A bizarre new consumer study reiterates what your class teacher always told you change your company to change your performance. iTALK shows you how hanging out with go-getters can make you one

They say you've got to do your own growing, no matter how high your grandpa stood. But when you walk with someone who stands tall at work, you are bound to push your chin up harder. A strange experiment carried out by author Arul Mishra of the University of Utah proves that our everyday choices are based on the principle of contagion, and consequently, being close to a person who has that winning-streak makes you imbibe it.



Participants of Mishra's study were asked to choose a cola bottle from one of two groups. In one group, the bottles were close together and in the other, they had been arranged somewhat apart. When volunteers were told that one of the bottles in each group contained a gift coupon, the majority of subjects chose a bottle from the fizzies huddled together. But when they were told that one of the bottles in each group was defective, most of them picked one from the group that was arranged apart.

The tests, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, concluded that qualities are contagious, transferable and quite pervasive in ordinary everyday choices. Our desi findings on the professional platform, reflected the same.

How to make a friend's success work for you
>>Observe his/her daily habits. Steal the best.
>>Talk about personal and professional goals. His/her words may prove helpful.
>>Take quick on-the-job tips if he/she's been in the same situation before, and emerged a winner.
>>Think over his/her advice, but don't follow blindly. Trust your instinct. It is important to learn from your own mistakes.

But you won't lose if a loser gets close but u sure might catch the negativity .
If you're one of the top employees in office and fear that others would strip you of your success by getting too close and causing harm, this age-old saying by sage Rahim should ease your fears:
Jo Rahim uttam prakriti ka, kar sakat kusang
Chandan vish vyapat nahi lapte rahat bhujang (Even though poisonous snakes twirl around sandalwood trees, the latter never loses its fragrance or qualities, just like you won't, if you believe in yourself).