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Having a variation of the MC1R gene could mean a person looks around two years older than they actually are.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, found those who carry the “homozygote MC1R risk haplotype” looked on average up to two years older than non-carriers.
“Discovering this first gene involved in perceived age is important, because it opens the door for identifying more, which we know exist, and we now know are possible to find,” said study co-lead Professor Manfred Kayser from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam.
Men are ignoring cancer symptoms because they are too embarrassed an do not want to make a fuss, two surveys suggest.
The polls for the British Macmillan Cancer Support also found that men who work in traditionally “masculine” industries — such as building and construction — are particularly poor at starting conversations about their health.
Of 985 men questioned in one poll, 14% said they would put off reporting worrying symptoms, such as a lump or suspicious mole.
A separate survey of more than 600 men working in the building industry found 43% would not want to talk about symptoms such as a lump, a suspicious mole, or pain, in case it was thought they were “making a fuss”.
Virtual reality simulations can help people to face their fears and see that situations they worry about are actually safe, researchers from Oxford University said.
The finding could lead to treatment advancements for people suffering with severe paranoia — which affects 1-2% of the population.
The study, funded by the Medical Research Council, combined psychological treatment techniques with state-of-the-art virtual reality social situations to reduce paranoid fear.
People who suffer from severe paranoia can show an extreme mistrust of other people, believing that others are deliberately trying to harm them.
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