Difficult Relationships May Be Aging You Prematurely

While positive relationships are associated with longer, healthier lives, negative ones might have the opposite effect, speeding up aging in the body, according to new research. In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging and published in PNAS, researchers focused on what they termed "hasslers"—people who regularly create problems or make life harder. They surveyed more than 2,000 Indiana adults about their social circles over the previous six months, including how often specific people hassled them or caused stress. Participants also provided saliva samples, which were tested for epigenetic markers linked to biological aging—how quickly their cells are aging.

For each additional hassler someone interacted with regularly, their biological aging pace ticked up by about 1.5%, the team found. That translates to aging roughly 1.015 "biological years" for every calendar year if there's at least one extra hassler in the mix, with stronger effects seen in people reporting two or more such individuals, per the Washington Post. The study can't prove that these people cause faster aging, lead author Byungkyu Lee of New York University cautions, but it does show a clear association between difficult relationships and accelerated aging markers. "Hasslers function as chronic stressors," activating "the body's stress response, releasing cortisol and triggering inflammation," which, over time, "leads to cumulative biological wear and tear," Lee tells the London Times.

Certain groups were more likely to report hasslers, including women, people in poorer health, and those with adverse childhood experiences. Many hasslers turned out to be close contacts—especially parents and children—along with co-workers and roommates, whose presence is hard to avoid. While some "hassle" is a normal part of having relationships, experts suggest setting boundaries, limiting time with or even cutting off persistently stressful people, and seeking therapy for tougher relationships. They also emphasize building up supportive connections, which are strongly tied to better health and longevity.