Part 1: Is Happiness Contagious?

Proven Tips To Enhance Your Happiness Ratio in 2009

We know that measles are contagious… the flu can be contagious…but can happiness be contagious? There’s a growing evidence that if you are happy, those around might find themselves happier as well. Tonight we will look at some of the current research related to the chain reaction effects of happiness.

Many people know that if all of your friends are depressed, there is a high likelihood that you will feel down and blue. But, tell us about this new research that states happiness can be “catching.”
• A Harvard Medical School study indicated that sadness spreads in social networks, but not as quickly as happiness.
• Add a happy friend to your life and it enhances your chance of being happy by 9%
• Socialize with an unhappy friend and your happiness level goes down by 7%
• You can control your happiness quotient by bringing happy people into your life and controlling the number of sad people that surround you.
• There is a chain reaction that increases happiness, and our mood can have a dramatic positive effect on those we know and love

Is this study related to “influential contacts” unique?
• We now know that our social contacts effect more than we may have once believed in a wide variety of factors
• Statistics indicate that if our partner, friends our spouse is overweight, we tend to increase our weight to match theirs. In fact, we have a 57% higher chance of being obese if our significant other is obese.
• If someone you love quits smoking, studies prove that you might have a 37% higher chance of “quitting the habit” as well.
• Multiple studies indicate that the quality and quantity of our friendships and relationships effect our health and our ability to fight disease, and even survive cancer

What can we do to enhance our happiness ratio?
• Studies show you are 15% happier if your significant other or best friend is happy, so that means it’s important to surround yourself with happy people
• Look for things around you that make you happy. If you can see things that make you happy, or reasons to be grateful, you will be less likely to dwell on unhappiness or negativism
• Create a “pact” with your friends and family to focus on positives versus negatives, and make time to share your positives with each other on a daily basis.
• Remember that happiness is contagious so go out and spread the JOY!