“One takes the behavior of one’s company.” This saying couldn’t be truer about the effects of peer on our behavior. The more time you hang out with positive-minded people, the more positive you become. On the contrary, if you hang out with negative-minded people, your mind will be negatively affected by their pessimism. The shroud of negativity is contagious like yawning; even though you are a positive person, if you get along with people who are pessimistic for some time, you will soon think and act like one of them. The harmful effects of negativity are hard to spot at first. However, the more you are exposed to it, the more likely you will be affected in a negative way.
 
You could easily understand the impact of negativity with some examples. Imagine tomorrow is the release of your exam result. Your nervous classmate calls and rants incessantly about his worries. In less than ten minutes, your confidence is swept away and replaced with anxiety. Your classmate might not have the intention to let you go through the trial he is experiencing. He might just want to have someone to chat with in order to feel better. But fear is so infectious that you are under the shadow of negativity in no time. In another example, your colleague and you are on the way to meet a client and present a proposal to him. Your colleague is worried that things would go awry, and the client wouldn’t like the proposal. He keeps telling you his worries. You are well-prepared, psychologically and physically, but you start to see your client’s unhappy face.
 
You may not be much affected if occurrences like the above don’t happen frequently. However, if they are constant visitors in your daily life, can you keep your mind and soul intact? Negativity nurtures negativity. After some time, you may be accustomed to the negative way people around you are acting. You whimper even though your classmate isn’t here to bother you; you worry about your performance in meetings without your colleague’s reminder. Once negativity becomes a habit of yours and resides in your mind, it’s hard to get rid of it.
 
What’s most dreadful about negativity is not negativity itself, it’s the way it gnaws at your life. If you don’t want to lead a dull, lifeless, and vulnerable life, stay away from people with negative thinking. Lead your life to the fullest by thinking and acting positively.