Americans are going crazy with the election: poll

New York - There is good news for Americans waking up in a cold sweat at 3 am to check the latest opinion polls: they are not alone.

More than half of Americans - on both sides of the dispute - says the 2016 election is one of its main sources of stress, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association (APA, its acronym in English).

"Historically, labor, money and economy are the top three," said Lynn Bufka psychologist, part of the APA team focused on stress in the US, which conducts research on what scares Americans 10 years ago. "Now [the election] is at the top."

Besides the ubiquity of news about the presidential election - uninterrupted coverage for more than a year - Bufka cites several possible reasons why Americans are more concerned this year.

To begin with, the content of the campaigns, which are possibly more negative and accusatory than any other in modern history.

"Overall," she said, "like human harmony." And there is not much harmony this year.

People can also be stressed with these candidates in particular - who they are and what they represent. And of course, the Americans are concerned about the outcome.

The survey was conducted online, by Harris Poll in August, with 3,511 adults 18 years or older living in the US. The data were weighted to reflect the population accurately.

Although the use of social networks is related to higher stress levels, Americans are less likely to publish on Facebook - those with 71 years or more - are also those who reported greater anxiety.

Usually Bufka said, this generation, the generation of so-called "silent" or "great" by some, report lower stress levels.

"They've gone through a lot and have a good perspective," she said. But in this case, it seems the opposite occurs. "We are asking us to think about the implications for their children and grandchildren can be a source of stress," she said.

Bufka and APA claim that it is important that the US take steps to manage this additional agitation: avoid engaging in conversations that will lead to more conflicts, turn off the phones and read only what is necessary to be informed.

Then, on November 8, get out and vote.

However, there is some precedent for this seemingly historic election, said Drew Westen, a professor of psychology at Emory University.

"The last candidate who created all this anxiety was probably Barry Goldwater," he said, in indirect reference to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in comparison.

"The ideology it was far from the traditional ... not surprising that [President Lyndon B.] Johnson has won by a huge difference."