Revealed... the little things that give us a big headache
BRITAIN is a nation of worriers who get stressed daily over “minor emergencies”, researchers revealed yesterday.
Top of the list is not being able to sleep. But losing our glasses or running out of phone battery also result in heightened panic, said psychologists at Goldsmiths, part of London University.
They identifi ed so- called “fearcasting” – the brain planning for all eventualities, no matter how unrealistic – and said almost a third of women and a quarter of men did it daily. Their fi ndings were published alongside a list of top 10 worries following a poll of 2,000 adults carried out by insurers Direct Line.
Not being able to sleep worried half of us and more than a third panicked about losing our keys. Being stuck in traffi c when late was also hated by a third.
The realisation we had no control over a problem was a factor as well as the extent of its disruption – so laddering tights was less of a worry than breaking a heel because it was easier to deal with.
Context was also important. If a person was already stressed, a “tiny” problem seemed huge.
Professor Jonathan Freeman, of Goldsmiths, said: “We wanted to investigate how everyday small emergencies conjure large feelings of stress. We were not expecting to fi nd one of the major triggers was the way people mentally process the spiralling effects.
“For example, you may be in traffi c on your way to the station and the worry about having to pay for a new ticket after missing the train could cause hysteria. If you knew you’d be let on to the next train for free, you wouldn’t feel so stressed.”
We are more likely to have an everyday emergency in the morning, with almost two- thirds occurring at home.