Chances of becoming obese increases by 171% when a close friend or significant other becomes obese; these are the findings from a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Christakis and his colleagues found a dramatic increase in an individual's body weight when a close mutual friend gained weight. The same was true for weight loss, but over the 32-year period, most people gained weight instead of losing it.
This study reflects the impact your friends have on you. If a close personal friend gains weight it makes it more acceptable for you to gain weight too. But this influence could carry over into other aspects of your life; for example, if your friends are negative and hate their jobs, then it would be just as likely that you will too.
Be careful who you entrust with your personal goals; it is important to be around people who are positive and always seeking to improve themselves. As the Christakis, et al. study demonstrates close personal friends have a dramatic effect on your thinking at a subconscious level. The best way to achieve more and live a happier and more fulfilling life is to spend most of your time around those people who are positive, happy and successful.
"A person needs at intervals to separate herself from family and companions and go to new places. She must go without her familiars in order to be open to influences, to change." --Katharine Butler Hathaway
Best wishes,
David W. Woodruff, MSN, RN-BC, CNS, CEN
President, Ed4Nurses, Inc.