According to several studies about behaviour, conditions that you wouldn’t think could be contagious actually are (but not in the way you think). This is relating to both negative conditions, such as obesity, and negative habits, such as overeating, smoking, drinking too much and even indulging in the wrong kinds of foods (diet soda, anyone?). The same is true for positive lifestyle habits, such as exercising, eating right and even thinking proactive, positive thoughts.
That’s why the people you surround yourself with make such a significant difference to how well you yourself live and the habits you adapt. If you end up in a group where everyone is always complaining about everything, you find yourself more inclined to find something yourself to complain about (by the way, complaining and negative mindset takes years off your life). On the other hand, if the group of people you hang out with practice gratitude meditation and think positively of the world around them, you end up also feeling grateful and positive about the world and the people in it (gratitude and positivity can add up to 30% more life into your years).
So who you choose to surround yourself with makes a big difference. That’s not to say that you should cut all negative people out of your life completely (especially if they include family and old friends), but perhaps consider limiting time spent with them if you can and take what they say with a grain of salt and don’t let them infect you with their negativity disease (which is all too easy to catch if you let yourself).
Remember that it’s very difficult to convince a negative person of the benefits of being positive. Most negative people think of themselves as “realistic” and they believe anyone too positive is not seeing the horrible world for what it truly is. They may accuse you of being trapped in a fake reality or in a “happy bubble”. Well it turns out that being blind to negativity can add serious years of health to your life. In fact, most of the centenarians in the Blue Zones (and in general) suffer from this same blindness. They may face hardship like everyone else, but they focus on the positive and get on with things with as much optimism as is possible in the situation. Spend your time with these positive people and catch what they have instead. Trust me, it’s much better for your health.
So that’s the last point of our 9 point series on how to age healthier. But that’s just one piece of research and just the start. Stay tuned as I’ll be bringing you plenty more in due course.
Ready to get started with ensuring you age well, book a free wellness taster call with me here and find out how you’re likely to age based on your current diet & lifestyle.