If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. You’ll never rise higher than you are now because those people will drag you down to their level. A pathological relationship with someone who leeches off your intelligence, giving a kick out of being looked up to, is bad for both of you. Or if you spend time with a negative, brooding individual because you feel pity or are obligated to them, you will expose yourself to toxicity.

Doing so on a regular basis will never help them get better. Worse yet, it will slowly sap the life out of you. And that is probably what that person wants because misery loves company. If it’s a family member, confront them when they’re being negative and let them know you won’t tolerate it. You don’t have to be a jerk about it.

Be gentle, friendly and compassionate in your approach. But you can’t let them spew negativity into your brain. Ask them as a favor to try to stay on the sunny side of life, at least when they’re around you. If they won’t do that for you, they don’t care about you. Maybe then you should reconsider how much you should care about someone who holds you in such little regard.