Are Gen Z aging faster than Millennials? It certainly seems like it.
Gen Z TikTokers are going viral after revealing their real ages, leaving followers in disbelief as they admit they are up to 10 years younger than people think.
So what's behind their premature wrinkles, gray hair, and aging faces? Longevity experts say increased stress, increased consumption of fast and processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and lifestyle This is attributed to a combination of factors such as a lack of purpose.
People considered Generation Z are those born between 1997 and 2012. They follow the Millennial generation, those born between 1981 and 1996, and from 2013 they precede the Alpha generation, those born between 2024.
However, although Gen Zers range in age from 27 to 12 years, they look more like mid-to-late 30s, and some may be mistaken for being older than their parents.
What's behind Gen Z's premature wrinkles, gray hair, and aging faces? Longevity experts say increased stress, increased consumption of fast and processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and He attributes this to a combination of factors, including a lack of purpose.
A popular TikTok influencer shocked her 12 million followers by revealing she's only 26 years old.
Jordan Howlett's supporters could not believe his age. “You're about 35 years old, aren't you?” one asked.
“I'm 34 and thought you were as old as me,” said another.
Howlett said he believes Gen Z is aging much faster than previous generations.
In a TikTok video with more than 19 million views, Howlett talks about how Gen Z often looks older than Millennials, even though they are much younger than Millennials. ' reacted to the clip.
The podcast hosts attributed this disparity to Gen Z being “chronically online,” depressed and stressed.
Howlett told Business Insider that Gen Z is aging more rapidly due to increased stress related to the economy and inflation, as well as attempts to maintain income and savings while still working a 9-to-5 job. He said he thinks it is.
He added: “On top of that, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for my long-term career, and I feel a lot of pressure to be successful by the time I'm 30.”
He said he and many of his Gen Z friends look much older than they really are, adding that strangers sometimes think he's his mother's older brother.
Dr. Suzanne Ferry, chief physician at Vine Medical Associates in Atlanta, admits that she hadn't previously noticed that Gen Z ages faster than millennials, but told DailyMail.com: He said as follows.
“Gen Z has grown up with social media as part of their entire lives, probably from a very young age.
“There’s a big comparison, but I don’t feel the stress of comparing myself to others.
“I'm a Gen It was.”
Dr. Ferry pointed to lifestyle changes that have become more common over the past 30 years.
“There is a lot of e-cigarette use in the Gen Z group, which definitely accelerates the aging of at least the skin, if not the rest of the body,” she says.
When it comes to stress, research shows that stress increases your biological age. Exposure to stress can accelerate aging by causing cellular inflammation and DNA damage.
Dr. Ferry says, “Cortisol is a hormone released in the body in response to stress. It's what we call a catabolic hormone. Anabolic hormones, like testosterone, cause things to build and grow. Catabolic or degradative hormones, which cause destruction of, for example, the structure of the skin.
“It ages the face and causes breakdown of collagen in the face. It also causes breakdown of things like brain tissue and intestinal mucosa, which worsens inflammation. It also causes destruction of pancreatic tissue, eventually leading to pancreatitis, In particular, it can cause diabetes.”
She went on to say, “When you're younger, you might be able to cope a little bit better than when you're older, but when your stress levels are particularly high, especially given the massive pandemic that's occurred around the world,… In most of our lives, it had never existed before. And it hit that generation in particular pretty hard.”
Dr. Robert Friedland, a professor of neurology at the University of Louisville, told DailyMail.com, “Chronic stress does have negative effects on the brain, the heart, sugar metabolism, etc.”
Jordan Howlett's supporters were shocked to learn he's Gen Z and only 26 years old
This could be due to job insecurity, he said.
Dr. Ferry said a lack of physical activity is also a likely cause.
She said, “Sedentary is the smoking of this generation.'' Being sedentary definitely does that. [age you prematurely] That's because muscles produce beautiful chemical messengers that tell your body to help you when you're exercising, especially when you're using your muscles.
“If you're sitting at home at your computer playing video games, you're not getting that beautiful, youthful signal.”
Increased screen time and blue light exposure may also cause Gen Z to age faster, largely due to disrupted circadian rhythms, Dr. Ferry said.
She added: “We're spending so much time looking at screens that it's impacting our ability to get a good night's sleep.” That blue light turns off the natural production of melatonin and the natural function of the brain's pineal gland, the day/night switch that is central to the circadian rhythm.
“Many of them cause aging. A reduction in diurnal differentiation will definitely affect aging or even accelerate aging.”
Experts say poor quality food also affects how quickly we age.
Dr. Friedland said there is now “an increase in the consumption of fast food, processed foods, carbonated drinks and other non-nutritious beverages.”
“Fast food has a negative impact on your gut bacteria,” he said.
“And gut bacteria are critical to our health and lifelong inflammation.”
Dr. Ferry added that with the increase in artificial additives and chemicals in people's diets, people are no longer getting the same nutrients from the same foods.
“You may be eating a lot of spinach, but that food isn't as nutritious as it used to be,” she said.
In addition to physical causes, emotional and mental health can also have a negative impact on the body and accelerate aging.
Dr Ferry told DailyMail.com that Gen Zers who feel that their lives lack purpose may age prematurely.
“I've seen many Gen Z come into my clinic who don't know what their purpose in life is. Not having a purpose means it has a huge impact on my elderly patients. We know that,” she said.
Compounding the contrast between Millennials and Gen Z are the healthier diets, better knowledge about skin care, and improved makeup that Millennials have had access to throughout their lives.
This means that people born between 1980 and 1997 look younger than older generations of the same age.
While Millennials learned how to use good skin care techniques in their late teens and 20s, Gen Zers may have been overexposed to those techniques and started using products incorrectly, causing premature aging. Other experts say yes.
Aesthetics experts say being too young to undergo “tweaks” (minor cosmetic surgery) is another reason why celebrities and influencers in their late teens and early 20s look older than their peers in the past. It is explained that.
“Overuse or unnecessary application of fillers and toxins at a young age can affect natural facial development and cause young patients to look older than their actual age,” says Famous Cosmetics. Physician Dr. Rasha Rakshani Moghaddam previously told DailyMail.com.
Additionally, she says, “Millennials are generally more conscious about their skin care and diet than previous generations, and often take a more holistic approach to health.” More emphasis is placed on good skin care practices and a balanced diet. ”
