Happiness is contagious: study

Happiness is contagious: study

news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Happiness is contagious, researchers reported on Thursday.

The same team that demonstrated obesity and smoking spread in networks has shown that the more happy people you know, the more likely you are yourself to be happy.

And getting connected to happy people improves a person's own happiness, they reported in the British Medical Journal.

"What we are dealing with is an emotional stampede," Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical-

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I did not need a study to tell me this, but I am glad they did it anyway. I think there is a lot of emerging data from the science side that is starting to reinforce the foundations of the "New Age" metaphysical school of thought. I posted an article the other day about how our perception of reality has been proven to be utterly maleable.

To recap, this week we have seen science admit "we create our own reality" and now, "happiness breeds happiness".

Spread it around!


news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

VERY true! It can wash away all of the grumpy peoples work in an instant as well!

I try my best to be a bad influence on grumpy people to bring them over to the happy side. muhuhahahah!

reply to post by mellisamouse

Keep up the good work mate! We'll get them all!


that wasn't a one-liner was it?

[edit on 5-12-2008 by Aldolas]

You forget about chromosome X.
I have that.
And more than likely so do you..

all i see is like minded people kickin it together. this whole study is a huge waste of money.



scientific study: Fail

reply to post by liquidsmoke206




Now that my tongue exercises are out of the way, I would like to ask exactly how it is you have jumped to that conclusion?

Sorry for the double post, but I thik it is worth adding the following whicch is also being published in peer reviewed journals:

How happy you are may depend on how happy your friends' friends' friends are, even if you don't know them at all.

And a cheery next-door neighbor has more effect on your happiness than your spouse's mood.

So says a new study that followed a large group of people for 20 years — happiness is more contagious than previously thought.

"Your happiness depends not just on your choices and actions, but also on the choices and actions of people you don't even know who are one, two and three degrees removed from you," said Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a physician and social scientist at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study, to be published Friday in BMJ, a British journal. "There's kind of an emotional quiet riot that occurs and takes on a life of its own, that people themselves may be unaware of. Emotions have a collective existence — they are not just an individual phenomenon."

Strangers Cheer You Up

people wanna be around like minded people.
20 years spent to prove that?


weird.





[edit on 5-12-2008 by liquidsmoke206]

Someone infect me

I'm sure the study is true, previous studies have shown that if you smile you become innately happier, and if you see someone else smile you also become happier. As far as being around like minded people, I think studies have also shown that educated people are generally less happy than ignorant people...so the old saying ignorance is bliss was true.

[edit on 5-12-2008 by yellowcard]

reply to post by yellowcard


I just read some of your posts and would like to say that I consider you an insightful and intelligent person who demonstates great thougtfulness in your engagements with others.

Glad to make your acquaintance.

TWISI

PS - How ya feelin' now? Infected yet?

So lets just be happy then.

Maybe thats the answer to all of our problems, and us changing as a species.

Just breathe... be happy.