来源：《今日心理学》
原文刊登日期：2022年6月18日
Why do some people stay healthy as they get older while others at the same age develop chronic diseases and even die relatively young? While it has something to do with individual genetic makeup, researchers at the University of Southern California say it may also have a lot to do with individual stress levels.
为什么有些人随着年龄的增长而保持健康，而其他同龄的人却患上了慢性病，甚至在相对年轻的时候就去世了？虽然这与个体的基因构成有关，但南加州大学的研究人员表示，这可能与个体的压力水平也有很大关系。
The researchers looked at a national sample of more than 5,700 community-dwelling American adults over 50, with a median age of 68 years. Through self-reporting of socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors by participants, they assessed five stressors commonly believed to affect health. These include chronic stress, stressful life events, everyday discrimination, lifetime discrimination, and life trauma.
研究人员调查了美国5700多名50岁以上的社区居民，年龄中位数为68岁。通过参与者对社会经济地位和生活方式因素的自我报告，他们评估了五种通常被认为会影响健康的压力源。这些包括长期压力、生活中的压力事件、日常歧视、终身歧视和生活创伤。
Stress changes your immune system by increasing inflammation and decreasing the system’s ability to respond to viruses and other invaders. All types of stress speed up the aging of your immune system, the researchers suggest. An aging immune system, in turn, increases your risk of developing cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases, organ failure, and premature death. When your immune system is weakened, vaccines are less effective, and individual organ systems in your body age more rapidly.
压力通过增加炎症和降低免疫系统对病毒和其他入侵者的反应能力来改变你的免疫系统。研究人员表示，所有类型的压力都会加速免疫系统的老化。反过来，免疫系统老化会增加患癌症、心脏病、传染病、器官衰竭和过早死亡的风险。当你的免疫系统被削弱时，疫苗的效力就会降低，你身体的各个器官系统就会衰老得更快。
As it is, the immune system naturally weakens with age as disease- and infection-fighting white blood cells wear out, and fewer new cells are developed to replace them. Add to the equation a lifetime of stressful events, and you have even more rapid immune system aging.
事实上，随着年龄的增长，免疫系统会随着对抗疾病和感染的白细胞的消耗而自然地减弱，而能取代它们的新细胞也会减少。再加上一生中的压力事件，你的免疫系统就会更快老化。
These researchers specifically looked at the relationships between different types of stress and individual T cell counts. T cells are a type of “fighter” cell within the immune system that protects the body from disease by seeking out, recognizing, and destroying infected cells. T cells also play an important protective role in immune system aging.
研究人员专门研究了不同类型的压力和个体T细胞数量之间的关系。T细胞是免疫系统中的一种“战斗”细胞，它通过寻找、识别和摧毁受感染的细胞来保护身体免受疾病的侵袭。T细胞在免疫系统衰老过程中也起着重要的保护作用。
The researchers found that different types of stress affect the ratio of older, weakened T cells that are less active in the immune system to newly formed T cells that could help boost immunity. Higher incidence of life trauma and chronic stress were linked to lower levels of one type of newly formed T cells. Higher incidence of stressful life events, a lifetime of discrimination, and life trauma appeared related to lower levels of another type of new T cells.
研究人员发现，不同类型的压力会影响免疫系统中较弱的老T细胞与能够帮助增强免疫力的新形成的T细胞的比例。生活创伤和长期压力的高发生率与新形成的一种T细胞水平较低有关。生活压力事件、终身歧视和生活创伤的高发生率似乎与另一种类型的新T细胞的低水平有关。
Chronic stress, along with experiences of discrimination, was associated with higher levels of dying cells. Stressful life events, high lifetime discrimination, and chronic stress were linked to a higher percentage of yet another type of dying T cell.
长期的压力和被歧视的经历与更高水平的死亡细胞有关。有压力的生活事件、终身歧视和长期压力与第三种T细胞的更高死亡比例有关。
The researchers propose that varying levels of different types of stress in individuals of the same age contribute to the aging and weakening of the immune system by either increasing the destruction of existing T cells or reducing the development of new T cells. These findings could help explain why some people develop chronic illness and die from infectious diseases as they age while others of the same age live relatively healthy and longer lives.
研究人员提出，在同一年龄段的个体中，不同程度的不同类型的压力会通过增加现有T细胞的破坏或减少新的T细胞的形成，从而导致免疫系统的老化和衰弱。这些发现可能有助于解释为什么有些人会随着年龄的增长患上慢性疾病并死于传染病，而其他同龄人则相对健康和长寿。