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THE CHARGER ACCOUNT
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Friends Maintaining a balance: The powerful influence of friends
DESIGN BY ISAAC ANG
Diya Boyapati
Media Staff
From taking a certain AP class to picking out a dress for a party, friends shape beliefs, values and behaviors through both direct and indirect means. They are crucial in forming personal identity, improving cognitive health and shaping personalities. Friends influence how an individual communicates, dresses and behaves around others. For instance, according to the National Library of Medicine, if an introvert joins an extroverted group, they could find themselves becoming more outgoing as well. Additionally, as reported by the British Broadcasting Company, an analysis of 28 different studies with a total of 139,000 participants revealed that talking about anti-smoking campaigns with friends actually reduced smokers’ cigarette intake. Research has also shown that friends can shape one’s personality through more subtle means, such as by influencing beliefs and values, which in turn can also affect behavior and the decisions one make. An increasing number of studies suggest that friends are crucial in promoting overall health. Mayo Clinic found that adults with strong social connections have a reduced risk of health problems
such as depression, high blood pressure and unhealthy body mass index. Additionally, older adults with meaningful relationships and social support tend to live longer than those with fewer connections. The qualities that friends influence have a significant impact on one’s
KAILEY HU ART happiness and mental health. Personality traits such as extraversion, generosity, diligence and openmindedness can positively influence people’s overall well-being and their interactions with others. Making choices that are consistent with core values can also lead to greater satisfaction and health. Peer pressure stems from the innate human desire to conform to group norms, and it is particularly influential during adolescence— when the brain’s reward system is more sensitive to social cues, making people more likely to engage in risky behavior to gain social acceptance. A 2009 study published by the American Psychological Association found that adolescents with friends who engaged in risky behavior were more likely to engage in those behaviors themselves, even
after controlling for other factors such as parental monitoring and individual personalities. “Once, I was out with my friends at night and we were playing games in the street; my parents had told me my curfew was 11:00 p.m., but as we were in the middle of a game, my friends convinced me to ignore the curfew. I lost track of time and found my mom had called me multiple times. I later realized that my parents were very worried regarding my whereabouts, which got me in a lot of trouble,” Junior Juhi Ketawat said. In a lifestyle essay published by Mayo Clinic, experts discuss how to maintain a balanced and strong relationship with friends. They shared that it is important to set clear Courtesy Of Yearbook
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boundaries while communicating expectations and considering the advice of friends as suggestions rather than directives. Practicing empathy, understanding and forgiveness will also help to keep relationships healthy. By balancing personal needs with those of friends, people can ensure that their relationships will flourish while still maintaining control of their own life. “I look for someone I can be comfortable with or someone loyal and I usually seek out people with similar ideologies. My friends and I support each other by being there for each other when needed,” Sophomore Vedika Byakod said. Friends can serve as role models, provide support and guidance and influence beliefs and values. As many studies suggest, being surrounded with positive and supportive friends whose goals and values align with one’s own can stimulate personal growth, while being surrounded by negative people is often detrimental to one’s health.
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Embracing differences: The importance of diversity in friend groups
Bertina Fan
Lifestyle & Feature School Editor
While some people may choose to remain in homogenous friend groups, others choose to transcend cultural norms and invite people of distinct ideologies or mindsets to their table, developing a more wellrounded understanding of people from different cultures. Embracing diversity in friend groups can provide numerous benefits, both for individuals and for society as a whole. Exploring different cultures, ideas and perspectives can help break down stereotypes while providing a sense of community, allowing people to connect with others who have similar and different experiences and backgrounds. The idea of diversity being beneficial for individuals has been explored by various psychologists. A study from The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), found that students who reported having mostly same-gender friends— approximately two-thirds of the subjects—had increased prejudice against other genders, especially when compared to children with friends of various genders. Those with less prejudice against other genders ended up having more comfortable shared interactions and an increased chance of being in relationships later.
However, it can be challenging for people to step out of their comfort zones and interact with those who are different from them for a variety of reasons. An important one is homophily: Individuals tend to stick with those similar to them because it is more comfortable to interact with people with shared values, beliefs and experiences, as noted by University of Arizona
sociologist Miller McPherson. According to McPherson, however, it is important to overcome this fear, as expanding one’s social circle to encompass diverse individuals can help prevent the development of surface-level stereotypes about other groups. “The friend groups I am a part of are predominantly formed through shared interests, culture and good first impressions of one another. My friends are people who play the same sports and video games as me and because of these connections, I hang out with them often,” Senior Aiden Bulow said. Diversity can also come in many other forms, including ethnicity, race, religion and sexuality. Thus, one can connect with others on certain topics, while benefiting from their differences. As reported by Verywell Mind, a website focused on health and wellness, homophily in race Ab and ethnicity can be the ou t7 stu hardest to overcome, as lar ge dent s the fear of rejection and oppression can prevent individuals who belong to minority groups from forming friendships, while racial prejudice acts as a barrier that discourges from majority groups from reaching out to minorities. Nonetheless, a meta-analysis combining results from 515 different studies revealed that the more contact one had outside
Poll: On average, student friend groups at the school are... Compiled by Antara Gangwal and Ella Polak Staff Writers
77% same faith
79% same gender
71% ce same ra
DANA LIM ART 71 students polled
of their racial group, the less prejudiced they were. “There are some patterns in the friend group I hang out with. Usually, people connect with each other over non-academic interests. On top of sharing the same hobbies, my friends and I communicate with each other on a daily basis. That brings our friend group together, our ability to bond through shared memories and laughter,” Senior Shivali Upadhyay said.
“Exploring different cultures, ideas and perspectives can help break down stereotypes while providing a sense of community.” Though the stigma around diversity may sometimes be discouraging, helping peers educate themselves about different views can help friend groups become more accomodating to different. Additionally, diversity is slowly becoming more established with recent movements such as #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter being promoted across the media to bring different perspectives to light. Greater understanding and appreciation of different cultures have also grown, and by engaging with individuals of different backgrounds and cultures, people can broaden their view of the world.
