The Witty Writer

Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour, and they are classic excuses. – Andrew Lansley.

My biggest pet peeve is peer pressure, and it is so compelling – even though I don’t want to do something still, I do anyway. It’s like a gun on my head. Either I can go and live in caves or be ready for the gun. Peer pressure is very stressful, and it’s like a rabbit hole – the more you want to be part of a socially accepted group, the more you lose your value. The worst part of peer pressure is that – you will be mocked until you follow.

Fear of missing out – Sometimes, we feel that if we don’t do what others are doing, we may feel left out of getting good things in life. That’s FOMO. When the stock market is skyrocketing, and everyone around you has invested in the stock market, and you have not. You are going to invest very soon to lose it.

Be relevant – You know that you are a moron, and you are not at all cool. But, peer pressure can make you cool by just wearing a leather jacket, getting a bike and of course the black glasses from the terminator. That’s the secret formula of being relevant – Follow the trend.

Confusion – If you are confused then, you are probably going to fall for peer pressure. Let’s be frank we were confused while growing up, and we are still confused. The only difference is that now we have to keep up with social media instead of video games. Confusion is a necessary ingredient of peer pressure.

How to deal with peer pressure?
Well, it’s very challenging to deal with peer pressure because it plays with your mentality. You have to become conscious of the peer pressure or get ready to move to the Himalayas and stay there for the rest of your life. So, there is no escaping.

Peer pressure is not always bad, and sometimes you must do what others are doing to become successful. Peer pressure can have a positive influence when you have inspiring people around such as friends, family and colleagues.

Nowadays the term, “I don’t want to do it” is irrelevant because it does not matter whether you want to do it or not. When we do most things according to peers, we tend to lose our individuality and go into space where we feel appreciated –only by others.

Thanks for reading!

Image source: Photo by Ekrulila from Pexels