Toxic people, or hasslers, reduce life expectancy of those around them

1 March 2026

People unfortunate enough to have one, or more, toxic people in their lives, are more likely to experience accelerated biological ageing, according to research published by PNAS.

This is, no doubt, something anyone subjected to the malevolence of a toxic person could have told you, even though biological age is not readily discernible.

Biological age refers to the condition of your body, including organs and cells, and can differ from chronological age, being actual age. If you happen to be forty-two years old as you read this, that is your chronological age. Depending on a plethora of factors though, your biological age may be higher, or lower, than your chronological age.

With their ability to run down the people around them, hasslers, as the PNAS research refers to them, have a negative impact on the health of others, through their spite and subterfuge.

I imagine this cuts both ways though. A hassler, or toxic person, by sheer virtue of their nature, quite possibly has a biological age exceeding their chronological. Such people need to carry government health warnings so the rest of us can stay away from them.

The research published by PNAS makes a distinction between so-called hasslers and toxic people. I’m of the opinion they’re one in the same, particularity if they are detrimental to the health of others.

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