What is the “average of five” rule and how does it work?

There is a phrase that is very popular all over the world. “Tell me who you are with, and I will tell you who you are.” Widely studied in the social sciences that study human behavior, this statement is partially true, according to author and motivational speaker Arel Moody. Researchers talk about social rules called. “Average of 5 people”comes to define people’s behavior according to their environment.

writer John Guerrera He posted a note on his blog talking about the topic 15 years ago after witnessing Moody lecture at Binghamton University in New York. There is a student there We took up the concept and made a new contribution. This unspoken rule that exists in social connections.

According to Guerrera, the “average of five” is “The law that the value is the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”. For example, if you are always around negative people, you will become a negative person yourself. If you spend a lot of time with friends who strive to get high grades, you’ll likely work hard to get your GPA within that range.

“But while this rule is usually followed, there are many cases where it doesn’t work,” Guerrera questioned. “We all have something that makes us feel special compared to many of our friends.colleagues and colleagues. The “average of five” rule is usually correct, but there must be a non-trivial underlying cause. To discover the real reason for this phenomenon, we need to dig deeper,” said the author, delving into this theory.

As he made clear in his blog, the root cause behind this concept is not a “hidden secret or revolutionary idea” but “a simple concept that underlies human behavior.” “The combination of your self-image and your beliefs determines your actions.”Mr. Guerrera asserted that.

In conclusion, he added: “The people around us may or may not modify our self-image. However, as social beings, we tend to adopt the characteristics of the groups to which we belong. We begin to identify with that group and the behaviors that come with being a member of that group.”