FIGURE 13.6 Perceived Stress and Telomere Length In a groundbreaking study, psychologist Elissa Epel and her colleagues (2004) compared telomere length in mothers of chronically ill children with mothers of healthy children. Even after controlling for chronological age and other biological factors, telomeres were significantly shorter in women who perceived themselves as being under a great deal of stress than in those who did not. How significant was the difference? The reduction in telomere length in the highly stressed women was roughly equivalent to more than a decade of normal aging (Epel & others, 2004).

Source: Data from Epel & others (2004).