What is the top cause of accelerated aging? Bad habits such as smoking and excessive drinking are often the first things that come to mind. However, perhaps surprisingly, scientists have recently found that the leading culprit behind aging is a poor psychological state.
A Prime Culprit of Aging: Negative Psychological State
A joint research paper by American and Hong Kong scientists examined the effects of various factors on people’s biological age using data from 11,914 adults in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study database. The data included participants’ blood tests, living conditions, psychological status, disease history, and more.In the study, published in Aging in September, researchers found that the mean effect of stroke, liver disease, and lung disease on biological aging doesn’t exceed 1 1/2 years.
