The following is an article about the damaging affects of being around complainers:
http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/listening-to-complainers-is-bad-for-your-brain.html
Please note that a complainer is not the same as someone who is going through a hard time and needs support. It’s easy to tell the difference because the complainer is never looking for solutions, only company in their misery. They put the worst possible spin on a situation rather than consider the context, other interpretations, or their own distortions. They see the world through a dirty lens and wonder why anyone else could possibly be happy in such an unfair and cruel world. When the interaction ends, their audience feels emotionally prickly and wish for a corner where they can curl into a ball.
Meanwhile, the person in genuine pain goes deeper than small inconveniences in life. Their problems are real and they are struggling to find ways to avoid being pulled down by the weight of their burdens. People in these situations need good friends who can walk side by side with them, without taking the struggle on or becoming mired in the pain too. The support person may feel tired and raw at the end, but there is a sense that the time together has been well spent, even if all that could be done is be present.
What I like most about this article is that it emphasizes that we must be protective of our mental health. If we surround ourselves with negative people, unhealthy envirnoments, and even toxic thoughts, we can’t help but take on those qualities in some way, shape, or form. Therefore, take care to find nourishing, uplifting, or intellectually challenging stimulation and friends so you even in hard times, you feel sustained.