A person becomes most like the people he or she socializes. In fact, who a person’s friends are speaks volumes about his or her own character. The people with whom the most time is spent influence behavior consciously and unconsciously, as the larger peer group. Sometimes, so much time is spent with a certain group of peers that an individual even begins to physically resemble the others. For example, there is a group of males who wear polo shirts with their collars popped; this style they have in common is an indication of peer pressure. A lot of emphasis is placed on all the negative aspects of peer pressure, including conforming for the sake of conformation, drug use, smoking, or having sex at young age. However, there can also be positive aspects to peer pressure. For example, peers can encourage each other to improve their lifestyles, to be healthier and happier. In some cases, peer pressure can be necessary and positive.
Friends have a huge emphasis on their peers’ lifestyle choices, such as whether they go to the gym, choose healthier restaurants, or go on fun trips. Most people have one ore more exceptionally successful and positive friends if lucky. These types of peers are always together, healthy, and happy. Instead of encouraging bad habits and laziness, these types of peers will actually try to pry the Häagen-Dazs out of a friend’s hands and persuade them to go out and do something healthier. These types of peers have their friends’ best interests at heart. Their positive outlook on life is contagious. Everyone needs peers like this in their lives or to be this kind of positive influence themselves on others. It helps everyone in the peer group to make positive choices. If it were not for peers like this convincing each other to make positive choices, to get out and do healthy things, and share interests together there would be a lot of good things in life people would miss out on experiencing such as the love of one’s life and so forth.
In addition to affecting lifestyles, peers have a major impact on health. Chances are that if the majority of the company one keeps is healthy, he or she will also be healthy. Since humans are social creatures, people are at their best when they are not doing things alone. People prefer to do things with each other where accomplishments can be noticed and encouraged. For example, one of the best things I did for my health was to stop hanging out with a friend who always convinced me to smoke and drink. It is much better to have a group of peers that bring out the best, not the worst in each other.
People’s happiness is greatly impacted by the people they choose to socialize with. In fact, happiness is often dependent on the number of close connections people have. By being around others who are emotionally stable and drama free, people’s lives becomes exponentially better.
There are many different types of pressure affecting everyone each day. It is part of the beauty of being human that people allow themselves to be affected and changed by others in their lives. While peer pressure often is viewed negatively, there are many examples where it is also positive and peers influence each other to make healthy changes, to strive to succeed, or to be happy. The best thing people can do for themselves is to be surrounded with peers they admire, because chances are they will become like them.
