Do you ever wonder how your friends and family affect you? Well, there are many ways the people that are around you do alter who you are. We tend to be influenced by others for most of our lives. For example, if your friend is having a bad day, their mood may rub off on you, affecting not only your friend but you as well. People can also affect your behavior in circumstances such as when you say something repeatedly and your friend slowly picks up on it and adds it to their vocabulary.

 According to lifehack.org “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This shows how your presence on others can truly affect them and theirs can affect you too. This can be a positive thing depending on who the people around you are and how they act, from the way they treat others to how well they perform on tests, achieving positive things and maintaining and good attitude will cause you to have a more positive attitude. Contrarily, if they are not a positive influence they will negatively impact you.  From failing all their classes to treating others without respect and kindness, you will eventually mold into a person who does the same. If they are always in a bad mood, they may affect your mental health and your attitude may decline, too. 

Adults are always saying “You are who you hang out with” and this does have some meaning to it. We see this in our everyday lives as people around us change and their personalities alter depending on whom they are surrounded by. Personality is a malleable trait that will change throughout your life depending on your peers and environment. As we age, how we react to certain situations will change as well. As a child, you are more impressionable due to the prefrontal cortex not being fully developed. This is the same for teenagers because until 25, or when the prefrontal cortex finally develops completely. To conclude, the people around you alter the way you act and how you react to certain situations.