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[podcast]http://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/upLoads//2010/01/Social-Contagions.mp3[/podcast]
Parents (I don’t think I’m giving away any parental secrets here) worry about peer pressure--not least because parents remember how much their behavior was influenced by peers when they were young.
The fact is, we’re all influenced by the people around us...and we often think of that influence as a bad thing.
As the Bible puts it, “Evil companions corrupt good morals.” And other kinds of companions can have other effects.
For instance, an analysis of 12,067 people that appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 revealed that you are more likely to be obese if your best friend is obese. (Overstuffed siblings or spouses also makes a difference, but the greatest negative effect comes from fat friends.)
To a certain ...
Posted by Edward Willett at 12:35, January 21st, 2010 under Blog, Columns, Science Columns |