New Jersey ‘not stressed’? This study seems fishy (Opinion)

When I read Jen Ursillo’s article about WalletHub naming New Jersey as one of the least stressed states I thought it was an early April Fools' Day joke.

“The data set ranges from average hours worked per week, to the personal bankruptcy rate to the share of adults getting adequate sleep.”

The finance website ranked the Garden State as the 41st state in terms of most stressed. The most stressed state is apparently Louisiana.

We’re in the bottom 10? I’m hard-pressed to believe this.

Here’s what they SHOULD have looked at:

Stress levels on the roads

Between Olympic swimming pool size potholes, slow left-lane drivers, tolls that should have gone away years ago, and always being on the lookout for the “Jersey slide.” I dare WalletHub to look a New Jersey driver in the eye and tell them there are 40 states that are more stressful than ours.

Happiness while paying property taxes

The average property tax payment in New Jersey is over $8,000. How can reading that sentence not raise your blood pressure even a little bit?

According to the WalletHub study, “there are not a lot of adults who are worried about money” in our state. I’d like to know who they spoke to because our high taxes are always top of mind.

Patience at the gas pumps

When we’re entering our third minute of waiting for a gas attendant because we still can’t pump our own gas, I’d like the good people at WalletHub to remind us of how calm we are. Then I’d like them to follow up when we’re making our payment of over $4 per gallon.

Nothing stressful here!

Trenton

When thinking about the who’s who of untrusting politicians running our state into the ground, I doubt New Jerseyans are particularly calm. Especially when we still don’t have the marijuana we were promised.

While I appreciate how optimistic WalletHub is about New Jersey, I think they need to talk to a few locals before telling us how relaxed we are.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.