Unhappy and worried people age faster. It may seem intuitive, but there we have numbers. Researchers from the universities of Hong Kong in China, and Stanford in the United States, looked at the situation of 4,800 Chinese adults over the age of 45, most of them in good health, and established that from At this age, feeling sad, anxious, or lonely can be seen in the physical aging of our organism. A negative psychological state, according to them, adds 18 months to our biological age.
The study was based both on the date of birth of the participants, questionnaires describing their psychological state, their medical history, their lifestyle and finally on various results of analyses: blood tests, blood pressure, rhythm cardiac, respiratory capacity, body mass index in particular. So many measures, which give a kind of clock of aging.
By comparing these data, the researchers noted (or not) the discrepancy with the age registered on the identity card.
Diseases and lifestyle also accelerate aging. Smoking and stress also accelerate aging. This team has established that repeated stress can add three years of additional aging to the body when one reaches retirement age. More surprisingly, loneliness also makes you age faster.
These researchers have established a correlation between single life and an additional aging of five months, on average.
The study did not look at the quality of the relationship between spouses,
but obviously, life as a couple makes it possible to have (at least in this Chinese panel), a more regular and balanced life which slows down aging.
General conclusion of these researchers: the protection of psychological health, family supports and social relationships can be considered as anti-aging measures. It is essential to take this into account for the health of retirees.