Dealing with difficult people really does age you — Study

Researchers have found that a difficult colleague, a demanding relative or a constantly negative friend may be doing more than ruining your day—they could also be speeding up your biological ageing.

A new study found that every “hassler” in a person’s life is associated with a 1.5% faster rate of biological ageing—roughly the equivalent of adding nine months to their biological age.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), describe hasslers as people who regularly create problems, conflict or unnecessary stress that make everyday life more difficult.

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The study found that nearly three in 10 people have at least one such person in their social circle, most often a family member, colleague or housemate rather than a close friend.

Researchers also found that the more hasslers a person has in their social network, the faster their biological ageing appears to occur.

Scientists believe these difficult relationships may act as chronic stressors, placing the body under constant psychological strain that can accelerate biological ageing, weaken the body’s resilience and increase the risk of illness over time.

The strongest effect was observed among family members, who were more strongly linked to accelerated biological ageing than difficult spouses or friends.

Researchers explained that family relationships often come with greater emotional obligations, making them harder to avoid and, therefore, potentially more stressful.

While the researchers cautioned that the study does not prove that difficult people directly cause faster ageing, they said the findings add to growing evidence that chronic stress and unhealthy relationships can have a measurable impact on long-term health and may even affect longevity.