Georgians among ‘least stressed’ in U.S.

Laid back Georgians are among the least stressed people in the U.S., according to a new Gallup poll.

Roswell residents employ hammocks, lovely views and loving pets to keep stress levels low.

Leading the chillaxed pack is Hawaii, the home of sun, surfing and, believe it or not, President Barack Obama. The last state to join the union has been the least stressed for three years running.

Georgia is the 7th least stressed state, probably because of the bucolic lifestyle enjoyed in most of the state (see photo evidence at right). The Peach State is the only Southern state to be in the “least stressed” category.

Tennessee, just a few ultra-relaxing miles of interstate north of Atlanta, is apparently on edge, probably because of all the orange clothing.

Rural Midwest-ish states seemed to be most carefree — the Dakotas, Wyoming and Iowa all finished ahead of Georgia.

Surprisingly, the District of Columbia, the home of the endless political bickering, finished ahead of Georgia too.

Utah, the home of low-alcohol beer and high-priced ski lodges, is the most stressed, followed by poorer states — Kentucky, West Virginia, and Idaho.

The study was conducted by calling residents of each state daily in 2010 and asking them if they felt stressed “much of the previous day.”

Gallup seems to not know why some states report low stress while similar nearby states report being more ill at ease.

Stress is a “complex emotion that is likely related to numerous life issues” seems to be their way of saying “we don’t really understand this.”

On average, Americans reported being less stressed in 2010 than in 2009.

In other “how does Atlanta stack up” news, our fine city is the 20th most well-read, according to Amazon.com.

But the news is not all good, we’re also among the worst places to live for those with allergies. But I bet you knew that already.