Growing up, we dismissed parental warnings about the danger of new and edgy friends. Today we have Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week, reminding us again of this truism. As a young man, he recalls learning the lesson, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Most of us know there are people who bring out the best in us — and the wisest appreciate the immense impact they have in our lives. What’s alarming about this article is just how influential our “nearest and (maybe not so) dearest” can be in shaping our thoughts. Turns out our parents were right after all.

***Standard disclaimer: Written on the fly. Please excuse spelling and grammatical errors as well as partial thoughts, generalizations and unintended whiplash.