Chose your friends wisely

Social Proof is the theory that when people are uncertain about what to do, they look around at others to decide.

There is a term in sociology called Social Proof that captures what is going on very well. Social Proof is the theory that when people are uncertain about what to do, they look around at other people to decide. It does not matter how independent or important you think you are. This law of nature still affects you. It affects celebrities. It affects athletes. It works on both subconscious and conscious levels. Here are some examples to help drive home the point.

• There are many cases where women who stay together in all-female dormotories at universities and convents have menstrual cycles in unison.
• Birds flock together in unison and can change direction rapidly without falling out of synch.
• People who work together in a similar environment will pick-up similar speech patterns and mannerisms without any conscious effort.
• Fashion trends spread by people seeing other people wearing a new garment, which signals that it is OK for you to start wearing the same thing.

Social Proof tells the brain that it is OK to think and feel a certain way. For those contrarians out there, it has an effect on you as well, just in an inverse manner. The higher the stress and complexity of a situation, the more your brain will look to your environment to see that it is OK to follow your path. This is an evolutionary circuit that allows us to adopt behaviors that will help us stay alive. However, in a modern society where mortality rates are much lower and success is defined by more than just staying alive….we need to be aware that this “circuit” could also limit our potential if not managed appropriately. Recognizing that your brain works in this manner will help you develop your mind into a powerful tool for creating lasting change in your life.