A new study has confirmed that stress can accelerate the biological aging process, even in young and healthy individuals, but it also identifies two psychological traits—resilience and self-control—that help resist these aging effects.
Researchers found that people who had experienced higher levels of stress showed biological markers indicative of faster aging than their actual chronological age.
The study highlights the importance of avoiding stress to potentially extend lifespan. However, those with higher levels of self-control and resilience were better able to fend off the detrimental effects of stress on their bodies, suggesting that psychological traits play a crucial role in managing the aging process.
Resilience and self-control: key to slowing down stress-induced aging
Resilience, the ability to recover from challenges and return to a stable mental state, and self-control, which refers to managing one’s emotions and actions, were identified as protective traits.
According to the researchers, individuals with greater self-control tend to exhibit younger biological markers, as this trait enables them to regulate their emotions and handle stress more effectively.
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“These results support the popular notion that stress makes us age faster,” said Dr Zachary Harvanek, lead author of the study. “But they also suggest a promising way to minimize these adverse consequences of stress by strengthening emotional regulation and self-control.”
The study, conducted on 444 participants, measured their biological age through an ‘epigenetic clock,’ a process that tracks natural chemical changes in DNA linked to aging. Those who experienced prolonged stress showed signs of faster aging, but resilience and self-control helped slow down this process, promoting a healthier and longer life.
Prolonged stress and its risks
Prolonged stress has been linked to a variety of health issues, including mood disorders like depression and anxiety, heart disease, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obesity. Stress also impairs cognitive clarity and emotional regulation, making it harder for individuals to manage their lives effectively.
Study co-author Professor Rajita Sinha stressed the importance of psychological health in combating stress: “We all like to feel like we have some agency over our fate. It’s important to reinforce that investing in our psychological well-being can have tangible benefits for both mental and physical health.”
The study, published in Translational Psychiatry, offers a hopeful message: by enhancing self-control and resilience, individuals may be able to mitigate some of the harmful effects of stress on biological aging.
