Gallop Poll Shows Mental And Physical Health Related To The Economy

The global economic problems continue to grow in strength causing all kinds of hardship for many millions across the globe including Americans.

Now new evidence shows that the financial crisis is having a particular effect on the mental health of many people across the US.

The well-known Gallup-Healthways polling company has conducted a new widespread poll and has just released its findings. Started back in 2008 the company surveys over 350,000 people and ask them questions about their financial situation and their emotional feelings.

From this information the company produces what it calls its EHI (Emotional Health Index), this index seed to weigh financial situation is against emotional and psychological problems such as stress and depression.

The survey discovered that throughout last year stress levels nationwide continued to rise as the financial problems deteriorated the start of this year saw the “unhappiness quota” continues to increase.

The overall 10 unhappy days of last year all happen during the last couple of months of 2008. General overall mental well-being declined considerably throughout the year especially in the poorer sections of society.

The country’s general mood was considered to be very gloomy linked statistically to the falls in the stock market and large-scale job losses on a day to day basis. The research indicates that a day of bad economic news is directly related to a bad emotional day for many millions of Americans.

The poll also discovered that there are statistical correlations between physical ill-health such as heart problems and the declining economy. Some parts of the country are doing better than others emotionally and there seems to be more strongly related to environment rather than finances.

States that are considered to be beautiful or wilderness such as Alaska or Hawaii seem to produce people with far better emotional health than those living in the so-called “Rust Belt” with depressed states such as Ohio and West Virginia.