IStock Photo 3144896 © Kutay Tanir

The economy’s down, the environment’s in trouble, tax season just rolled by and you’ve got a deadline looming for work. Stressed yet?

According to the American Psychological Association, at least half of Americans will tell you that yes, they are stressed out, thank you so very much. And nearly that many will also go on to point out that their level of stress has increased over the last year. For 1 in 1.89 (53%) adults, money worries make up the biggest stressor; weight issues rank a close second, troubling at least 1 in 2.78, or 34%, of adults. Then there’s the dreaded to-do list that plagues 1 in 4.35 adults. Women feel more stress than men, people in their 30’s and 40’s feel more than their 60+ peers, and people who live in Connecticut feel more stressed than those in North Dakota.

Wait, what?

No, really: where you live matters. And, according to recent Gallup polls, if you live in Hawaii, North Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming or South Dakota, you’re less likely to report feeling stressed out than if you live in Kentucky, West Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Similarly, Harris Interactive polls conducted on behalf of Princess Cruises (de-stressing cruise, anyone?), found more Bostonians, Houstonians, and Chicagoans feel stressed than, say, their counterparts in Miami or Dallas.

Many of the more stressed-out areas tend to be denser, more urbanized regions, and there’s a reason for that. As biologist E. O. Wilson proposed in his 1984 work, Biophilia, we humans possess a deep-seated preference for living things—so it makes sense that a city environment, which is characteristically low on nature, and high on skyscrapers, could unsettle us. Research bears that out: many typical urban attributes, like crowds, noise from traffic and airplanes, and a general lack of control over the environment, have been linked to psychological distress. On the other hand, parks, greenery, and exposure to nature in general ease stress, improve people’s attention spans, facilitate creative play, and may even reduce crime.

Many cities already have large dedicated areas of greenery: Central Park in New York, Grant Park in Chicago, the Commons and the Fens in Boston. And there are efforts by concerned citizens and municipal governments to imbed bits of nature throughout urban areas. For example, the citizen group Trees Atlanta has, in the last quarter century, succeeded in planting and tending over 175,000 trees in its namesake city. Three years ago, New York’s mayor declared a sweeping plan to green the city—which includes, among other items, the planting of a million trees. And across the country, community gardens are springing up in vacant spaces and even on rooftops.

But if your stress level is rising and you just can’t find a nearby tree, there are other options. Some people—1 in 2.94—take a moment to lie down; others (1 in 3.13) play with their pet. Chocolate can help bring down stress hormones (seriously!), but if you don’t want the calories, a quick make-out session can get the job done too!