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An editorial piece and a research article in this weeks BMJ discuss and investigate the spread of happiness and the concept that behaviours may spread over time from one person to another through their immediate and more distant social contacts. Social connectedness has relevance for health in that happiness is related to well-being- in terms of health, work, relationships, families and social lives.  

The editorial piece discusses the relation of happiness to health stating that happiness is reduced when people are ill, and that negative emotional states such as depression and anxiety may influence physical illnesses. Over recent years it has been suggested that happiness can also influence future ill health.

The objective of the research was to evaluate whether happiness can spread from person to person and whether niches of happiness form within social networks.  The researchers followed almost 5000 people over a period of 20 years and measured their happiness levels.

The results showed that the relationship between people’s happiness extends up to three degrees of separation (for example, to the friends of one’s friends’ friends). People who are surrounded by many happy people and those who are central in the network are more likely to become happy in the future.  The authors concluded that people’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.

Taken from the BMJ. Subscription required.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/337/dec04_2/a2338?papetoc