Happy is as Happy does
Happiness begets happiness...especially if you are central to the causation of happiness. A study from Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego found that
People at the center of the social network tend to be happier...and they are more susceptible to the waves of happiness that spread throughout the network.
To study the spread of emotion, the researchers plotted out the social connections of about 5,000 individuals enrolled in the ongoing Framingham Heart Study. To measure 'happiness' the study reviewed the participants feelings over the previous week "I felt hopeful about the future," "I was happy," "I enjoyed life," "I felt that I was just as good as other people." This has been shown to be a valid instrument for measuring positive affect and it has been taken as interchangeable with the concept of happiness. The study authors defined "happy" as a perfect score on all four questions. Listen to this commentary on 'the spread of happiness through a social network' or watch the great visual review
When one person becomes happy, the social network effect can spread up to 3 degrees — reaching friends of friends.
According to the new study on happiness and social networks, your probability of being happy rises:
- 15.3 percent if a friend or family member is happy
- 9.8 percent if friends of your friend or family member are happy
- 5.6 percent if friends of the friends of your friend or family member are happy
With the advent of Twitter and multiple other dynamic online social networking groups - we should hope to see an exponential growth in happiness in the very near future. How about a Twittappy Day - sending a 'happiness is Twitter' greeting to all your Tweeps should bring an enlightened surge of joy pulsating through the framework of social network ..bring it on
Happy Twittappy Day. I am happy, I am hopeful about the future, I enjoy life and feel I am just as good as other people http://short.to/bdf
Supporting the 'Free Hugs Campaign', 'SickPuppies.net', listening to Ivor Cutler and adding the synergistic 'Happiness is Twitter' should have a profound effect!
[youtube=
[youtube=
