Washington, D.C. may be a high-powered, law-making, political machine, but its residents know how to chill.
The nation’s capitol was fifth on the list of the least stressed states, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
Hawaii had the distinction of being the least stressed state for three years in a row with an index of 30.2%. Wyoming (34.4%), North Dakota (34.6%), South Dakota (35.5%) and D.C. (36.7%) round out the top five.
Residents in Utah were the most stressed (45.1%), followed by Kentucky (44.9%), West Virginia (43.6%), Idaho (43.0%) and Massachusetts (42.6%).
Maryland (39.3%) and Virginia (39.7%) kept pace with the national average stress level (39.4%).
The data is based on daily surveys conducted from January through December 2010 and involved more than 350,000 phone interviews. Participants were asked “Did you experience any stress yesterday?”
Ironically, a survey this January found that commuters in Washington and Chicago spend more time in traffic than anywhere else in the country. Perhaps those drivers are spending that time meditating?
