“Do you get influenced very easily?”
Alternatively, let us frame the question a little technically.
“Do you conform to others and their ideas very easily?”
Conformity and Social Pressure go hand in hand. Feeling pressured to conform to certain ideas and thoughts of other people is a very normal situation we face daily. Situations come up and we are supposed to take sides, but what are social pressure and conformity in these situations?
What is Social Pressure?
Imagine that you took a test and marked ‘Apple’ as the most loved fruit in 2024, but as soon as you come out and discuss the answer with your best friends, you know that your two best friends have marked ‘mango’ as the most loved fruit. You listen to their answer and get a little scared, but you still feel that your answer is correct. As you talk to your other classmates, you get to know that the majority of them have marked ‘mango’ as their answer.
You’re being forced now, correct? To agree to the response? Since most of them have marked the same response, the majority can’t be incorrect, right? Which answer would you accept till you know the correct answer?
The majority of people choosing one thing acts as a huge factor to conform to a certain thing and this was just an example, but social pressure, in simple terms, means an external influence exerted by individuals or groups intentionally, or unintentionally where you are indirectly forced to behave and act in a particular way, like dressing up in a certain way, or agreeing to a certain opinion and more.
Is Conformity a Bad Thing?
Not really. Conformity is a fact of social life
We find ourselves in situations where we usually conform, like following a certain trend of wearing baggy jeans and baggy sweatshirts, listening to the same music as our best friend, or maybe watching the movies that your friend recommended to us.
All of this is fine, but the majority of the time, conformity is taken in a negative sense where individuality is questioned, which in turn impacts one’s mental health like doing something out of peer pressure or fear of rejection which leads to stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.
4 Factors That Influence Conformity and Mental Health
1. Cohesiveness and Conformity
Who are you most likely to be influenced by– people you like or people you dislike? People you like, right?
Individuals are most likely to conform to the ideas and thoughts of people and groups they like because they want to be accepted and liked by them. The greater the cohesiveness, the greater the likelihood of conforming to certain norms and following the ideals of a certain person. We would avoid doing anything that would separate us from them. This can be viewed positively and negatively as well.
Consider an adolescent who is being forced by friends to engage in an activity that makes them uncomfortable, but they are most likely to push the discomfort and fear to the back seat and would do it because they want to be liked and accepted by their friends. Constantly compromising one’s wants to preserve relationships over time can undermine one’s sense of self and cause mental fatigue.
2. Group Size and Conformity
Who would seem more intimidating to you– a single individual or a group of people?
According to research, conformity tends to rise as the number of influential persons rises. Actually, according to experts, a group of eight or more people has a significant influence.
For instance, in a company’s team meeting where the end goal is to decide on which ad to run and there are two options available, you might like the first one more and try to justify your preference but the majority of your team members like the second one.
Because the majority is on one side, you will have to cooperate in these situations, and somewhere along the line, you will convince yourself that you like the second one and follow through, even when you disagree with their decision.
3. Status Within a Group
Let’s work with the same example from above and say that there was a senior member who was on one side and the majority were on the other side.
Do you think that the senior would conform to their preference very easily?
Senior members usually feel less pressure to conform to others. On the other hand, juniors experience strong pressure to go along with what others are saying. Not only in terms of seniority but also status in a group is a huge factor in whether an individual conforms.
4. Social Norms And How It Affects Behaviour
Social norms are nothing but informal guidelines and invisible rules of the society which each one of us should already know. We are expected to behave according to society and are expected to conform to the societal norms that the majority of people follow.
Social norms influence conformity by making a person feel obligated to follow the norms of society to avoid social rejection or criticism. People often alter their behaviors, opinions, or decisions to fit in, even if they are against their personal beliefs, as the desire for social acceptance is a strong motivator.
Why Do We Often Choose To Go Along?
Every human wants to be accepted and liked by others. Hence, the two main reasons why individuals usually choose to go along are the desire to be accepted and liked, and the desire to be right along the way, and that is only possible when you choose to conform to the majority of people or abide by the norms that are set by those.
We all wonder how we can get others to like us, and we usually try to appear as similar to them as possible. Be it our parents, teachers, best friends, or our crush, we try to agree with them and behave like they do to show that similarity. And while doing so, we alter our behavior to meet others’ expectations.
On the other hand, we always want to be right in everything that we do. Right in the sense that is accepted by others as the right thing to do. E.g. how do you know which hairstyle would suit you? Or how do you know how accurate are your social views? Isn’t it all dependent on others’ opinions and actions to some extent at least?
Conforming to social norms and aligning ourselves with others is a natural part of being human. It’s how we build relationships, nurture understanding, and create a sense of belonging.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be liked or seeking validation as it’s a fact of social life, as mentioned previously, but when this need becomes overwhelming, when we prioritize others’ expectations over our well-being, it starts to take a toll on our mental health.
It is completely okay to desire acceptance, but it’s also important not to forget that your uniqueness and individuality, and most importantly your mental health matter.
You deserve to live your life as you want, not constantly feeling obligated to be part of some group or meet impossible expectations. The point is, that not being “right” or “liked” should not cause you to lose yourself or your happiness.
The GoodLives App helps you with this. Self-awareness tools like journaling prompts, mindfulness practices, and meditation routines, it supports your journey of self-discovery and conscious living.
If you ever feel stuck in this cycle, pushing your needs aside just to please others, remember there’s help. Talk to a therapist today. Your mental health is worth it.
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