That Happened!

New York - Strangers may cheer you up, according to a study published Dec. 5, 2008. Even the happiness of your friend’s friend’s friends can influence your own, according to the study conducted over 20 years by Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis.

The social scientist at Harvard Medical School studied 4.739 people from 1983 through 2003, tracking social networks and interactions. His study was published by the British scientific journal, BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal). Co-author James H. Fowler, associate professor, political science University of California, stated their research shows that even if you don’t know the person, others in the social network downline can influence your own happiness.

Some critics of the study mentioned it should be further verified because the study only involved persons living in one town, Framingham, Mass. This study, which was sponsored by the NIA, (National Institute on Aging), revealed some surprising results.

One such result was a conclusion by the team that having a happy, cheery next-door neighbor overrides the effect of a spouse’s mood on your happiness. Some scientists theorize that same sex interactions may have more impact than opposites, to explain this result. The increase in a person’s happiness level was directly related to several factors, including the physical distance away from each other. The closer the distance, the greater the influence. The same ratio occurred regarding familial ties. Family has more impact than friends.

The impact of smiling has been researched before, in studies of infants. The mother’s smile is most interesting to an infant, and the infant learns a smile response will have positive results. New methods of communication, like e-mail and social networking website interactions, can lessen the negative impact of long distances. In another study of Facebook profiles, it was found that people who posted smiling photos had more friends who also posted smiles.

The length of time from a happiness event affects personal happiness. If your friend is happy within the past year, it has more influence. Coworkers who are friends can make you happy.

Personal circumstances override any friend’s happiness influence, but the effects were clear that happiness spreads, is contagious. You can be affected by a friend’s happiness, and their happiness may come downline from their circle of friends, and even to the next level. Therefore, someone you don’t even know can be a reason for raising your level of happiness!

It’s the old “birds of a feather flock together”, happy people who are in the center of a group of happy friends are happiest of all, and most likely to stay happy.

References
Fowler JH, Christakis NA. Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis of the Framingham Heart Study social network. BMJ 2008;337:a2338.