STRESS AND AGEING

Researchers at Yale University have discovered that stress adds years to your ‘biological age’, even in young and otherwise healthy people. The scientists found that people who suffer from chronic stress experience accelerated ageing markers, such as increased insulin resistance, which make them biologically ‘older’ than their chronological age. The good news is that subjects who developed emotional regulation and self-control – essentially the ability to step back, notice and change their emotions when feeling stressed – were able to avoid the ageing effects of stress.

“These results support the popular notion that stress makes us age faster,” explained Professor Rajita Sinha. “But they also suggest a promising way to possibly minimise these adverse consequences of stress through strengthening emotion regulation and self-control.”