Aging accelerates when you worry about it

Worrying about getting older may actually age you faster. New research from New York University finds that fears around declining health, specifically, could manifest at a cellular level and contribute to accelerated aging in women. “Aging-related anxiety is not merely a psychological concern,” says Mariana Rodrigues, a PhD student at NYU School of Global Public Health and first author of the study, “but may leave a mark on the body with real health consequences.” It’s worth noting that anxiety around declining attractiveness and fertility weren’t associated with epigenetic aging, perhaps because worries about beauty and reproductive health “may fade with age.”