Research has shown that over 20% of Americans have cut ties with friends over money-related issues.1 This is just one example of how our social circles and finances are intrinsically tied, and if not managed properly, can lead to problems down the line.
This article aims to help you bring awareness to how those around you are impacting the way you spend, save, and invest for your future. Together, we’ll review the psychology behind the decisions you’re prone to make when spending time with your friends, and which of those will propel you towards (or away) from where you want to go. Finally, we’ll cover how you can prepare yourself further to bring back awareness, make better decisions, and get help staying the course.
The Power of Social Influence
Social influence encompasses how our actions are shaped by others. It can include peer pressure, social comparison, conformity, and others. Here are some quick examples of how social influence can impact your wallet:
- Peer Pressure: Your friends often eat at expensive places, so you start doing the same.
- Social Comparison: You feel the need to buy a new car because your friends have newer
- Conformity: Your friends invest in a particular stock, you might follow suit, even if it’s not the best choice for you.
Now, if you’re a bit of a psychology nut like me, it’s not enough to just know the forces at play. You also want to know the psychological mechanisms behind each of these forces…
Psychological Mechanisms Behind Behaviors
Friends influence how we handle money more than we think. These effects stem from various psychological processes. By understanding these, you can see why you make certain financial choices and how to manage them better. Let’s explore these concepts:
Social Learning Theory: Social Learning Theory explains how we learn behaviors by observing others. When it comes to money habits, we often imitate our friends. If they save well or make smart investments, we might follow their example, thinking it will work for us too.
Normative Social Influence: Normative Social Influence is the desire to fit in and be accepted by friends. This drives us to adopt similar financial behaviors. It can mean spending similarly, investing in the same things, or taking on similar risks.
Cognitive Dissonance: Cognitive Dissonance is the discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors. For instance, if your friends save money and you spend too much, you might change your ways to match theirs to reduce the discomfort.
Groupthink: Groupthink happens when the need for group harmony leads to poor decisions. In finances, it means making spending or investment choices based on the group’s opinion instead of your own analysis.
Informational Social Influence: Informational Social Influence occurs when we rely on friends’ knowledge and advice for financial decisions. When we’re unsure about money matters, we often seek advice from friends. We trust that they know more or have better judgment, so we follow their lead.
Please Note: While we’re focusing primarily on how psychology can affect you financially on a personal level, similar patterns are still observed at the macro level. If you’re interested to see how psychological patterns drive the market as a whole, review our article on the subject by clicking the button below!
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF A MARKET CYCLE
Positive Influences
Friends can have a big impact on your financial health. They can help you form good habits, share valuable insights, and support your financial goals. Knowing these benefits can help you use your social circle to improve your financial life. Here’s how friends can positively influence your finances:
Good Financial Habits: Observing financially savvy friends can encourage better financial practices. Their good habits, like saving and budgeting, can inspire you to improve your own financial behavior.
Investment Strategies: Friends often share successful investment tips and strategies. This advice can give you the confidence to make smart investment choices based on their successes and experiences.
Accountability Partners: Friends can play a key role in helping each other stick to budgets and financial goals. Whether you’re saving for a goal or paying off debt, having a friend to check in with can help you stay on track and reach your objectives.
Financial Literacy: Friends can promote financial education and knowledge-sharing. By discussing books, articles, and attending workshops together, you can learn more about managing money, leading to better financial decisions.
Encouragement and Support: A supportive network of friends can be beneficial for achieving financial milestones. Their encouragement and celebration of your successes, like paying off debt or saving money, make your financial journey more enjoyable and rewarding.
If you’re looking for financial guidance during a difficult time, but you’re not ready to schedule a call with us, we recommend our free guide:
Finding Your Financial Footing
It reveals 5 clear steps to calm the chaos before you retire.
Negative Influences
Friends can help or hurt your finances. Sometimes, they lead you toward bad habits and poor decisions. Recognizing these negative influences is key to protecting your financial well-being. Here’s how friends might negatively affect your money management:
Pressure to Spend: Friends can sometimes encourage excessive spending and lifestyle inflation. If they enjoy costly outings and luxury items, you might feel pressured to keep up, leading to overspending and an inflated lifestyle.
Risky Financial Behaviors: Friends who engage in high-risk investments or poor financial practices can influence you. Their actions might tempt you to take similar risks, which can jeopardize your financial security.
Debt Accumulation: Shared expenses and social activities with friends can contribute to accruing debt. Constantly dining out, traveling, or attending events together can quickly add up, especially if you try to match their spending habits.
Enabling Bad Habits: Friends with negative financial behaviors can reinforce those habits in you. If they frequently make impulsive purchases or neglect budgeting, you might pick up these harmful behaviors.
Emotional Spending: Social gatherings and peer influence can lead to impulsive purchases. Friends might push you to buy things impulsively during outings or celebrations, resulting in financial regret later.
The Role of Social Media
With the rise of social media, comparing our financial situations to those of our friends has become effortless. Posts about vacations and new purchases can trigger feelings of inadequacy, leading to overspending in an effort to keep up.
Social media influencers add to this challenge by promoting extravagant lifestyles that skew our perceptions of money. Their content often features high-end products and lavish experiences, setting unrealistic financial standards and encouraging overspending. In fact, research has found that 48% of users have impulsively purchased something they saw featured on their social media.2
To combat these negative effects, limit your exposure to content that tempts you to spend unnecessarily. Instead, follow accounts that offer financial advice and promote responsible money habits, and consider unfollowing influencers who make you feel pressured to spend.
The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is another major force driving unnecessary expenses and financial anxiety. Seeing friends acquire new items or enjoy luxurious vacations can create a sense of exclusion, prompting impulsive purchases to feel included, which can strain your budget. It’s important to remind yourself that social media often only shows a very skewed version of reality.
Please Note: Social media is a highlight reel folks! People tend to share their best moments, not their financial struggles. By keeping this perspective, you can maintain a more realistic view of your own financial situation and avoid the trap of overspending to match others’ online appearances.
Strategies for Positive Financial Influence
Your friends can play a key role in improving your financial habits. By picking the right people and fostering open communication, you can create a network that supports better money management. Here’s how to use your social circle to boost your financial health:
Choosing Financial Role Models: Surround yourself with friends who manage their finances well. Seek out those who budget, save, and invest wisely. Their positive habits can inspire you to follow suit.
Creating a Financial Support Network: Build a group of friends with similar financial goals and values. Discussing your progress and challenges can keep everyone motivated. This support system can offer valuable advice and encouragement.
Open Communication: Encourage honest discussions about finances among friends. Open conversations about money can lead to shared knowledge and support. Learning from each other’s experiences can be beneficial for all.
Setting Boundaries: Handle friends who negatively influence your financial decisions by setting clear boundaries. Politely decline expensive outings or suggest options that are more affordable. Protecting your financial health needs to be a priority.
Educating Your Friends: Share your financial knowledge and practices with your friends. Discuss budgeting methods, saving techniques, or investment tips. This collective learning fosters a culture of financial literacy, benefiting everyone in the group.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do friends affect your attitudes and behaviors?
Friends create social norms that influence your views on money. Their attitudes about spending, saving, and investing shape your financial outlook. You might start to mirror their financial beliefs.
Friends can either support or challenge your financial decisions. Positive feedback from friends boosts your confidence and motivation. Criticism or questions about your financial choices might lead you to reconsider and improve your strategies.
What is the likely influence of financial literacy on financial behaviors?
Greater financial knowledge leads to better financial decisions. With more literacy, you make informed choices, avoid debt, and invest wisely. Friends who share their knowledge can help enhance your understanding.
Higher financial literacy also increases your confidence in managing money. Knowing key concepts helps you make sound decisions and reduces stress about finances. This knowledge enables you to set goals, plan for the future, and tackle financial challenges effectively.
What influences your financial behavior?
Financial behavior is shaped by experiences, education, and social interactions. Among these, friends play a key role. Their money habits, advice, and management styles affect your decisions.
Friends’ financial achievements can serve as goals for you. Seeing friends buy homes or retire early can encourage disciplined habits in your own financial life. Learning from their successes and mistakes offers valuable insights.
Please Note: Another thing that influences your behavior are biases, which can be very tricky to detect. If you want to stress-test your investing objectivity, check out our piece on the 9 Behavioral Biases In Investment Decision-Making.
9 BEHAVIORAL BIASES IN INVESTING
Additional Resources
Here are some valuable books that can deepen your understanding of financial management and the influence of social circles on your financial behavior:
1. Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez: This book offers a comprehensive guide to transforming your relationship with money. It emphasizes tracking every penny you spend, understanding your financial habits, and aligning your spending with your values. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to gain control over their finances.
2. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko: Backed by plenty of research, this book shows the surprising traits that lead to wealth accumulation. It emphasizes frugality, smart spending, and the importance of living below your means. This book can help you understand how lifestyle choices influence financial success.
3. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki: A classic in personal finance, this book compares the author’s “rich dad” and “poor dad” to highlight different attitudes toward money and investing. It’s a valuable read for learning about financial literacy and the importance of financial education.
4. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: Housel’s book delves into the behavioral aspects of personal finance. It highlights the importance of understanding your own financial psychology and offers insights on how to make better financial decisions based on behavioral patterns.
The Bottom Line
Your friends greatly impact your financial behavior. They shape your spending, saving, and investing habits through social interactions and peer pressure. Recognizing these influences can help you make wiser financial choices.
Start by evaluating your social circle. Surround yourself with friends who have good financial habits and distance yourself from those who encourage overspending. Seek out financial role models and have open discussions about money to exchange advice and support. Establish boundaries to avoid unnecessary expenditures.
By understanding how your friends affect your finances, you can take control. Develop relationships that foster financial literacy and responsible money management. A supportive network can help you achieve your financial objectives.
For personalized guidance on managing your finances and navigating social influences, schedule a call with our financial advisory team. We’re here to help you take charge of your financial future.
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