A new study published in the journal PNAS has investigated what happens when the stress in our lives comes from the people around us. Researchers focused on stressful relationships within our social networks, specifically on individuals they termed 'irritating people.' Participants were asked to name those who caused them stress or complicated their lives. Only those repeatedly reported as a source of stress were classified as 'irritating.' The study found that each additional 'irritating' person was associated with an increase in biological age of about nine months and a slight acceleration in the rate of biological aging (by 1.5%). This effect was stronger when the difficult relationship was with family members, rather than friends or acquaintances. The presence of additional stressful people was also linked to poorer health ratings, increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, a higher number of chronic diseases, and being overweight, suggesting that difficult relationships can have a negative impact. Participants provided saliva samples to measure two complementary markers of biological aging: the first measures whether your body is older or younger than your chronological age, and the second measures your current rate of aging. It was found that nearly 30% of participants had at least one 'irritating' person in their social network, while about 10% reported two or more, confirming that such 'negative' relationships are an integral part of our social lives. This finding is noteworthy because negative relationships and their effects have not been studied as thoroughly as positive or neutral ones. These relationships, like other chronic stressors in our lives, may affect our health and well-being, with accelerated aging being one potential pathway identified by this study. While promoting our social relationships is important, these results suggest a need to carefully consider those relationships that often cause us trouble in our daily lives.
