India has topped work and finance-related stress levels once more according to the 2018 survey by Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey. Conducted by the Cigna Corporation, the survey tracked the well-being areas of physical, family, social, finance, and work. While globally, the score has dropped by 1.1 point since last year, from 62.3 to 61.2, India is at the top at 70.4 in spite of recording the second-largest drop after Thailand. India was followed by Nigeria and Saudi Arabia tying at 65.1, while Mexico, US, and China came in at around 63. The world average was recorded to be 61.2.
Compared to countries like Brazil, Germany, UAE, Thailand, and China, India seems poorly prepared in well-being areas like preparedness for old age, financial independence in old age, as well as, social, physical, and workplace indexes.
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Also, women in India in the 18-34 age group are less optimistic about their health than their male counterparts. Calling the 35-49 age group ‘the Sandwich Generation’, the score revealed that they have lesser time for hobbies and socializing.
Dr. Roy Sugarman, PhD., neuropsychologist, said, “Social media and the 24/7 lifestyle means less time available for hobbies and socializing, for the Sandwich generation especially. I see in clinical practice that multiple, but online-focused relationships through social media cannot replace the need for real, face-to-face relationship time and socializing for a feeling of well-being.”
While matrices like maintaining a balanced diet, a healthy weight, and sound sleep also declined, Indian respondents said they felt less positive than other countries about their finances in their current position. This included the financial ability to pay for mortgages and loans and maintaining the current standard of living.
According to the survey, workplace stress has increased, one in six respondents revealing that they felt unable to manage work-related stress. Most respondents felt the need for a better wellness programme on the part of their employer. The survey opines, “For employers, stress management is a huge opportunity to address productivity and attract and retain talent. Demonstrating the impact of modern life, stress management has become the number one employee insurance benefit request, over traditional basics like dental and vision care benefits.”
Presenteeism, which is the obligation an employee feels to report in for work no matter the circumstance, was revealed as a particular source of stress. In fact, 73% of millennials felt affected by presenteeism.
Somehow, Indians are among the more trustworthy with sharing health-related data with insurance companies, as are Thais and Indonesians. The global average for perception of the beginning of old age was recorded at 63.8 years, while Indians perceived it at 69 years. This is dismal compared to the old age onset perception of US at 80 years, UK at 81 years, China at 76 years, and Australia at 82 years. In fact, India has only beat Nigeria at 54 years and South Africa at 64 years.
