Local Psychologist on 2024 Election Stress and Anxiety

COLUMBUS, Georgia (WRBL) — With election day on the horizon, people have a lot on their minds. A local psychology specialist said elections can lead to increased stress and anxiety.

He added that this is especially true in the presidential race between Republican nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“People tend to get quite anxious. I think especially in this cycle, people have been more anxious,” said Dr. Albert Eaton, clinical psychologist and Piedmont’s director of behavioral sciences for family medicine residency.

Eaton continued: “There was a lot of swearing and I haven’t seen that in a while. There’s a lot of, kind of catastrophizing.”

A list of local elections and the candidates running

According to the American Psychological Association The 2024 Stress in America Survey led among 3,305 US adults77% said they were significantly stressed about the future of our country.

Trends show that stress around politics is also on the rise. The APA reports that these rates have increased from 52% of adults in 2016 TO 69% in 2024.

But Eaton said those fears have an evolutionary basis, primitive mechanisms left over from a time when humans had to worry about being followed by predatory creatures.

“We think, ‘Oh, what could happen?’ And we respond to that,” Eaton said. “They go back a long time, when threats were more imminent, but it’s been a long time since most of us were chased by a bear or a saber-toothed tiger or any kind of here-and-now threat.”

If you’re feeling significant anxiety around the election, Eaton said staying glued to the TV for updates could do more harm than good.

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The Recommend APA cope with political stress by limiting exposure to political information and making time to talk to trusted family, friends or health professionals if you feel stressed.

“The thing to remember is that this is an election and we have elections every four years. We have elections every two years, and life goes on,” Eaton said, adding, “That’s the key. And that’s the thing you have to remember, it’s not the end of the world.”

According to the APA, 74% of respondents to the American Stress Survey were concerned about violence following the election results.

More than half (56%) also said they worried it could be the end of democracy.

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