We live in a stimulating world. Bright lights – above your head and gleaming behind the smartphone in your hand– are all around us; crowds greet us at parties, in bars, even in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. Notifications rattle off incessantly, and many Americans deal with a neverending barrage of requests, Slacks, emails, texts, and calls. Everything around us demands attention; everything around us provides stimuli to our nervous systems.
Unfortunately, people did not evolve to navigate 21st-century life; Homo sapiens arrived on the earthly scene in the natural world, devoid of electricity, advertising, or even measured linear time. The result is overstimulation, the phenomenon in which the nervous system cannot keep up with stimuli and becomes over-activated. Turning into anxiety, shutting down, urges to escape, and more, overstimulation is a common occurrence in our lives.
How is the average American managing this demanding world of constant stimulation? How are we protecting our peace in the 21st century? To find out, we surveyed over 1,000 Americans across the country on their experiences with overwhelm and overstimulation; we also asked what they’re doing to carve out some quiet time away from it all.
71% of Americans Experience Overstimulation; 23% Daily
Overstimulation, or the state of being overwhelmed by excessive sensory input, is widespread among Americans, particularly among younger generations. 71% experience overstimulation; by generation, Gen Z leads with 85% indicating they experience it, followed by 82% of Millennials, 67% of Gen X, and 47% of Boomers. The vast majority also experience overstimulation frequently, with 79% expressing feeling overstimulated at least weekly and nearly 1 in 4 (23%) experiencing overstimulation daily.
What are the biggest triggers for overstimulation? Over 1 in 3 (34%) say sounds trigger feelings of overstimulation, followed by social interactions (26%) and a demanding workload (20%). It then tracks that parties, the workplace, and even the home are the most popular locations people feel overstimulated.
Top symptoms of overstimulation Americans experience include anxiety (78%), feelings of overwhelm (74%), and an urge to escape (67%), all of which can be difficult to manage in the moment. Over a third (35%) confess they don’t feel they have adequate coping mechanisms to navigate overstimulation.
Of the 65% who found useful coping mechanisms, the most popular methods were finding a quiet place (72%), leaving a situation immediately (38%), and breathing exercises (33%). For the sound sensitive, 1 in 4 use headphones to manage their overstimulation. Over 1 in 10 (13%) have prescription medications that help them manage as well.
Overstimulation can sometimes subtly creep up on people. A few hours (or minutes) of doom scrolling, bad lighting that’s a bit too harsh or bright, or a party that’s a bit too loud can lead to being stressed, fighting with your partner or coworker, or even having a panic attack. This is especially common for neurodivergent folks who often have different sensory needs.
The first step to managing this is to understand what’s happening. Reducing your sensory input can be helpful for some people and some situations…making it quieter (whether by leaving for a quieter space, turning down music, or wearing noise canceling headphones), dimming the lights (or wearing sunglasses), or changing the type of light or sound (from harsh white to a softer white, even if it’s the same intensity) can be helpful. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or even stretching to help bring the stress down can be useful, and of course, asking for support from supportive people can really help.
– Jason Best, LCSW
An interesting insight: 37% only learned about the phenomenon of overstimulation in the last five years, showing that many might have experienced overstimulation without knowing exactly what it was.
Big Screen, Little Screen: Americans Spend Nearly a Third of Their Time Looking at Screens
Overstimulation is a function of sensory overload, and our environments contain a variety of triggers. 86% say they’re either “somewhat” or “very” sensitive to their environment, with 65% saying overhead lights are too bright– it might be worth considering floor or table lamps instead to manage brightness.
Anxiety often goes hand in hand with overstimulation; it can be a result of overstimulation or present on its own. Top locations where Americans experience anxiety are either social situations or transit-related:
- Parties (62%)
- Bars (58%)
- Airports (57%)
- Transit (54%)
- Concerts (51%)
Many of these are high-stimulus areas: parties often have many conversations, louder music, and a large concentration of bodies in a small space; the same can be said for bars. Airports and transit require higher attention spans (can’t miss your gate or your bus!), and concerts are loud, bright, and full of people. This can sometimes all be too much.
Another struggle for many Americans is managing overwhelm, particularly adulthood’s continuous to-do list. Over 3 in 5 (62%) feel burned out by adulthood’s responsibilities, increasing to a stressful 81% of Gen Zers; Millennials aren’t far behind at 76%, and Gen X (62%) and Boomers (30%) bring up the rear.
News consumption in the internet era can be 24/7 if so desired, between continuously updating news sites and X’s algorithmic feed. It’s not shocking, then, that 69% consume news daily if not multiple times a day; unfortunately, half also feel like all they get is bad news.
Another 45% confess to feeling hyperconnected, or being too plugged into the internet, whether it’s social media feeds, the news, or even work with its notifications.
40% Say They Have an Unhealthy Relationship With Their Phones
We asked our survey respondents to consider how much time they spend staring at a screen, including not just their phones, but also computers, tablets, and TV.
All screens represent stimulation, and it turns out Americans spend a lot of time looking at a screen: 7.6 hours, on average, every day. This equates to 2,774 hours yearly– or 115.6 days, which means we spend nearly a third of our time with screens. Not only that, but a third of respondents say they spend over 10 hours daily looking at screens. Hyperconnected, indeed.
We’re rarely far from screens either; 14% keep their phone in the same room all the time. When we asked how many days in the last year respondents were fully disconnected, the average was a mere 3.7 days. Even more concerningly, 30% have not disconnected at all in the last year.
Two thirds (67%) confess to doomscrolling, or scrolling mindlessly on the phone through a social media feed. Overall, Americans average 1.4 hours daily doomscrolling.
Interestingly, phones both help and hinder overstimulation and anxiety: when asked how phones affect them, the field was fairly evenly split between increasing and decreasing anxiety. Another 23% responded that the phone does both, indicating a situationally-dependent answer, and an unbothered 35% replied “neither.”
One thing more Americans seem to agree on is that they don’t have a great relationship with their phones, with 40% reporting an “unhealthy” relationship with their phones. Generationally, this breaks down to 21% of Boomers, 38% of Gen Xers, 47% of Millennials, and a concerning 53% of Gen Z.
How Americans are Managing Overstimulation
We’re hyperconnected, staring at screens, and overstimulated: what to do? Nearly half (43%) wish they lived their entire lives before smartphones. There’s clearly a felt need to disconnect.
Over 4 in 5 (81%) are planning on being more intentional with their time in 2026. One way they’re doing so is by reducing screentime: 53% named this as a 2026 goal. Generationally, this is especially pressing for Gen Zers (63%) and Millennials (60%), while Gen X (52%) and Boomers (34%) still have a stake in cutting back as well.
Top methods for reducing screentime include willpower (73%), finding new activities (70%), keeping the phone in another room (37%), deleting social media (32%), and downloading screentime apps (19%) to create some external barriers to scrolling.
Phones are the blessing and banes of the information age. They can be so helpful for fostering connection, and can be an important part of our emotional regulation tool kit. Listening to an audiobook on your commute or watching funny cat videos when you’re feeling stressed can be literal life savers. That said, looking at a blue screen that’s hooked into every bit of bad news in the world can be terrifyingly stressful.
Sometimes the best remedy is to put the phone down and literally go out and touch grass, spend time with a loved one, or go for a run. There’s a lot of focus apps and devices that can help if you’re struggling to put down the phone, and even letting your friends and family know can help increase your accountability enough to make a difference.
– Jason Best, LCSW
How the Pandemic Affected Social Skills and Sensory Overload
A major factor that contributes to where we are today was the disruption in everyone’s routine that the COVID-19 pandemic represented. Trauma from mass death and a global-historic event was one thing; experiencing a major rupture in routine and increased solo time provided an opportunity to rediscover limitations around socialization and other brain function.
Since 2019, much has changed:
- 57% don’t enjoy social media like they used to
- 60% express less social comfort or ease in social situations
- 62% confess to being less social overall
- 48% need more recovery time after they do socialize
- 39% also indicate their attention span has worsened
- 22% read less than they used to
These changes show a more overstimulated, anxious population that also is more willing to take time for themselves. Nearly a third say they “bed rot” or stay in bed for hours, and a similar number confess to lollygagging on a regular basis. Another 21% practice meditation.
Most promisingly, 72% have personal boundaries in place around overstimulation. 85% prefer neutral tones at home in an effort to keep it calm and inviting; 41% opt for delivery groceries rather than brave the store. Another 14% are in therapy, which can help them find the best ways to manage overstimulation on their own terms.
Whether you feel hyperconnected or under a rock, it’s important to take time for yourself every day to unplug and be present. Try a simple stretch or a short walk, or consider listening to music or reading over doomscrolling. There are many ways to be present and give your brain a break.
Three Tips to Manage Overstimulation
Develop Awareness
It’s extremely hard to change a pattern or cope with a stressor if you don’t realize it’s happening. Just by reading this article and being a bit more aware of overstimulation you’ll be a bit better able to manage it. You can improve your awareness skills by noting triggers for overstimulation in your own life- maybe it’s doom scrolling, news alerts on your phone, the sounds of crunch time in the office, or even the brightness of your living room lights. Noting the triggers is a big part of the battle.
Plan for success.
If you know going to the airport might be way too overstimulating, consider if wearing noise canceling headphones might help. What about sunglasses? If you get more overstimulated if you’re tired, is there a way to take an extra nap the day before you travel?
Be realistic about your limits.
If you have a day that is truly just too much, really take a look and see if there’s activities you can cancel or reschedule. If you’re having a miserable time at the concert, consider if you should just bounce – it might be worth taking the break even if you miss out on your tickets. This is also true for big gathers in general, but obviously we can’t always leave easily. In a pinch, even a short break to the bathroom or going for a quick walk around the block can help.
Methodology & Fair Use
In February 2026, we surveyed 1,006 Americans weighted equally across generations on their experiences with overstimulation. 49% were women, 49% men, and 2% nonbinary or chose not to disclose; ages ranged from 18-78 with an average age of 46.
Fair Use
For media inquiries, contact media@digitalthirdcoast.net.
When using this data, please attribute by linking to this study and citing besttherapies.org.