Watch in this fascinating video how just the reaction of a crowd can elevate a low performing person and totally throw a high-performing person off their game!
We might say,”ok, but this is just two people…not exactly a scientific study”. True, but the evidence bears out when we look across the research too.
Negativity has many researched effects on performance and relationships. Some of them include:
- Harvard professor Nicholas Christakis and political scientist James Fowler found that positive and negative attitudes not only affect one’s friends, but even the happiness of the friends of friends. In other words, there is a ripple effect.
- Christine Porath, Alexandra Gerbasi, and Andrew Parker found that negative or de-energizing interactions can have a four times greater effect than positive interactions. Negativity is strong.
- In an workplace survey, those with the most negative relationships and interactions scored significantly lower on their ability to thrive and feel that they belong.
When we or our children experience unhelpful negativity and discouraging feedback, it’s important to set boundaries, practice self care, and challenge the messages we are receiving!

Wanna Deep Dive into the source of today’s post?
https://hbr.org/2016/11/isolate-toxic-employees-to-reduce-their-negative-effects