When is Peer Pressure a Good Thing?

For most of our lives, we’re told, “Don’t give in to peer pressure. If Johnny jumped off a cliff, would you too?” Peer pressure is usually gets a bad rap, and some of the time that’s justified. If someone starts smoking because the rest of his friends are doing, that’s obviously a bad thing. And it’s not just high schoolers that fall victim. Trying to “keep up with the Joneses” is the quintessential example of negative peer pressure in adults.

But as the blog title implies, peer pressure can be a good thing.

The specific example, I’d like to share is the recent fitness challenge group I just finished. This particular group leveraged several of the Team BeachBody products, but the same principal could apply elsewhere. Essentially, a group of people decided to come together to encourage, support, challenge, compete, and drive accountability with one another.

The group was all run online which was convenient since we were spread throughout the country. Outside of Korey, who also participated, I didn’t know any of the other people in the group. But it didn’t matter.

The other good thing was that it was a private group just for the people participating. This turned it into a judgement free zone, since we were all in the same boat. You could post a picture of yourself working out without worrying about what the rest of your friends were going to say or think.

And what do you want to do when you see other people posting pictures of themselves working out? You want to share your own success! “Hey, I’m killing it too!” Or maybe you’re having a rough day, or your tired… but then you see other people pushing through it, and you give it that extra effort. It’s like having a big group of virtual workout buddies to keep you moving forward. When you communicate your goals to other people, you have additional incentive and support to follow through with them.

End result for me was that I lost a few pounds, toned up a bit, and definitely enjoyed myself. The only thing that would make it even better was if there were other people I know doing it with me. So who’s in next time for some positive peer pressure?

Let me know @TalkToErik or Erik on Facebook.