Can You Blame Your Friend For Your Own Obesity?

If you ever had a negative friend, then you know how easily that can affect you. Recent studies show that if a friend becomes obese, this increases your chance of becoming obese by 57 percent. If it’s a really close person like your spouse, the risk increases by 171 percent. The main reason for this is the change of norm that takes place when people around you are pushing the boundaries. So, if friends get bigger, it can change our ideas of what an acceptable body size is, with a bigger size and the behaviour leading to that bigger size becoming the norm.

If you have friends who love to go out for a cup of tea and a mud cake, or who drink bottles of Coke and eat pizza on the weekend, you might start adopting these behaviours yourself. However, it also goes the other way. If you are the one picking up healthy behaviours, your friends might enjoy these too. Instead tell your friends about your healthy ways of living because it will help you and them at the same time.

A recent study made by Christakis shows that people who are trying to quit smoking have a better chance of quitting if they do it with friends. And as with weight loss, having a buddy can encourage us to keep it up because we are fundamentally social. Want your kids to stay healthy? Want your friends to stop moaning and start celebrating what they love about life? Want your spouse to stop smoking? Start displaying positive actions in your own life and watch how it affects your family and friends as well.

So, lead a healthy lifestyle yourself and make healthy choices that will influence YOUR loved ones for the better!