Maybe you’ve heard the idea that you are who you hang out with. Is there truth behind this statement or is it just a trendy saying?
It turns out that the people you surround yourself with indeed have a huge effect on who you are, and there are studies to confirm it. Let’s discuss the ways those around you shape your personality and list a few.
5 Reasons You Are Who You Hang Out with
1. The people you surround yourself with can alter your views
The most noticeable way your friends affect you is that they can prompt you to adopt certain views, values, and beliefs.
Of course, if you are an adult, it’s not easy to change your perspective on controversial topics such as politics or religion. You already have established views of your own.
But if the people you hang out with have opposing opinions, talking to them can challenge your beliefs, and it’s a good thing. It helps you see different sides of the same issue and avoid biased thinking.
2. They encourage or discourage you
Those around you can either help you grow or discourage you from leveling up in life.
For example, if your best friend doesn’t take your aspirations seriously, it may affect the way you view your goals. If you face mockery every time you talk about it, your dreams may start to seem silly or unattainable.
The people you hang out with have a huge impact on your motivation levels. Support from your family and friends means a lot when it comes to working towards your goals.
Similarly, if those around you don’t want to see you succeed, you may feel discouraged and eventually give up.
3. They shape your habits and behaviors
You are who you hang out with also because of the power of peer pressure. Its effect is more profound at a younger age, but adults can be prone to it too.
Typically, people stick with those who have similar habits and lifestyle choices to their own. Your friends can either lead you to bad choices or motivate you to resist them.
For example, a study found that one’s social circle has a great impact on their health habits and overall physical and mental health condition.
Another study showed that surrounding yourself with self-disciplined people can help you boost self-control and resist unhealthy temptations and impulsive behaviors.
4. They fill you with positive or negative emotions
When you are surrounded by negative people who constantly complain or talk ill of others, it inevitably takes a toll on your emotional wellbeing. You may not even realize this. But the effect of dealing with negative people will show up sooner or later.
For example, you might start to feel tired for no reason or be in a bad mood all the time. It happens because we are empathetic beings, and emotions are contagious. When you spend most of your time with bitter people, your own emotional state gets worse too.
But the good news is that the same also goes for positivity. When you hang out with people who have an optimistic attitude to life, they fill you with enthusiasm and positive emotions.
5. They affect your self-esteem and happiness levels
The people you surround yourself with also play a crucial role in how satisfied you feel about yourself and your life.
It makes sense that if you hang out with critical personalities who make you feel insignificant, it ultimately affects your perception of yourself. The same is true if your friends are supportive and kind – in this case, they will make you feel better about yourself.
Research demonstrates that having stable, supportive friendships boosts one’s self-esteem. Studies also show that our friendships have a tremendous effect on our levels of life satisfaction. Interestingly, the study found a negative correlation between socialization and life satisfaction in highly intelligent participants.
