HAPPINESS IN A SOCIAL NETWORK

A new study by James H. Fowler and Nicholas A. Christakis, in the British Medical Journal, concludes that your happiness can be spread through degrees of separation within your social networks. I think that it could be easier to stay in a good mood and be a "happy camper" if you interact with individuals that are advocates of the benevolent universe premise. I think a general positive attitude outlook could spread to others, but it has to start with you, the individual. Therefore I can't agree with the following statement from the study:

Conclusions 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. (BMJ 2008;337:a2338, December 4, 2008.)

[Editor's note: I have empasized the word, collective, in the quote.]

Related: My post, PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS.