Happiness spreads health like a virus

Posted on Wed, 7 Oct 09

People who experience higher levels of happiness, joy, excitement, enthusiasm and contentment live longer are less likely to suffer disease than those who are less happy (1). Importantly, happier people do not experience less stress and adversity in their lives but rather they have more social support, a higher level of social connectedness and are more likely to be optimistic (2). This suggests happiness is dependant not only on an individual’s outlook but also on the people around them. Recently it has been discovered, that much like a virus, happiness spreads contagiously through social networks.

Pebbles in the pond

In an analysis of the social networks of over 4,500 individuals it was found that the happiest people tend to be located in the centre of a social network of other happy people (3). Remarkably people’s happiness was related to the happiness of others even up to three degrees of separation in their social network which included close friends, neighbours, co-workers, and relatives. Commenting on their findings the study in investigators, Associate professor James Fowler from the University of California and Professor Nicholas Christakis at Harvard wrote “indeed, like pebbles thrown into a pond, changes in individual happiness can ripple through social networks and generate large-scale structure in the network, giving rise to clusters of happy and unhappy individuals.”

Spreading health and happiness

Happier individuals are more likely to have fulfilling marriages and relationships, a more satisfying social life, community involvement, greater health and wellbeing and a longer life (4). The finding that happiness can spread “contagiously” has important implications for how our health and happiness is affected by the people around us whether they are family, friends, our next door neighbour, community or society. It also speaks profoundly to how we can impact those around us, even people we may never meet.

References

1. Chida Y, Steptoe A. Positive psychological well-being and mortality: a quantitative review of prospective observational studies. Psychosom Med 2008;70:741-56.

2. Steptoe A, O’Donnell K, Marmot M, Wardle J. Positive affect and psychosocial processes related to health. Br J Psychol 2008;99:211-7.

3. Fowler JH, Christakis NA. Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years. BMJ 2008;337:a2338.

4. Lyubomirsky S, King L, Diener E. The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success? Psychol Bull 2005;131:803-55.