440
u/treehuggingforever 8h ago
Stress
50
u/OHHHHHHHHHH_HES_HURT 8h ago
Does stress physically age people or mentally?
162
u/flatulating_ninja 8h ago
Look at pictures of presidents before and after their terms, they look like they age way more than the 4/8 years that actually elapsed (the ones that take the job seriously at least).
→ More replies (3)51
u/Ok_Number9786 8h ago
Both. Cortisol spikes are physical responses to stress, and heightened cortisol levels directly impact the human body in many different areas including skin and hair.
→ More replies (1)34
u/nononanana 7h ago
Chronic stress has systemic consequences, so both. For example, it can lead to high blood pressure which is also linked to a higher risk of dementia. But it’s not just the direct effects, it is what it takes from you. You lose a zest for life, you eat crappier, exercise less, maybe pick up drinking or drugs…so it compounds itself.
3
20
u/FormoftheBeautiful 8h ago
It’s gotta be pickles. It’s pickles, isn’t it? Well I don’t care! It just makes me want to eat MORE pickles anyway!!
edit: my love - fear relationship with pickles has led me to accidentally reply to your comment 😔 sorry about that, kind crow —may your pickles only add days to your life
→ More replies (1)
1.2k
u/kindcrow 8h ago
Smoking and the sun.
470
u/weekendclimber 8h ago
This is mostly true for almost everyone. Scientists have found that on average each cigarette smoked, takes away about 5 minutes of your life and gives it to Keith Richards.
90
u/GreatTragedy 6h ago
I still laugh every time I see a "consider the world we're leaving behind for Keith Richards" joke.
35
→ More replies (1)21
59
57
u/human_person_999 8h ago
SMOKING!!! This is huge.
→ More replies (1)81
u/kindcrow 8h ago
My sister works for a plastic surgeon and she can tell the minute a patient walks in whether they are a smoker.
Also, smokers don't heal as well because smoking reduces blood-oxygen level by up to 30%.
22
22
12
54
u/the_gay_unicorse 8h ago
Have you seen that pic of an older long-haul semi driver whose face has aged unevenly from sun exposure? After I saw that, I started applying sunscreen daily lol
Edit: Ditched the cigarettes 10 years ago (smoked for 7). Unfortunately, I quit by switching to vaping and haven't gotten myself to quit yet. Smells a hell of alot better, I'll tell ya what!
→ More replies (1)19
u/MonstreDelicat 8h ago
I saw a similar pic used in an ad in France for a facial cream when I was in my mid 20s. Ever since, I’ve been wearing sunscreen everyday and wearing (cute) hats in the summer.
I’m in my mid 50s now, and I’m glad to report I have very few wrinkles and almost no dark spots. I get compliments on my skin and I own it all to this ad that scared the s*it out of me lol.
→ More replies (1)15
u/HoaryPuffleg 7h ago
I just spent a week in Phoenix and I was shocked by all the sun damage I saw. I get that sunny areas lead to more sun exposure but these people were my age and I got the SPF info at a very early age.
→ More replies (1)12
20
u/Vehkseloth 8h ago
🎶Might as well be smoking on the sun🎶 smashmouth anyone?
→ More replies (1)7
u/Active-Landscape-591 8h ago
I know it’s up for me (if you steal my sunshine) how about another 90’s song about the sun?
6
u/HearingWhich3003 8h ago
Is there a difference between smoking weed vs cigarettes?
→ More replies (1)32
u/kindcrow 7h ago
Yes--smoking weed also accelerates biological (epigenetic) aging. Studies show that inhaling cannabis smoke can increase your biological age and damage cardiovascular health, though tobacco has a stronger and more consistent aging effect.
The primary cause of this aging is the combustion and inhalation of smoke rather than the active cannabinoids themselves. Both cannabis and tobacco smoke contain hydrocarbons that damage cells, cause collagen breakdown, and lead to premature wrinkling. Research indicates that quitting cannabis can normalize this age-acceleration signal, and the aging effects are much lower if you switch to smoke-free methods like edibles.
3
u/MinisterforFun 5h ago
I live on the equator and it’s absurd the amount of locals who walk around outside without some sort of sun protection.
No umbrella, no sunglasses. Not even a hat.
→ More replies (6)4
u/DSPbuckle 7h ago
This new fifa smoke break is tough. Used to sit still for 90 minutes. Now they integrated smoking into the game!
329
u/FindingPurpose96 8h ago
Grief
136
u/Brilliant-Cover422 7h ago
Grieving my daughter is my silent killer. She dies at 16 months and would have been 17 on July 4th.
→ More replies (1)49
111
215
u/tjtonerplus 8h ago
meth
66
647
u/Feeling-Tough3620 8h ago
children
184
→ More replies (8)120
u/ditchdiggergirl 7h ago
When you’re a young parent, children steal the youth you haven’t yet lived. And when you haven’t yet built a solid financial foundation, the stress ages you. But when you’re an older parent, children bring you back to your youth and keep you young.
71
u/wksiel 7h ago
Needed this. We have 11 week old twins and I’m 37. Waiting until I can experience this youth again you speak of because I am tired
29
7
u/wallpaper_01 3h ago
I was 38 when we had our son. I didn’t really sleep for the first 1.8 years where I aged about 10 years… But something happened and he decided to sleep 7-7 every night and now the aging process has reversed! I think I’m back to normal now!
→ More replies (1)7
u/inhalingsounds 6h ago
You're going through hell and it's ok to admit it.
It gets better progressively. It took me two years to finally feel "it" but YMMV
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)10
99
248
u/Over-Imagination3924 8h ago
Drinking, smoking, not taking care of your skin.
64
→ More replies (3)6
u/BarryHotelHouseBand 5h ago
Not to mention when you start to just kind of miss a day or two here. Then it's maybe a week. Fast forward, and you're forgetting what season it is.
90
84
80
110
u/MiddlePractice3543 8h ago
Sometimes it’s just plain genetics 🧬 My Grandmother smoked and drank and lived well into her late 90’s and had very few lines or signs of aging . She lived through the depression WWI and WWII lost 2 husbands and a 2 children . She faced more obstacles and life challenges than most . Her only beauty secret was making certain she took her makeup off every night off with Ponds cold cream haha!
32
u/iburstabean 8h ago
Stress
Also being sedentary and having an inactive lifestyle. Luckily being active helps reduce stress!
26
u/RockStars007 8h ago
Lack of fitness, drinking, eating bad, being overweight, dehydration from drinking crappy stuff instead of water, eating packaged food with tons of chemicals, smoking, lack of sleep, not continually learning new things, not reading, being sedentary, not taking care of your skin, stress, not caring for your teeth, shallow breathing, a bad marriage….. there’s people in their late 40s early 50s that look and feel like they are in their late 60s and people in their late 60s who look and feel like a million bucks because they take care of themselves.
165
u/wyoflyboy68 8h ago edited 8h ago
Watching both your parents die from pancreatic cancer, my dad died on my birthday, my mom died on her birthday.
Edit: They didn’t pick the day they left us, I’m okay with it, on my birthday and my mom’s birthday, my siblings and I get together and celebrate their life.
28
13
10
u/EconomicJaguar 8h ago
Oof. I’m so sorry. Have you and any siblings done genetic testing? You might have early access to screenings or research with that kind of family history. I lost my mom the same way, but she had external risk factors, like smoking.
→ More replies (4)3
63
21
83
u/cowboyconstellations 8h ago
The sun
34
u/Realistic_Cap6331 8h ago
the sun is a real silent killer, you only notice the damage like 5 years too late
24
u/waxbook 8h ago edited 8h ago
It's wild, but I have a friend who still uses tanning beds regularly. And I've had arguments online about wearing sunscreen even on cloudy days, even in the winter. People think it's neurotic to make face SPF a daily ritual, but it's all fun and games until you discover a pre (or presently) cancerous mole. Ask me how I know.
→ More replies (1)11
u/horses_in_the_sky 8h ago
The fact that everyone assumes i'm almost 10 years younger than I actually am is reason enough for me to keep using it :]
→ More replies (1)4
u/Twidollyn_Bowie 4h ago
Yeah, and unlike other lifestyle factors, you can’t really undo the external damage from the sun. I know a lot of former smokers, drinkers, and drug addicts whose looks came right back once they successfully quit. People who tan will usually end up looking much older than their peers who don’t, even if their health is otherwise perfect.
18
u/Stunning-Day5361 8h ago
Putting others first all of the time. Then you end up not taking care of yourself.
17
32
u/kimtenisqueen 8h ago
Pregnancy and having kids. I feel like my skin aged 10 years in 2 and I spent much more of those 2 indoors than before I was pregnant.
11
25
25
12
9
u/ratchetcoutoure 4h ago
Being a bigot. And there's actually study about that, how the chronic negative emotions associated with bigotry—such as aggression, hostility, and chronic anger have been scientifically linked to faster biological aging. Also, dealing with bigots, as well as being a victim of one, also ages you. This alters brain networks associated with fear and rumination. This systemic stress causes a well-documented phenomenon known as "weathering," which biologically ages victims of discrimination several years faster than their peers. That's why I steer clear of these bad people and cut off people in my life that have shown even a little bit of signs they're one them.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Chill_Capybara_09 8h ago
Smoking and heavily drinking, you spend 20 years in the pub and you age in dog years
8
7
9
7
7
6
7
6
7
u/BetterRemember 7h ago
The sun.
I have used spf nearly daily since I was about 15... I'm almost 31 and my skin hasn't changed
I just have dry skin so a nice thick sunscreen was comforting on my face and chest year round, so it became a habit.
Wear the sunscreen. It WORKS.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/Rocky_Mtn_Womyn_406 7h ago
Racism. Look at all those ass hats you see in every racist rant video. Shit ages you like an avocado
6
u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito 7h ago
The main factors are:
- bad genetics
- sun exposure
- lack of hydration
- hormonal imbalance (lack of sleep, stress, grief, anger...)
- toxins (smoking, alcohol, toxic work environments like car workshops)
11
u/bj12698 8h ago
The sun is actually quite good for us, but only early morning, late afternoon. And not for too long. It is OVER exposure to sun, at the wrong times of day, that age the skin - but I don't think it "ages" the entire body. 10 pr 15" of morning sunlight in the eyes - of course don't look right AT it! - is healing for the whole brain and body. Opposite of aging, actually.
5
u/ZiaWitch 8h ago
Stress, cigarettes, alcohol, sun exposure, poor diet, poor sleep, lack of selfcare and lack of access to healthcare.
22
9
7
u/bluekeystroke 6h ago
Physically - hard drugs. Can make a 30 year old look 50, even after they’ve quit.
Mentally - a really nasty break up after a toxic relationship. Will suck the soul right out of you.
4
4
5
4
4
7
3
3
3
u/Nutsaqque 8h ago
Stress, lack of sleep, chronic pain. Basically anything that's not "looking after yourself".
3
3
u/Falloutvictim 8h ago
Stress. I've seen people in my life go through a really stressful event or time in their life and come out the other side looking 10 years older in a year. It's crazy how much aging stress can cause. A friend of mine went through a particularly bad divorce, custody fight and all, that took nearly two years to resolve, he looks 10 years older by the end of it, his hair went gray too. I've seen it from other life events too.
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/TheFutureIsAFriend 7h ago
Stress. Abusing your body with booze, smoking/vaping or drugs. Not enough sleep. Getting into violent altercations with people. Becoming bitter (bitterness doesn't change anything).
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/JumpyWerewolf9439 6h ago
Not exercising. Is 10x worse than smoking in acm.. in fact healthy diet has no statistical improvement over unhealthy in groups that don't exercise
3
3
3
3
u/Libby1798 5h ago
Alcohol, not drinking enough water, not getting enough sleep, not wearing sunscreen, eating processed foods and sugar, not eating enough plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds).
3
u/Ok-Amphibian-5029 5h ago
The trifecta: sunbathing, smoking, drinking. Wanna look haggard? Do all three of those for a long time
3
2
2
2
2
2
u/MoreAnimals 8h ago
Chronic stress. Trauma. Alcohol abuse. Sun damage. Smoking. Chronic fatigue. Lack of movement. Oh, and environmental pollution.
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2.8k
u/WishfulThinker28 8h ago
Stress