A. Harrison Barnes, CEO of Employment Research Institute, in a webinar as he analyzed how your environment can affect you and the person you believe you can become.

Harrison believes that a significant part of human behavior is controlled by the environment you operate in. Harrison refers to the book The Bell Curve which discusses the influence of genetic inheritance on the intelligence of children versus the influence of people and circumstances around them. The book states that 40% to 80% of intelligence is genetically inherited and that this has more effect on what an individual can achieve than the socioeconomic background. However, other studies have proved that when infants born into a low socioeconomic status home were adopted by parents with a high socioeconomic status, their IQ scores improved to what is considered a large effect in psychological research. This can be interpreted to mean that children will perform well if their environment is improved. A similar logic applies to adults as well. Describing the place he lives in, Harrison talks about how the building his home is in, is very well maintained and has a great view. However, the people he has for neighbors are not the best one could have. They carry alcoholic drinks about everywhere, even in the elevators and keep exchanging innuendos. Harrison is worried about this more in terms of the environment his young child is being exposed to.

This is because Harrison feels that your life and career is defined in a large way by the environment that you operate in. To succeed in the terms you have set for yourself, you need to look out for, and operate in, an environment that is strong and very demanding from you in terms of work. Such an environment can help you develop skills and abilities that you would otherwise never get a chance to develop.