Loneliness, sadness and hopelessness can accelerate aging. Photo: File
Beijing: When it comes to mental and neurological health, on the one hand, they are just as important as physical health, but they have more severe negative effects on the body. Now a study has found that sadness and loneliness can make you age prematurely while having the same negative effects as smoking.
During aging, there are negative effects on the human body at the cellular and molecular level and as if the bricks of the body get old and thus the whole body begins to age. Even sadness and loneliness are as bad for the body as smoking.
A report published in the American Journal of Aging states that if aging is to be stopped, mental illness and depression must be removed. The reverse can also be proved that being happy can ward off the effects of old age.
In this study, American and Chinese experts have noted the connection between loneliness, unhappiness, restless sleep and other mental disorders and aging. In this context, the data of 11914 people from all over China were taken and their blood samples were collected. Based on this data, an aging clock (Aging Clock) was compiled based on the physical conditions of Chinese people in particular.
A faster aging rate was seen in people who smoked, had liver, lung and stroke history. But above all, this rate was observed among people suffering from mental illnesses, namely depression, sadness and hopelessness. It found that the effects could be as severe as those of smoking, while those living alone in rural backgrounds had an increased rate of aging.
The research, conducted by Manuel Faria of Stanford University and his colleagues, suggests that social-psychological factors play an important role in aging that cannot be ignored. This research can slow down aging at the national level and thus provide real health to the population.
