Ongoing Financial Hardship in Adulthood Accelerates Brain Aging

A lifelong cohort study led by University College London found that persistent financial stress during early and middle adulthood leaves a lasting mark on cognitive health. Individuals who faced chronic economic hardship throughout their 20s, 30s, and 40s performed significantly worse on cognitive tests by age 53. Researchers note that the decades of chronic stress and survival anxiety associated with money troubles effectively speed up the brain's biological aging process.