What’s Your Favourite Stress Reliever?

9:00AM November 6, 2009 | Sarah Rae Trover

If you turn to your MP3 collection when you’re stressed out, you’re not alone. The American Psychological Association (APA) found that a majority of people polled for the last two years running claim music as their number one stress reliever.

This past Tuesday the APA’s annual “Stress In America 2009” report came out, and the results of their findings show a few close top competitors.

This year, 49% of respondents reported turning to tunes when worried; 44% said they exercise. Reading helps calm 41% of respondents, while watching television or a movie and social interaction help ease the stress of 36% of those surveyed.

Unsurprisingly then music’s also great for getting work done. Surprisingly, activities that are marketed as stress relievers in the media came in near the bottom. Things like heading to your favourite spa, grabbing a quick session of yoga or even grabbing a drink at the bar are all drastically lower than one might expect.

Hit up Forbes for the full list of activities and how they came in on the stress scale. Do you have an activity that you turn to when all you see is red? Sound off in the comments.

Most Effective Stress Relievers [Forbes]

JessT

November 6, 2009 at 1:37 PM

What about masturbation?

Obviously it can’t be done in public (or at the workplace at all), but it’s certainly a massive stress relief for most if not all who use it.

Even the government agrees!
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Masturbation?OpenDocument (See “Health benefits” section)

monkeypuncher

November 6, 2009 at 1:46 PM

Where’s sex and/or masturbation on that list? Uncomfortably high I expect.

Peter Baldwin

November 6, 2009 at 4:41 PM

Hmm – the most obvious one isn’t there! Something that everyone does but many deny they do it! Well, it’s always worked for me :)

Work