I think it was Philip McKernan who said, “you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most.” Think about that for a minute. Who do you spend most of your time with? Your spouse? Coworkers? Friends?
Now ask yourself what are those people like? Am I like them? I suspect if you answered the questions truthfully to yourself then you would have to answer the last question with a resounding, “yes!”
Which brings me to the inspiration for this article as written by Minda Zetlin. Her article has some really good points and good quotes, namely:
“The brain works more like a muscle than we thought,” Blake says. “So if you’re pinned in a corner for too long listening to someone being negative, you’re more likely to behave that way as well.”
How many times have you come across a negative conversation and inadvertently joined in alongside all the negativity?
Even worse, being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity–including viewing such material on TV–actually peels away neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. “That’s the part of your brain you need for problem solving,” he says. “Basically, it turns your brain to mush.”
How often after staring at the TV all night do you find it hard just to make it upstairs and to bed?
So, how do you defend yourself and your brain from all the negativity of complaining?
Try these simple steps:
1.Get away
2.Ask the complainer to fix the problem
3.Mentally block it, protect yourself (think of Homer Simpson singing in his head when he’s ignoring someone)
I would add to Minda’s message and state if you find yourself complaining too much then stop hanging out with complainers.
More generally if you find yourself doing anything you don’t really like then stop hanging around the people that are promoting that behavior in you.
And finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, if there is a behavior you’d like to adopt find people who are doing it and start hanging out with them!By Minda Zetlin
I think it was Philip McKernan who said, “you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most.” Think about that for a minute. Who do you spend most of your time with? Your spouse? Coworkers? Friends?
Now ask yourself what are those people like? Am I like them? I suspect if you answered the questions truthfully to yourself then you would have to answer the last question with a resounding, “yes!”
Which brings me to the inspiration for this article as written by Minda Zetlin. Her article has some really good points and good quotes, namely:
“The brain works more like a muscle than we thought,” Blake says. “So if you’re pinned in a corner for too long listening to someone being negative, you’re more likely to behave that way as well.”
How many times have you come across a negative conversation and inadvertently joined in alongside all the negativity?
Even worse, being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity–including viewing such material on TV–actually peels away neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. “That’s the part of your brain you need for problem solving,” he says. “Basically, it turns your brain to mush.”
How often after staring at the TV all night do you find it hard just to make it upstairs and to bed?
So, how do you defend yourself and your brain from all the negativity of complaining?
Try these simple steps:
1.Get away
2.Ask the complainer to fix the problem
3.Mentally block it, protect yourself (think of Homer Simpson singing in his head when he’s ignoring someone)
I would add to Minda’s message and state if you find yourself complaining too much then stop hanging out with complainers.
More generally if you find yourself doing anything you don’t really like then stop hanging around the people that are promoting that behavior in you.
And finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, if there is a behavior you’d like to adopt find people who are doing it and start hanging out with them!By Minda Zetlin