L.A. is stressful, Chicago is worse

As if there wasn’t enough free-floating anxiety these days, along comes a Forbes.com study measuring the stress levels in the largest U.S. metro areas and putting Los Angeles in fourth place.

To come up with the list, Forbes factored in housing affordability, unemployment rates, the price of gasoline, air quality, the number of sunny days annually and population density.

The top spot went to Chicago, followed by New York and Detroit. San Francisco and San Diego took fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Unemployment, home prices and gas prices were among reasons given for L.A.’s placement, as well as having what Forbes called “the worst air quality in the country.” In fact, it said, “Angelenos often need to stay indoors when the smog gets really bad.”

Say what? A show of hands, please.

-- Lauren Beale