Thank you for your comment Stefan.

I believe that the reverse is true – if you are in an environment that promotes good behavior, your actions will follow. I read somewhere that we mirror the emotional and social cues around us whether we choose to or not. That’s why it’s important to make sure that we are in an environment that promotes the behavior and thinking we want. Change is not easy but sometimes the consequences of not changing is much worse.

I have a follow-up question on this: Is there an environment that will promote GOOD behaviour? Has such an experiment been conducted? That would be interesting to read about.

I see some parallells to what is happening in the world today. We believe the world to be scary and hostile (news is good at delivering this message), so we act upon it, and try to protect us. Which further escalates the effect.

If news told as the world was a happy and safe place, would that change things in the world? I believe it would.

We are affected by the people around us. So by choosing new friends, and new environment, we indirectly change our behaviour.

But as you say, most people quickly find reasons to keep their old friends and environment. We are AFRAID of change. If you have never changed, you don’t know what will happen if you change. It is scary. You don’t want to lose your friends. They make you feel safe.

I know it was scary for me in the beginning. But I didn’t like my life then, so I HAD to change. Then I got used to change, and noted the benefits. (There were drawbacks too, but they were less than expected.) Today I can’t wait for the next change in my life. I see it improving all the time.