You can pick your friends, the saying goes. But how should you pick them? According to new study, your circle of friends could directly impact your weight.
After analyzing data from more than 1,500 high school students in terms of weight, friendships, sports activities and screen time, researchers at Loyola University in Chicago found that high school students with heavy friends showed a tendency to gain weight themselves. Conversely, those with slimmer friends tended to lose weight, or at least gain weight at a slower pace.
So peer pressure is alive and well, it seems, even at a subconscious level. Researchers also found that a person's social network at school also determined how active, or inactive, that person was in sports.
The question is, when we court new friends, does like attract like, a theory known as "homophily?" Or do friends influence each other's eating and exercise habits? Food for thought.
Printer-friendly version