Stress Under the Microscope

Section one said stress wears telomeres down. The remarkable part is that we can now measure it at the molecular level.

In studies of people under long, intense strain, such as parents caring for a chronically ill child, telomeres tend to be measurably shorter than in less-stressed peers of the same age. The effect is real, though it varies a lot from person to person. Stress doesn't just feel aging. It leaves a mark on your chromosomes.