Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Power of Friendship Networks

From David Brooks' column Kansas City Star  July 16, 2014

". . .our decisions (about career paths)  are shaped  by the networks of people around us more than we dare realize.     . . .First there is contagion.  People absorb memes, ideas and behaviors from each other the way they catch a cold. . .if your friends are obese, you're likely to be obese.  If your neighbors play fair, you are likely to play fair.  . . .

. . .People with vast numbers of acquaintances have more job opportunities than people with fewer but deeper friendships.

Finally, there is the power of the extended mind.  There is also a developed body of research on how much our consciousness is shaped by the people around us.   Let me simplify it with a classic observation:  Each close friend you have brings out a version of yourself that you could not bring out on your own."

Brooks goes on to compare life to a soccer game as opposed to baseball. . .controlling your personal space is essential to success.  

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