Toxic Environment Affects Lifespan 0 10

A toxic environment can impact a person's lifespan. This is reported by Psychology Today.

The study confirmed that chronic stress harms mental and physical health. One of its causes is interaction with toxic people, which can accelerate the aging process.

Scientists assessed the biological age of more than 2,300 volunteers using a method based on DNA methylation. For each participant, their social circle was analyzed to determine if there were any toxic individuals among their close contacts that caused stress. It was found that 28.8 percent of participants interacted with at least one such person. Moreover, women encountered toxic personalities more often than men.

Each toxic person accelerated aging by 1.5 percent. On average, the biological age of those who interacted with such individuals was nine months higher than that of peers without a toxic environment. Additionally, toxic friends or family members had a stronger impact on aging than toxic spouses.