to this the girls are out performing males in school and more females are going on to university than males. This is all due to feminist anti male movement which started 40-50 years ago. Where anything strictly male in characteristic is portrayed as a negative trait while feminine traits are held up high as "the right way to be". Popular encourages this further by always displaying males as slobs and sex mad perverts. While females are always the smart one who makes good health decisions and has to look after the man because he is nothing more than a big kid. This is cultural marxist feminist propaganda, its every where, once you can spot it, you see it all the time.

 

[elmarko]

I think thats complete rubbish, we may think its higher than it is.

Think what's rubbish exactly?.

He (correctly) stated that people think our crime rates are higher - which is true, the public perception of reality is usually pretty far off the mark.

From what I've it's based off how familiar something is (Which due to the news, bad news is now very familiar to all of us) - it distorts our perception of reality.

My dad said that avocado was not available in the shops when he was growing up, same with pure pineapple juice. Just two examples.

I do agree that males are all being brainwashed with feminists marxist ideals. Most males that come out of state education are far too feminine and are taught that women are superior in every way. I have a few good lectures on the topic. How females are given an advantage in state schools. The teachers have the attitude that males are nothing more than misbehaving and underachieving females. Due to this the girls are out performing males in school and more females are going on to university than males. This is all due to feminist anti male movement which started 40-50 years ago. Where anything strictly male in characteristic is portrayed as a negative trait while feminine traits are held up high as "the right way to be". Popular encourages this further by always displaying males as slobs and sex mad perverts. While females are always the smart one who makes good health decisions and has to look after the man because he is nothing more than a big kid. This is cultural marxist feminist propaganda, its every where, once you can spot it, you see it all the time.

Lol.

You heard it here folks, at least 51% of all pupils which come out of the state education system are far too feminine & are taught women are superior in every way - it's a fact, because I said it is (derp).

We have plenty of issues related to gender stereotyping for both men & women - which do need to be addressed, as do the problems related to our education system failing young boys (not suited to meet their needs fully), along with the maturity gap being ignored between the sexes.

But going on about cultural Marxist feminist propaganda trying to make boys feminine & subservient just makes you out to sound like an idiot, you discredit a couple of genuine concerns with the laughably paranoid generalisations as to the causes & intentions of certain groups in society.

 

[Glaucus]

Think what's rubbish exactly?.

He (correctly) stated that people think our crime rates are higher - which is true, the public perception of reality is usually pretty far off the mark.

y.

Well no, he took that to imply, it feels higher than anytime in the past. Just because we think its higher than it is, doesn't mean that it still feels the lowest it has

 

[Make]

I think the problems in the future will be related to mental stress.

I know the treatments weren't that great in the past, but just look at the rate of mentally ill people and people who need a shrink at the moment.

There is not so much physical stress, worry for safety, worry for survival etc..

But it is harder to get a job. Harder to get anywhere. Harder to stay in a job for 30 years. Harder to retire. The future generations will not have these things any easier.

We got sloppy, now it's time for downhill.

 

[Glaucus]

I

I know the treatments weren't that great in the past, but just look at the rate of mentally ill people and people who need a shrink at the moment.

There is not so much physical stress, worry for safety, worry for survival etc..

.

Worry for safety is mental stress, worry for survival is mental stress.

Just because more is being diagnosed now, does not mean its more prevalent now. It just means x-problem, now officially exists and is being diagnosed, or is being diagnosed better.

 

[elmarko]

Well no, he took that to imply, it feels higher than anytime in the past. Just because we think its higher than it is, doesn't mean that it still feels the lowest it has

What point exactly are you trying to make?.

Are you trying to say that people don't think that crime rates are higher now than they used to be? (as that's already been proven with countless studies).

I'm struggling to get what you are trying to say, so far it seems to be nothing more than a gut feeling.

Worry for safety is mental stress, worry for survival is mental stress.

Just because more is being diagnosed now, does not mean its more prevalent now. It just means x-problem, now officially exists and is being diagnosed, or is being diagnosed better.

One of the biggest causes of increased cortisol production is social-evaluative threats to self-esteem.

Where we fit into the given society matters deeply to our well-being.

While historically the past was hard & harsh for many - it doesn't make today any easier (as many of our stresses are based on what we expect from life or how our life compares to people around us).

The loss of a child today will be significantly harder for a parent to deal with today - compared to the same thing happening 500 years ago, when infant mortality was common & people had experienced this kind loss on a regular basis (via friends & family) & expected it to occur.

It's nowhere near as simple as you think it is.

 

[Make]

Worry for safety is mental stress, worry for survival is mental stress.

Just because more is being diagnosed now, does not mean its more prevalent now. It just means x-problem, now officially exists and is being diagnosed, or is being diagnosed better.

I know, but I mean now we will have different kinds of stress instead of the traditional ones. They might not sound as bad as the ones we had before, but you can already see the effects in my opinion.

 

[Glaucus]

Are you trying to say that people don't think that crime rates are higher now than they used to be? (as that's already been proven with countless studies).
g.

The point you are making is in not in any way proven and isn't even supported by the study.

 

[elmarko]

The point you are making is in not in any way proven and isn't even supported by the study.

That's not the only study, as below with further examples of public stupidity on these kind of issues (with many of the below I've seen this very forum be guilty of).

Before reading this, have you even read the study?.

Are you actually suggesting that the study linked here.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/04/public-perception-crime-higher

"Nearly two-thirds of people believe that crime in England and Wales is on the rise despite levels falling to their lowest for 30 years in 2010, according to official statistics."

Does not imply that people think crime rates are higher now than historically? (incorrectly) - you do know the term "rise" implies an increase to historic don't you?, you are aware that this belief that crime is rising is incorrect? - I assume you can read?.

The research lists ‘top ten’ popular misperceptions:

Other popular misperceptions.

Spoiler

1. Teenage pregnancy: on average, we think teenage pregnancy is 25 times higher than official estimates: we think that 15% of girls under 16 get pregnant each year, when official figures suggest it is around 0.6%.

2. Crime: 58% do not believe that crime is falling, when the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that incidents of crime were 19% lower in 2012 than in 2006/07 and 53% lower than in 1995. 51% think violent crime is rising, when it has fallen from almost 2.5 million incidents in 2006/07 to under 2 million in 2012.

Other popular misperceptions.

Spoiler

3. Job-seekers allowance: 29% of people think we spend more on JSA than pensions, when in fact we spend 15 times more on pensions (£4.9bn vs £74.2bn).

4. Benefit fraud: people estimate that 34 times more benefit money is claimed fraudulently than official estimates: the public think that £24 out of every £100 spent on benefits is claimed fraudulently, compared with official estimates of £0.70 per £100.

5. Foreign aid: 26% of people think foreign aid is one of the top 2-3 items government spends most money on, when it actually made up 1.1% of expenditure (£7.9bn) in the 2011/12 financial year. More people select this as a top item of expenditure than pensions (which cost nearly ten times as much, £74bn) and education in the UK (£51.5bn).

6. Religion: we greatly overestimate the proportion of the population who are Muslims: on average we say 24%, compared with 5% in England and Wales. And we underestimate the proportion of Christians: we estimate 34% on average, compared with the actual proportion of 59% in England and Wales.

7. Immigration and ethnicity: the public think that 31% of the population are immigrants, when the official figures are 13%. Even estimates that attempt to account for illegal immigration suggest a figure closer to 15%. There are similar misperceptions on ethnicity: the average estimate is that black and Asian people make up 30% of the population, when it is actually 11% (or 14% if we include mixed and other non-white ethnic groups).

8. Age: we think the population is much older than it actually is – the average estimate is that 36% of the population are 65+, when only 16% are.

9. Benefit bill: people are most likely to think that capping benefits at £26,000 per household will save most money from a list provided (33% pick this option), over twice the level that select raising the pension age to 66 for both men and women or stopping child benefit when someone in the household earns £50k+. In fact, capping household benefits is estimated to save £290m, compared with £5bn for raising the pension age and £1.7bn for stopping child benefit for wealthier households.

10. Voting: we underestimate the proportion of people who voted in the last general election – our average guess is 43%, when 65% actually did.

 

[Glaucus]

Yet again you've missed the point. Perception is higher than in the scope of the study, I've haven disputed that. Ive disputed what you have implied and the study does not say or even imply the conclusion you have formed.

What was the perception 50years ago? 200years ago? 1000years ago?
What was actual crime rates from such dates? Higher than the perceived feeling now?

So yes its a pointless study in the context of this thread, and in no way shows what you have implied. Posting a load of links, what change that you are implying something, that is in no way in the studies scope. Doesn't matter if you have one or a hun dread studies, non of them will show what you are implying.

 

[Muzy]

Caffeine isn't the issue, the massive stress of modern life and people having to work stupid hours is what will finish people off

this.. modern day slavery.

 

[elmarko]

Yet again you've missed the point. Perception is higher than in the scope of the study, I've haven disputed that. Ive disputed what you have implied and the study does not say or even imply the conclusion you have formed.

What was the perception 50years ago? 200years ago? 1000years ago?
What was actual crime rates from such dates? Higher than the perceived feeling now?

So yes its a pointless study in the context of this thread, and in no way shows what you have implied. Posting a load of links, what change that you are implying something, that is in no way in the studies scope. Doesn't matter if you have one or a hun dread studies, non of them will show what you are implying.

I never said it proved anything about 1000 years ago, nobody did.

Just that what our actual crime rates are doesn't necessarily relate directly to our perception of the real world - along with the fact that just because our current crime rates are lower, it doesn't automatically mean that the average person TODAY will feel fine & happy & unstressed - because despite this reduction in crime rates the average joe on the street thinks it's getting worse.

Your the one who tried to say that because life was harder historically (in many ways) in some way that invalidates peoples depression/stresses today, which frankly is a pretty simple attitude to have on the matter.

 

[Glaucus]

I never said it proved anything about 1000 years ago, nobody did.

Just that what our actual crime rates are doesn't necessarily relate directly to our perception of the real world - along with the fact that just because our current crime rates are lower, it doesn't automatically mean that the average person TODAY will feel fine & happy & unstressed - because despite this reduction in crime rates the average joe on the street thinks it's getting worse.

It was implied due to context of the thread, with out that implication, its a pointless post and shows nothing in terms of what this thread is about.

Never said they would feel fine, what I've said all along (and what this is about) is we feel better than we have in the past.

 

[elmarko]

I've said all along (and what this is about) is we feel better than we have in the past.

Do you have any evidence to support this assertion?.