Catching happiness

By Gary Davis

Happiness is something most of us desire.

But if we are are sad, lonely, depressed, or angry how do we become happy?

Can we catch happiness from others?

The answer seems to be “Yes”:

” … whether an individual is happy also depends on whether others in the individual’s social network are happy. Happy people tend to be located in the centre of their local social networks and in large clusters of other happy people. The happiness of an individual is associated with the happiness of people up to three degrees removed in the social network. Happiness, in other words, is not merely a function of individual experience or individual choice but is also a property of groups of people.” (Fowler, J. H., & Christakis, N. A. (2008). Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study. Bmj, 337.)

The Framingham Heart Study article, cited above, established three important aspects of the influence of networks on individual happiness:

• Happiness is a network phenomenon, clustering in groups of people that extend up to three degrees of separation (for example, to one’s friends’ friends’ friends)
• Happiness spreads across a diverse array of social ties
• Network characteristics independently predict which individuals will be happy years into the future

At Find Fabulous Friends we are building a diverse network of friends and contacts, and helping people learn how to talk to strangers to increase mood and health. Our aim is to build an online space, a network of connections with strangers and friends, that increases happiness, health, and a socially connected life.