ArcaMax

The American Psychological Association says more than three-quarters of U.S. adults report stress-related symptoms, including depression and fatigue. Topsure, a luxury product website, ranked all 50 states based on work, finances, family, health and safety and work-life balance to see where most of these stressed-out folks lived.

The 10 most stressed states in 2025 were Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia and Texas.

The 10 least stressed states were Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, North Dakota and Nebraska.

The 2025 rankings are pretty similar to other surveys of stressed states. It remains likely that your mental health tends to go south in the South. In 2018, New Jersey was the most stressed state in the union. Now it's among the most laid back. Must be all those gardens.

You Are Now Free to Groove About the Country

As long as we're ranking locations, the 2025 World Happiness Report is out with its latest scores regarding entire nations. As in the past, Nordic countries top the charts with the Finns finishing first, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Costa Rica comes in sixth, followed by Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico. The U.S. ranked in 24th in happiness; Afghanistan came in last.

Body of Knowledge

Moll's glands, also known as ciliary glands, are tiny, modified sweat glands located on the margin of the eyelids near the base of the eyelashes. They produce an oily secretion that, when added to the tear film, helps prevent evaporation of protective fluids and keeps eyelashes supple. When the gland's duct is blocked, a swelling or stye may result.

Counts

1 in 6: Estimated ratio of young people worldwide who will have obesity by 2050, or roughly 360 million people, according to Lancet

Doc Talk

Onychocryptosis: An ingrown toenail, also known as unguis incarnatus

Phobia of the Week

Chronophobia: Fear of time

Chronomentrophobia: Fear of clocks that tell time

Food for Thought

Maltodextrin is a highly refined carbohydrate derived from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat. The manufacturing process involves cooking the starches, then adding acids or enzymes such as heat-stable bacterial alpha-amylase, to break it down further. The result is a white powder that is water soluble with a neutral taste.

Maltodextrin is commonly added to processed foods, where it serves as a thickener or filler to increase volume. It's also a preservative and sometimes combined with artificial sweeteners. It's found in everything from puddings and sauces to canned fruits and powdered drinks.

Though generally deemed safe, experts say it should be consumed in small amounts because it can cause a spike in blood sugar levels.

Best Medicine

A man is walking in the street one day when he is brutally beaten and robbed.

As he lies bleeding on the pavement, a psychiatrist taking a walk happens upon him. He bends down and exclaims, "My God! Whoever did this to you really needs help!"

Observation

"The foundation of success in life is good health: That is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick." -- American showman and circus founder P.T. Barnum (1810-1891), who is also known for crediting success to "a sucker born every minute," though there's no evidence Barnum actually said it

Medical History

This week in 1768, the first commencement of a U.S. medical college was held at the College of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. It was also the first medical school in North America, established three years earlier. The institution granted 10 bachelor of medicine degrees at its first commencement. Being that he was first alphabetically, John Archer became the first doctor in the American colonies to receive such a degree. Four of the original 10 went on to receive doctor of medicine degrees from the college in 1771. The very first doctor of medicine was granted, however, in 1770 at King's College, New York, now Columbia University.

Sum Body

Here are 10 old slang words for body parts.

1. Haggerawators: Coined by Charles Dickens, these are loose locks of hair hanging over the forehead

2. Cat-sticks: Skinny legs

3. Dew-beaters: Attached to the ends of cat-sticks, otherwise known as feet

4. Earkeckers: Tonsils

5. Peerie-winkie: No, not what you think, but rather your little finger or toe

6. Prat: Your bottom, or what you land on in a pratfall

7. Clapper: Tongue

8. Daddles: Hands

9. Prayer bones: Kneecaps, i.e., what you kneel on

10. Trillibubs: Intestines

Epitaphs

"Go away. I'm asleep." -- Burial marker for American actress Joan Hackett (1934-1983)

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To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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