According to the research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in US, about 22 per cent of women said they felt worried, nervous, or anxious daily or weekly, compared to 16 per cent of men.
In general, these feelings were more common in young and middle-age adults than older people, MyHealthNewsDaily reported.
Previous studies have found older adults are generally happier and less stressed than younger people.
In the new study, which took place in 2010 and 2011, participants were asked "How often do you feel worried, nervous, or anxious? Would you say daily, weekly, monthly, a few times a year, or never?"
Among those over age 75, eleven per cent of men and 16 per cent of women reported such feelings.
The study will be published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.