Surrounding yourself with difficult people could have a significant impact on your overall health, according to new research.
A study published in the journal PNAS found that being around individuals who often cause problems or social difficulties can contribute to a faster aging pace and an older biological age.
About the Study
The researchers, from various U.S.-based universities, studied how "hasslers," or people who often cause problems or social difficulties, impacted aging and mortality, according to a study press release.
Biological aging refers to the pace of aging on a cellular level, which is often different from chronological age.
Key Findings
Based on a sample of more than 2,000 Indiana participants 18 years and older, nearly 30% of individuals reported having a "hassler" in their network.
People who were more likely to report hasslers included women, people in worse health, and those with adverse childhood experiences.
Using biological clocks that measure age-related changes to DNA, the researchers found that the presence of hasslers was linked to accelerated aging, higher inflammation, more chronic conditions, and worse overall health.
- For each additional hassler, there was about a 1.5% increased pace of aging and about a nine-month older biological age.
- Not all hasslers "exert the same influence," as blood relatives and non-blood relatives both showed "detrimental" associations, but spouse hasslers do not.
Implications and Future Directions
"These findings together highlight the critical role of negative social ties in biological aging as chronic stressors, and the need for interventions that reduce harmful social exposures to promote healthier aging trajectories," the researchers wrote in the study abstract.
Study co-author Byungkyu Lee of NYU’s Department of Sociology noted that reducing exposure to people who consistently create stress or conflict "may" be beneficial, although this is not always realistic.
"Many of these relationships involve family members or others who are deeply embedded in daily life, so the challenge is often not simply avoiding them, but finding healthier ways to manage them," he said.
Community-based programs that expand social circles through volunteering or mutual aid may be beneficial, the researchers suggested.
Limits and Future Research
The authors noted that these findings only show an association, but do not prove that toxic relationships have a negative impact on health.
Because the data came from one Midwestern sample, it may not apply to other cultural or socioeconomic populations.
The study used data collected at one point in time, which means it cannot show whether hasslers came before the aging changes or if the faster aging influenced social perceptions.
The hassler relationships were also self-reported and subject to participants' biases — which could introduce some bias.