Daily Hassles

Instructions: Please read the information below and then note down some of your own daily hassles and daily uplifts in either the comments section or on paper.

According to Kanner (1981) daily hassles, such as losing your wallet or sleeping through your alarm are more likely to cause a stress-related illness than a life event. The research suggests that a build-up of little things are more predictive of stress and illness than a life event. 

Kanner (1981) gave 100 participants (45-64 yrs old) a daily hassle questionnaire once a month over 12 months. The participants were asked to rate hassles they had experienced in terms of severity. The research found that more frequent and intense hassles correlated will illness. 

Kanner (1981) compiled a list of 117 daily hassles and these are the top 10...

1. Concerns about weight

2. Health of a family member

3. Rising price of common goods

4. Home maintenance

5. Too many things to do

6. Misplacing or losing things

7. Outside home maintenance 

8. Property, investment or taxes

9. Crime

10. Physical appearance

As well as compiling a list of daily hassles, Kanner (1981) created a list of daily uplifts. These items were thought to make a person less stressed and less likely to fall ill. The top 10 daily uplifts can be seen below...

1. Relating well to spouse or lover

2. Relating well to friends

3. Completing a task

4. Feeling healthy

5. Getting enough sleep

6. Eating out

7. Meeting your responsibilities

8. Visiting, phoning or writing to someone

9. Spending time with family

10. Finding your home a pleasant environment