That difficult person in your life might be making you age faster

A new study finds that "hasslers", people who constantly create stress in your life, may accelerate biological ageing, increase inflammation, and raise the risk of multiple diseases

Think about the one person in your life who constantly causes stress. A demanding relative, a partner who needs constant reassurance, an argumentative colleague, or someone who regularly creates problems. What if that relationship is doing more than just testing your patience? Researchers have found that such social ties might also be speeding up how fast your body ages.

 

A study titled Negative social ties as emerging risk factors for accelerated aging, inflammation, and multimorbidity, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), finds that each additional “hassler”, a person who repeatedly makes life difficult, may increase the pace of biological ageing by about 1.5 per cent.

 

 

In simple terms, that means people exposed to more stressful relationships could age slightly faster at a cellular level. Over time, even these small differences may add up, potentially affecting long-term health. 

What are “hasslers” in social networks? 

In the study, researchers describe “hasslers” as people within a person’s social circle who frequently create problems, cause stress, or make life more difficult. These people often appear within everyday relationships.

 

According to the study, negative social ties are common and many people have at least one hassler in their close social network, highlighting how routine such strained relationships can be.

 

The researchers argue that while social connections are typically seen as protective for health, they can also act as chronic stressors when interactions are consistently negative.  

What did the researchers find about relationships and ageing? 

The research team analysed data from more than 2,000 adults in Indiana, drawn from the Person-to-Person Health Interview Study.

 

Participants were asked about their social networks and how often certain individuals in their lives “hassled them, caused problems, or made life difficult” over the previous six months.

 

To examine biological ageing, scientists also collected saliva samples and analysed them using advanced DNA methylation–based epigenetic clocks, tools that estimate how quickly the body is ageing at the cellular level.

 

Unlike chronological age, which is the number of years a person has lived, biological age reflects the condition of the body’s cells and tissues. Two people of the same age may therefore have very different biological ageing patterns depending on lifestyle, environment and stress exposure.

 

The researchers found that each additional hassler in a person’s social network was linked to about a 1.5 per cent faster pace of biological ageing.

 

In practical terms, someone exposed to one extra difficult person might age about 1.015 biological years annually, the researchers explain.

 

The study also found that individuals with more hasslers tended to have worse health outcomes overall, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, and poorer self-rated health.

 

Importantly, the findings suggest that even small annual increases in ageing speed could accumulate over time, potentially contributing to greater disease risk. 

Who is more likely to report stressful relationships? 

The study also found that exposure to difficult people is not evenly distributed.

 

Certain groups were more likely to report hasslers in their lives, including: 

• Women 
• Individuals in poorer health 
• Daily smokers 
• People who experienced adverse childhood experiences 

These patterns suggest that social stress may compound existing health vulnerabilities, creating a cycle in which individuals facing adversity also experience more difficult social environments.  

How can stressful relationships affect mental and physical health? 

The research found that individuals with more hasslers reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and poorer mental health overall. There were also links to physical health indicators such as higher body mass index (BMI), greater waist-to-hip ratio, and increased inflammation markers.

 

Scientists believe chronic interpersonal stress may affect the body through several biological pathways.

 

Repeated stress can activate the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the release of hormones such as cortisol. Over time, this sustained stress response may contribute to inflammation, immune changes, and accelerated ageing. 

What can people do about stressful relationships? 

Avoiding difficult people entirely is not always possible, particularly when they are family members or colleagues.

 

However, experts recommend practical strategies such as setting clear boundaries, limiting exposure when possible, and prioritising supportive relationships.

 

The researchers stress that strong social connections are known to improve health, lower the risk of cognitive decline, and even increase longevity, and loneliness and social isolation are associated with serious health risks and have been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths globally each year. They say that instead of avoiding relationships, recognising the quality of the bond is important, as in the long run, the people around us may shape not only our mood, but also how our bodies age.