You know that colleague you see Monday through Friday — the one who rehashes relationship drama at lunch and expects the same sympathetic responses every day? Or a parent who calls with tech questions, criticizes your lifestyle, then expects you to arrange appointments? A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences confirms a suspicion many of us have: people who regularly stress you out may be associated with faster biological aging.
The keyword is “associated.” Researchers found that a higher number of so‑called hasslers — people who cause stress in your social circle — was linked with accelerated biological aging, but this does not prove causation.
The effect appears cumulative. Each additional hassler a person reported was associated with an average 1.5% increase in the rate of biological aging — meaning the body would age about 1.015 biological years over one calendar year. That adds up: over a decade, each hassler corresponds to roughly two extra months of biological aging.
One likely reason is that dealing with hasslers imposes stress similar to other chronic stressors like financial strain or job stress. Those stressors are tied to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, impaired immune function and greater inflammation — processes that contribute to molecular damage and decline in bodily functions over time. Faster biological aging is a robust predictor of chronic conditions and higher mortality risk.
The study analyzed saliva samples from 2,345 participants in Indiana to measure DNA markers of biological aging; participants were aged 18 to 103 and also completed surveys about their social relationships and general health. Women reported having hasslers more often than men. People in poorer health and those who experienced difficult childhoods also tended to report more hasslers.
Hasslers were more prevalent among people you cannot easily avoid — colleagues and roommates were commonly identified. Annoying family members showed a stronger association with accelerated aging than nonrelated hasslers. Interestingly, the researchers found no significant association between faster biological aging and a spouse labeled as a hassler.
In short: while close, healthy relationships are beneficial for longevity and wellbeing, regular interactions with people who drain you are associated with accelerated biological aging. The findings highlight how social stressors can accumulate and potentially affect long‑term health.
Edited by: Rosalie Delaney