Study links stressful social relationships to faster biological aging. Each annoying person in an individual’s social network is associated with a rate of aging that is about 1.5% faster.
Not all stress comes from work or financial difficulties. In many cases, wear and tear originates from personal relationships with certain people. A new study now suggests what many people already suspected: living regularly with people who create tension, conflicts or obstacles may be associated with more accelerated biological aging.
The research, in the scientific journal PNAS, analyzed 2,345 adults in the US state of Indiana. The researchers focused on what they called “hasslers”that is, close people who, on a recurring basis, complicate other people’s lives or generate stress in their day-to-day interactions in some way.
After questioning participants about their personal relationships and analyzing saliva samples to identify biological markers of aging, the scientists concluded that each additional such person in an individual’s social network was associated with a aging rate about 1.5% faster.
The authors emphasize, however, that the results show only an association and not a cause and effect relationship. Byungkyu Leeprofessor of Sociology at New York University and main author of the study, admits that the data does not allow us to state that these people are directly responsible for accelerated aging. What the work demonstrates, he says, is a link between the presence of these negative relationships and the speed of biological aging.
Still, the results caught the attention of researchers because they revealed that this type of social stress can have a impact comparable to the burnout caused by chronic forms of pressure associated with financial problems, discrimination or tension at work.
The study also concluded that the effects appear to be stronger when stressful relationships involve close family membersespecially parents and children, than when they concern people outside the family nucleus.
The data also shows that women reported more “hasslers” than men. Furthermore, people with poorer health or difficult childhood experiences were more likely to include this type of relationship in their inner circle. Brea Perry, co-author of the study and professor at Indiana University, warned, cited by , that even small effects on biological aging can accumulate over time.
But be careful: the researchers’ message is not to cut ties indiscriminately. Strong, supportive relationships remain essential for health, while isolation also carries risks. The idea is that, whenever possible, limits: reduce the energy invested in relationships that cause exhaustion, create distance and avoid giving constant access to people who persistently leave feelings of tension, irritation and tiredness.
