# How stressed are you during presidential elections? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793 "2019-12-13T04:28:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/1 "2019-12-13T04:28:31Z")
More about opinions than Elections, so putting in IMHO instead: On a 1-10 scale, I’ve always been more high-strung; especially if my preferred candidate were either tied or leading. If my candidate were/is losing, though, my brain tends to throw in the towel as a protective mechanism to save myself angst. Ever since 2016, though, I’ve probably gone from a 7 to a 9. (Not just U.S. elections, but some others elsewhere in the world as well.) Not at max freak-out level yet, but at the point where I’m constantly clicking into news sites, running Google searches on keywords, checking the polls daily. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/2 "2019-12-13T04:34:53Z")
Not at all ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/3 "2019-12-13T04:42:14Z")
I have no reason to be stressed. POTUS has very little impact on me personally. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/4 "2019-12-13T04:44:26Z")
Same as normal. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/5 "2019-12-13T05:21:32Z")
None. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/6 "2019-12-13T06:32:43Z")
Zero stress. I couldn’t care less about elections. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/7 "2019-12-13T10:08:35Z")
It all depends. The 2016 Presidential election had me so stressed that I ended up with muscle spasms in my neck that were so severe that I missed 2 days of work because I couldn’t lift my head enough to get out of bed without screaming (until the muscle relaxant kicked in, but that left me not terribly functional, too). My doc was surprised when he saw the X-rays; you’re supposed to have a curve in your neck, but my muscles were in such spasm that I didn’t anymore. I wish I could say in hindsight that the anxiety had been misplaced. **Eva Luna,** Immigration Paralegal ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/8 "2019-12-13T10:11:35Z")
Well, this poll has been pretty binary thus far. Roughly two-thirds of respondents have selected either “1: no stress” or “10: intense stress.” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/9 "2019-12-13T12:01:42Z")
I said 7. But not about the normal stuff. I help work elections so there’s always more stuff needs doing. Volunteers to organize, campaigns to make sure happen and so forth. More people who are stressed out about them should volunteer. At least they’d be doing something about their stress at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/10 "2019-12-13T12:12:56Z")
1. Not at all. As a Canadian though I do follow it all, and certainly realize the importance of your president on my country and international affairs. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/11 "2019-12-13T12:47:52Z")
Very stressed, if we’re talking 2016 and 2020. I went with 9 — loss of sleep, major anxiety, mainly in the last couple of weeks before Election Day (and for at least a few days afterward, depending). Presidential elections not featuring a certain “short-fingered vulgarian” (as the ancient _Spy_ quote goes) — 2012, 2008, etc? I’d say stress level 3 or 4. “Midterm” election under the current administration (i.e., 2018)? Stress level 5. “Midterm” election under previous administrations? Stress level 2. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/12 "2019-12-13T13:00:40Z")
Say a 6. Since Obama: The Original I figure we’re pretty much screwed no matter who the POTUS is. That first year of his terms really changed my opinion of a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/13 "2019-12-13T14:56:27Z")
No stress at all. I don’t think I ever felt “stressed” even when I used to volunteer and get excited about elections. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/14 "2019-12-13T15:04:00Z")
Not stressed at all. I work from home so there isn’t even any watercooler grumbling when my candidate loses. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/15 "2019-12-13T15:46:20Z")
Trump was the first candidate that I was bummed about them winning and I’ve never voted for anyone who won. I lost a little sleep that night. I’m looking forward to him not being president and worried the dem slate is too terrible to beat him so I went with a 2. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/16 "2019-12-13T17:30:54Z")
1. I haven’t felt good about a candidate in several decades. I hold my nose, and vote for the lesser evil, and life goes on. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/17 "2019-12-13T19:02:43Z")
I voted 2. I do care about the results, but I don’t worry about the election itself. Well, I worry a bit about actually finding the time to go and vote, but beyond that I don’t think about it. I figure I’ll hear about it after it’s over one way or another. I’ll note that the above applies only if I actually _do_ care about the results. This most recent election I spent some time examining the initiatives and looking at the people running for the various local positions, and realized that I genuinely didn’t care one way or the other about any of it. (It was all non-partisan anyway.) When I realized that, I stopped worrying completely. And never did hear about the results, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/18 "2019-12-13T19:08:22Z")
Typical Republican answer to say none. They usually aren’t minorities that can be affected. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/19 "2019-12-13T19:17:45Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Typical Republican answer to say none. They usually aren’t minorities that can be affected. Er, for the record, I’m pretty damn liberal, at least at a philosophical level. My low stress level about elections is because the elections themselves are something that I have damned little to do with. I get one, count it, one vote, which is worth zero, count it, zero. (I live in a very, _very_ solidly red state.) Once I cast my one worthless vote my involvement in the situation is complete. As for interest in the result, I may be curious about the outcome, but ongoing polls before the final tally aren’t the outcome. I gain nothing by hearing about them before its all over - and honestly, how does hearing that stuff help anybody? Best case, you get tons of stress. Worst case people become demoralized/apathetic because their guy is losing/winning too hard, and don’t bother voting. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793/20 "2019-12-13T19:54:23Z")
Ten. There’s a reason I’m always posting in elections and on Twitter [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-stressed-are-you-during-presidential-elections/844793.md?page=2)