Research shows that happiness is contagious. A smile attracts a smile. A happy person is likely to make someone else happy. Just as people are more likely to smoke when friends smoke, or get obese, when friends are obese, happiness also spreads like a virus. It does not only affect people in direct contact, but also influences the happiness of people to a third degree (friends of friends of friends).
A friend who lives within a mile and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25%. And a friend of this friend has 10% more chance to become happy thanks to the first person. And a friend of this friend of the friend still has 5.6% more chance on happiness than average. This means that a single happy person can influence quite a lot of people to become happy. This again explains why a strong social network is so important for all of us.
Comments 2
It is amazing how that little smile can be so important.We should all try it as much as possible.
Posted 16 Oct 2009 at 10:10 pm ¶I couldn’t agree with you more about happiness. A happy person is a positive person and when this attitude is projected it will definitely change lives for the better. I refuse to be around negative people. If I can’t help change them and that’s the way they want to act, I’m out of there. Thanks for the uplifting post!
Friends 4 Life!
Posted 20 Oct 2009 at 3:16 am ¶Post a Comment