Trouble in Your Circle Could Age You Faster, Study Finds

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ties having more hasslers—people who create problems in your life—to faster biological aging (about 1.5% per additional hassler and roughly nine months biologically older at the same chronological age). Family and friends’ hasslers were most detrimental, while spouse hasslers showed no same effect. Hasslers also correlated with depression, anxiety and higher BMI, though the researchers emphasize associations rather than causation and note there’s no single agreed measure of biological age.