In case you were not sure, happiness is contagious. Science has quantified happiness! Finally.
Over the last 20 years, scientists from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University have studied a group of 4739 individuals to track their emotions. The study found that emotions, particularly happiness, have a viral effect on how it spreads from one person to another. If you are within three degrees of separation from the original happy holder, chances are you will feel more happy—9% more happy to be exact. The study also found that the viral effect of happiness works best with same sex friendships. Only heterosexual relationships were followed, so we will not know if gay people are twice as happy because they get to have a same sex friendship and the marriage. Maybe in another 20 years my civil rights will matter to science enough to consider adding this wrench into the sample.
What we can take away from this study is that hanging out with like chromosomes who are happy will indeed add to your happiness. Sorry, phone and virtual friendships did not withstand the study. We need human contact to really get the 9%. The study can be found at the British Medical Journal website (search happiness). It’s free to read. I’ve attached the PDF too.
