Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.

Wagner’s line is a wry inversion of clinical or self-help language: instead of stress being caused by overwork, trauma, or imbalance, it is “reality” itself that is framed as the culprit—especially for those “in touch with it.” The joke hinges on the implication that detachment, denial, or fantasy can function as coping strategies, while clear-eyed engagement with the world brings anxiety. Beneath the humor is a recognizable modern tension: the more attentive and informed a person is—emotionally, socially, politically—the more burdensome life can feel. The quote thus satirizes both escapism and the cultural desire to medicate or manage away discomfort rather than confront its sources.