If you have grown up reading The Twits by Roald Dahl, you may have come across this line: ““If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.” Not just Roald Dahl, even our elders have always scolded us for sulking or grimacing when we were children, saying that the face would stay that way. But it looks like they were not bluffing after all.
Ageing is an unavoidable truth. Sooner or later, we all have to age and die. But the truth is, not everybody ages at the same pace. Some people look more youthful in their forties than many do in their twenties. While the role of a good diet and exercise cannot be disputed in making us look younger, oftentimes we forget how much our mentality can affect our ageing. Today, we have scientific proof that validates the role of negative emotions in our ageing.
The explanation lies in telomeres, the ends of each DNA strand that protect our chromosomes from binding to another. They protect genetic information as the cells divide and lose DNA. As we age, our telomeres tend to get shorter and shorter. In fact, there is enough evidence that says shortening telomeres are directly linked to ageing in human beings.1 The natural wear and tear of the body causes the telomeres to shorten naturally. But sometimes, mental negativity may speed up the shortening process, causing faster ageing. This explains why some people who have been through difficulties start looking older. So if you want to remain youthful, stay away from these five negative emotions.
(Read: Boozing will make you age faster)
Cynical hostility: Have you ever doubted a person’s good intentions? So did cynics. A cynic is someone who never trusts other people. He or she may believe that behind every good deed, there is usually a selfish or an impure motive. So when a friendly neighbour greets a cynic in the morning, he or she starts doubting the neighbour’s intentions. And hostility is bitterness and unfriendliness. But if you want to look youthful, you better start trusting people and being good to them. A study says that your telomeres can shorten if you harbour cynicism and hostility in your mind. They are also likely to suffer from heart attacks. 2
(Read: Cynics likely to become demented)
Pessimism: A pessimist is someone who always sees the worst, even in the best of situations. As the cliche goes, he sees adversity in every opportunity. A study said that those who held a pessimistic world view had shorter telomeres that those who were optimistic. So stay younger and always think of the glass half full. 3
(Read: Want a healthy heart? Be optimistic)
Rumination: Most people live in the present, but some of us are still stuck in the past. Ruminating or thinking regretfully about the past may be bad for your health. If you are beating yourself up over an unfortunate incident in the past, it could cause more depression and shortening of the telomere length. So if your constant thinking cannot do you any good, stop!4
Suppressing your thoughts: While rumination is bad, the other extreme can also be equally awful. Deal with your negative emotions instead of running away from it, be it grief, regret or anger. But once you are done with it, move on. A study conducted on Zen meditation experts found that they had longer telomeres than the ones who didn’t meditate.5 Reflecting on your emotions can indeed be good for you. However, stop the temptation to get sucked into a rumination state.
Wandering thoughts: Chronic daydreamers may not like this news, but escaping into your happy place to get away from reality may make you age faster. Scientific evidence says that mind wandering can be a sign of unhappiness. In a study, 239 healthy women were tested for their telomere length. The ones who reported high mind wandering were the ones with shorter telomeres.6
It’s difficult to change your world view and thought patterns overnight. Taking baby steps and creating self awareness may come in handy. Practice meditation, be grateful, take good care of your body and challenge your negative thoughts as they crop up in your mind. You will see a marked difference in your attitude. Always remember what Roald Dahl said:
“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
References:
1. Sahin, E., Colla, S., Liesa, M., Moslehi, J., Müller, F. L., Guo, M., … & Maser, R. S. (2011). Telomere dysfunction induces metabolic and mitochondrial compromise. Nature, 470(7334), 359.
2. Chida Y, Steptoe A. The association of anger and hostility with future
coronary heart disease: a meta-analytic review of prospective evidence. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 Mar 17;53(11):936-46. doi: 0.1016/j.jacc.2008.11.044.
3. Ikeda A, Schwartz J, Peters JL, Baccarelli AA, Hoxha M, Dioni L, Spiro A, Sparrow D, Vokonas P, Kubzansky LD. Pessimistic orientation in relation to telomere length in older men: the VA normative aging study. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2014 Apr;42:68-76. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.01.001.
Epub 2014 Jan 9. PubMed PMID: 24636503; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4070424.
4. Nolen-Hoeksema S. The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms. J Abnorm Psychol. 2000 Aug;109(3):504-11. PubMed PMID: 11016119.
5. Alda, M., Puebla-Guedea, M., Rodero, B., Demarzo, M., Montero-Marin, J., Roca, M., & Garcia-Campayo, J. (2016). Zen meditation, length of telomeres, and the role of experiential avoidance and compassion. Mindfulness, 7(3), 651-659.
6.Epel, E. S., Puterman, E., Lin, J., Blackburn, E., Lazaro, A., & Mendes, W. B. (2013). Wandering minds and aging cells. Clinical Psychological Science, 1(1), 75-83.
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