Adding Just One More "Harassing Person" Can Age You by 9 Months

Study Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Negative Relationships Accelerate Aging by 1.5%

Research has found that "relationships with people one dislikes" can have negative effects on health, comparable to loneliness or social isolation.

According to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, it was estimated that for each additional negative relationship, biological aging accelerated by 1.5%. In other words, on average, biological aging progressed by about nine months more at the same point in time.

The research team investigated the impact of "harassing individuals" on biological aging among 2,300 participants aged 18 to 103. Here, a harassing individual was defined as someone whom the participant identified as "frequently harassing or making life difficult." To ensure accuracy, those who harassed only occasionally or rarely were excluded from the analysis.

On average, respondents perceived 8.1% of the people around them as "harassing individuals," and for each additional harassing person, the rate of aging accelerated by an average of 1.5%.

When this acceleration in aging was applied to biological age, people with one more harassing individual in their lives were, on average, 9.4 months older than those without.

The negative impact was even greater when the harassing individual was someone close to the participant. In particular, having a harassing family member caused extreme stress. However, among family members, spouses did not show a significant correlation with biological aging. The researchers speculated that this was "because interactions with spouses include both positive and negative exchanges."

Lee Byungkyu, Professor of Sociology at New York University and the lead author of the study, explained, "We cannot say for certain that people who harass actually cause aging," but added, "There does appear to be a kind of association between being harassed and the rate of aging."