College students are more stressed out than ever before—at least according to the latest findings of a large, national survey that has been conducted annually for the last 25 years. The survey includes more than 200,000 students【C1】______nearly 300 colleges and asks them to【C2】______how their own mental health【C3】______their classmates' —for example, is it "above average" or in the "highest 10%"? This【C4】______unusual methodology typically results in the statistical Lake Woebegon effect in which most people【C5】______to overestimate themselves in relation to others (it refers to the fictional Lake Woebegon, where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average").【C6】______the most recent results indicate that fewer and fewer freshmen feel like they are in top form in terms of【C7】______stress. So what's going on? Obviously, the economy and high unemployment might【C8】______the increase in stress. A much more precise large study recently found that empathy【C9】______college students had declined 40% since 2000—and since caring relationships are【C10】______to mental (and physical) health, a decline in empathy could also produce a decline in mental health and coping. My final point brings us back to my earlier post on a Stanford study that looked at the psychological【C11】______of comparing ourselves to others. It found that the way people are incline to【C12】______their negative emotions while broadcasting their happy ones makes the rest of us feel somehow "less than"—【C13】______all our friends and neighbors have better lives than we【C14】______ This【C15】______, too, might tie into why the new survey, "The American Freshman: National Norms, Fall 2011," found that students are feeling less【C16】______about their level of emotional and mental stability. If all the students around you are desperately trying to【C17】______a happy face—and you【C18】______that face as a true reflection of their【C19】______selves, even as you work to hide your own【C20】______—well, it's not surprising that so many students might be getting a bit strained.