However, while they experienced less daily stress, researchers pointed out that people with less education suffered more severely through stressful situations, to the point that the stress became harmful to their health.

A national study surveyed 1,031 adults for eight days in a row, with a stress-related event happening each day, and ranked the stress levels according to their severity.

Results from the study:

• People holding college degrees reported feeling stressed 44 percent of the days they were tested.
• Those with either a high school degree or some college reported feeling stressed 39 percent of the time they were evaluated.
• Those who didn’t finish high school were found to experience stress 30 percent of the days.

However, despite the fact the group with the high school degrees reported the lowest levels of stress, they had experienced stressful situations at such high severity levels that it affected both their physical and emotional health. Some of the physical symptoms that resulted from the stress were nausea, headaches, chest pain and fever.

Experts attributed this to less advantaged people having poorer health on a daily basis. These findings explained the downward turns in their health when dealing with stress.

Research revealed that one of the biggest chronic stressors was dealing with a major illness or the death of a loved one.

Daily stress at work was found to affect people according to the nature of their careers and their social status. For example, a rainy day would not have much of an impact on an office worker, but it would pose a significant loss of income for a construction worker or landscaper.

Some experts stated that certain people might become slightly immune to stressful situations after having to deal with them on a daily basis.

ABC News May 10, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

No matter what your education level, stress is something that we all face to some extent or another and would all benefit from reducing it in our lives. If you are facing stress--and who isn't?--you could benefit from my past article that gives you five simple strategies to reduce stress. In fact, stress is so influential that it is a large part of the reason why most chronic illness develops. It’s also a major factor in everyone’s lives regardless of socioeconomic background and the key is finding effective coping methods. One intervention for stress that works remarkably well is journaling. However, in order for it to be most effective you should try to write or type non-stop every day for 30 minutes. This is an incredibly powerful and profound healing technique. You do not have to save the written information and actually should delete or burn the document after it is written so you will feel free to write down whatever it is that is bothering you. If you do not burn or delete the writing then you may be holding back what you really want to say and are likely not fully "ridding" yourself of the stress. Through extensive research I have found another tool to use in the area of stress management that is a remarkably effective and efficient (and very affordable) way to help you achieve inner peace and significantly reduce stress and anxiety. The Insight audio CD, which I personally listen to and now recommend to my patients, is an exceptional tool to help you target the daily stresses in your life that act as prime contributors to all forms of diseases. Of course, with any type of stress, diet and exercise are critically important. The exercise needs to be cardiovascular and about 60 minutes per day. Sleep is another crucial element. Related Articles: Protect Yourself From Heart Disease With Simple Lifestyle Changes Stressed About Office Work? Here’s How to Relax How Sound Can Promote Health and Healing Low Back Pain Linked to Stress in Young Adulthood Exercise Guards Against Physical Effects Of Stress Adult lifestyle affects heart disease risk