Background: Recent research links life stress to premature telomere shortening and human aging. However, this association has only been demonstrated in Western contexts, where stress is typically lower and life expectancies longer. Using innovative approaches, this research strategy combined physical stress measures via the salivary analytes cortisol and α-amylase with self-assessments of psychosomatic stress, ethnographic observations, and telomere length assessment [telomere–fluorescence in situ hybridization (TEL-FISH) coupled with 3D imaging of buccal cell nuclei], providing high-resolution data amenable to multilevel statistical analysis. This research strengthens the case for stress-induced telomere shortening as a pancultural biomarker of compromised health and aging.

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