Happiness is ContagiousThe study of the relationships of nearly 5,000 people tracked for decades in the Framingham Heart Study shows that good cheer spreads through social networks of nearby family, friends and neighbors. With the upcoming holidays and the increasing number of individuals using the internet and cellphones (e.g. facebook, myspace) to network, I am wondering what you think of the conclusions reached in the article and why. Please remember to refer to the article in your blog.
In my opinion the article that i just read is one-hundred percent true. Mostly the part that is says that you are more likely to be happy when you are hanging out with someone who is happy all the time. I have witness that everyday with my little brother. Everytime i get home mad or upset about something he always finds a way to say or do things that will just make me laugh non-stop, some of thise things might be cursing words but it still gets the job done. Just the simple action of talking to people can change the perspective of you looking at things, to a much happier way. What I try to do is sorround myself with happy people and try to be one of those people to someone else as well..
hah. i think it’s soo hilarious that the happiness theory doesn’t work in the workplace. i would almost say that you could expect the same with school – but we get a lot of breaks/free time.
so the conclusions are that happiness spreads [as they related it, like the HIV virus] from happy person to another person – but only is effective if the people are close, geographically. the same works for depressed people.
i believe this.
i absolutely do. i believe that people copy other people. they might not mean to, but they do. friends pick up on each others’ characteristics. children repeat things that they’ve seen their parents do. etc, etc. it only makes sense that if someone, who you see often, is depressed or happy you will be too.
as for the holiday season, i won’t say that people will be happier. people acknowledge that happiness and holidays go hand in hand, but it only means that they will strive harder to be happy during these months – no guarantees. i know a few families who have had horrible christmases. but like the article said, to get happiness from someone else, they have to be in a close proximity and be seen face-to-face, so facebook/myspace and cell phones won’t cut it.
I agree with this article I suppose. The article stated that cell phone and internet connections are not the same as face to face connections. My grandmother lives all the way in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and talking to her on the phone is never the same as seeing her in real person. The excitement of seeing her with my own eyes is much different then just her voice. Being able to see that she is live and well makes me much more happy. Now I’m not sure that it works completely, well for me anyway. If I am in a very disgusted not so happy mood, if I see someone very happy for some reason it just makes me sick to my stomach. When I say that people get the thought that “I want everyone to be depressed like me”, but that in no way is the case. Sometimes positivity just doesn’t make me feel any better, it just bugs me more. I’m not sure why, but then again, I am a rare species.
I agree with the conclusion of this article. I think that cheer can be shared and passed on. When my family is happy I’m happy. There good feelings pass on in different ways. When the article described that happy people are the center of social network groups, I thought about it and agreed. Happy people tend to be very social and like to share their joy, so it would make sense that they would have a lot of friends on these sites. It’s also interesting to think that your neighbors happiness can be yours. I find it true, because when my neighbors tell me about something that made there day. it would make me happy.
After reading this article i kinda do actually agree with this whole “happiness is contagious”. When it brought points about happiness can spread i actually thought about my situations and how it was pretty true and pretty much the same happened. Let’s say you’re happy because of something that happened recently of course you would want to share with your friends and pretty talkative to other people, so that would make you want to tell them the good news. Then most likely whoever you told would be happy for you for whatever reason you told them, so pretty much that shows that happiness can spread. And just for instance when i got my new phone i was pretty excited cuz i needed one so i told my friends and they were pretty happy to cause they wanted to see it and play with it, so it just proves to me more that happiness can spread and can usually be pretty contagious. Unless when someone can get pretty jealous and envy whatever reason you’re happy for, then maybe not so much.
I really do believe this article is stating the truth. I didn’t have to go out and do a big study to realize that the way the people around you act, rubs off on the way you act. In most families, when the mom is mad, the whole family becomes grumpy and irritable and vice versa. So if it works in a family why shouldn’t it work with close friends and other close relatives?
I was surprised that it doesn’t work inside the workplace. When people are all depressed at work, it makes you not want to keep working because now you’re all depressed too, but when the people you are working with are happy to be working, you want to be happy too.
I don’t think it really works online because you cant really communicate emotion through the internet. I mean you can type a happy face, but thats about it. The article said that, “Although we are connected with friends and family members who live far away via cellphone and the Internet, these results indicate that there is nothing like a face-to-face interaction,” Oishi said. “We are told to get connected by cellphone companies, but in order to get connected you really have to live close by and interact face to face.” I think it might be able to work over the phone, because the person on the other side can hear the happiness in your voice even though they can’t see your face.
I believe this article is very true. Surrounding yourself with happy people makes you happy. I found that out myself hanging out with all my friends. They are all such happy people and in return I’d noticed I’d become a happier person, and that has spread to my family because when I get home from school I’m happy so I cheer them up. I’m not really sure if the whole internet connection is as affective as a face to face reaction. I’m sure if you have a lot of friends you have a lot of friends on MySpace or facebook because a lot of them are from school, church or friends you meet at different places. I’m sure if you are happy you can leave nice messages to your friends and stuff like that but I don’t think it’s the same. I think it works better face-to-face. Like the article says “Although we are connected with friends and family members who live far away via cell phone and the Internet, these results indicate that there is nothing like a face-to-face interaction”
Ohhh foooo reallll!
This article is totally legit.
They say that when people around you are happy, it makes you happy. Its true the other way around too. When you watch the news and hear sad stories and horrible crimes, it gets you upset. When you hear happy things, it makes you feel better. YOu can’t help but to laugh and relax a little bit when you’re surrounded by joyful, encouraging people.
I remember a couple of weeks ago while I was watching the news. They reported on a story about a young boy with leukemia who’s only wish was to feed the homeless. This story – a happy story – made me happy and it was obvious all the reporters on TV were too.
I was very surprised to read in the article that people who said they were happy were more likely to live longer, even if they had a chronic illness.
The piece also said that cellphones/Myspace arent the same as face to face conversations. Im not to sure if I want to agree with that. Myspace? Maybe. But I feel that speaking to someone is just as great as seeing them. When youre on the phone, you get to hear the laughter, emotion, and voice of the person. Its kinda the same thing.
Happiness is VERY contagious.
I would have to say that this article is very true. When the article goes into say that happiness is very contagious, I know that this is very true in my life. I myself am a very happy person and will always try my best to smile at everyone I meet. Due to this, people will often times brighten up if they are gloomy after talking to me. Now since I am not to social, I would have to disagree with the statement of being in larger social networks causes more people to become happy. I am always happy despite the fact that I am not in a large social group. This statement is true for some, but it is not entirely true for everyone. Besides this fact, I am glad that happiness is contagious. If it were not, then everyone who is happy would soon lose the happiness they had and be gloomy along with everyone else.
I love this article. I agree with it because it’s true that happy people attract more people. It’s because we want to be happy and so we’re more likely to go to them. I don’t really know if it’s true about the 44% of happiness when your friend lives a mile away. I just think that if their close no matter how far apart good friends are they will be happy when they get to see each other. I do think that happiness is contagieouse because I know that when I see some one happy I want to be happy too.
I strongly agree with this article, happiness is contagious. It spreads like wildfire, and is compared to be contagious just like HIV, except in a good way. Every one of your partners are affected. For example, if I was really happy (which I usually am) and hung out with my friend(s), it would affect them up to 42% if I lived within a close range. HIV has a huge percentage of affecting you too. If you were to have sexual intercourse with an infected person. Although you may not realize that it is affecting you at the moment, it is.
Whenever I spend time with, or even just see a happy person, I usually do feel happier. It was explained in the article that just knowing someone that is happy can make you 15.3% happier. Sometimes if I am having a bad day, and I see my happy nephew running around, it makes me happier. It affects the whole environment and makes helps the place have a more light and relaxing vibe.
“Your emotional state depends not just on actions and choices that you make, but also on actions and choices of other people, many of which you don’t even know,” quoted from Dr. Nicholas A. I agree with this quote. When someone around me is happy, I am happy for them. Likewise, when someone around me is angry, it also brings down my mood at the same time.
Well I think this article is true in the way because we are happy with people around us. Like we are happier at break than in the classroom with the exception if we sit with our friends. The thing that gets me is that we need friends would live near us…but if you think of it I-poly is like a “social network” school because we live in different parts in the county, you know? I kinda of see it true because the people who live closer to each other tend to be more happier than those who don’t. Last comment are the people who are in misery: do they they live in a narrow world or they immune to happiness??? (sorry if that was a stupid remark but I’m just wondering then)
~j.p.
Happiness is contagious. I am totally agreed with the article just by looking at that sentence. Life time experience has taught me that several times. It doesn’t matter if the person is close to you or relative to you. Their happiness may influence to you. And that is what this about “Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself, the study found. A happy friend of a friend increases your odds of happiness by 9.8%, and even your neighbor’s sister’s friend can give you a 5.6% boost.” I got confused on this one because I was trying to figure who my neighbor is and see if it actually works.
Anyways, happiness is contagious, I totally agree with that.
The author makes a convincing argument in this article. What really shocked me was when he said,”The research is part of a growing trend to measure well-being as a crucial component of public health. Scientists have documented that people who describe themselves as happy are likely to live longer, even if they have a chronic illness.” That is really amazing. If i have the correct understanding, if i would have diabetes but i am a optimistic person i am more likely to live longer than a person that is not optimistic.
That impulses me to live life happy. In that way i will live longer.
I don’t like this article. I don’t think that just because i see a happy person i’m going to be happy. I believe you have the power to control your emotions.
Like this article sort of pissed me off. because its saying that we base or happiness on other people which i don’t think is true.
I seriously believe in this article. Of course when other people are happy it makes you happy! You get a lot more laughs when people are in a good mood. You just tend to enjoy life a lot more when you are happy. In order to be happy though you have to like who you are. People can fake being happy but that just isn’t the same. I actually really do like who I am even if some people don’t.
I think all that neighbor stuff is bull crap though. A happy neighbor will make you 34% more likely to be happy than your friend who would only make you 9.8% more like to be happy? I think it would be the other way around but apparently not. I do agree with the proximity range of your friends. If you live closer, it is a lot easier to hang out but when you live like 20 miles apart, it makes arrangements difficult. They should have put something in there of how much affect your parents have on you. You would think a lot because they are the people who influence you the most.
I am a really happy person and I laugh at way to many things. I find too many things funny and I don’t know why. Today sucked though and I’m still happy. I think I have a problem with my brain. I am happy about 360 days out of the year and the days that I am not happy, it tends to mess up the people around me. My happiness sometimes comes at the expense of other people but doesn’t everyone’s. I think I enjoy when people get hurt a lot more then other people its just freaking hilarious sometimes and then you replay it in your head and its even more funny.
I liked how it said happy people live longer. That makes me happy xD. I think that being happy could have something to do with genes, but I think it has more to do with what is going on in your life. I believe in the last line of the article “You can’t just treat individuals; you have to treat networks or communities.” People are connected in so many ways so if you are trying to help someone, it is a good idea to also focus on the people around them. The article did say happiness is contagious so maybe if everyone put on a smile the world would be a better place xD. Be happy people!
Mmm. But like sometimes, on a bad day for example, don’t happy people just make you even more pissed off?
//ponders
I completely agree with this article. When the article talked about how if you surround yourself with happy people you are more likely to be happy yourself I thought that was pretty rational. It sort of reminded me of the different groups of friends that I talk to. I have a few friends that I go to for very serious things and they have pretty serious attitudes but when I feel like being cheered up I call one of my dorky friends that make me laugh. Also I tend to be happier around my mom who is for the most part a cheerful person and is usually smiling.
I guess surrounding yourself with happy people will make you a happier person in the long run. I think you will still be sad on a few days even if you have the happiest people as your best friends but throughout your life you will probably smile more.
Yep.
I totally agree with this article! When I’m hanging out with my friends, they’re always happy and joking around, and i become happy too. But when one of them is having a bad day or just randomly pessimistic, then that totally ruins my day. At home, i’m usually alone and i’m totally different, without my friends around, i’m just lazy and hate everything.
and the whole “it’s not as happy on the phone” thing, yeah, i agree with that too. friends send texts that would make me laugh, but i have never laughed as much as i do when in person.
oh, and i also like it when the waiters at restaurants smile. when they don’t i’m like, “jeez, i’m sorry i’m such a burden to you… jerk”
OMG I like this article! It’s so true! except for when it says that a happy neighbor will make you 34% more likely to be happy than your friend who would only make you 9.8% happier. I don’t even talk to my neighbors. How can they make me happier than my best friend?
I am usually always happy, unless Aron says something mean to me and then laughs for about half an hour because he thinks people in pain are freaking hilarious.
anyways, sometimes happy people piss me off when I’m mad. Then they’re just annoying. And they’re always like, “smile and the whole world smiles with you!!” and it’s like, “SHUT UP”.
I don’t understand how some people go through life all depressed and emooo. What a waste of time! Smile! Laugh! Laughing is good exercise! Then you’ll get abs and you won’t be flabby anymore and people will think you are fiiiiine.
So anyways of course happiness is contagious! we don’t need a freaking study to prove it.
YAY HAPPY PEOPLE.
yah yah happiness is contagious. so what? I guess I agree with the study that how one person acts may infact influence others around them to act the same way. but this works both way. If happiness is an emotion that can be passed from person to person then so can rage or anger or depression or many other emotions.
what i actually found hilarious was that someone actually did a study on this. Gosh do some research that might actually benefit mankind!
In the study it said that when treating someone for depression you cannot simply just treat the problem without seeing who these people hang out with and those people influence who they are in side, what kind of choices they make.
The reason I like this article so much is because it reminds us that happiness is not a given, it is privilege; it is something that we all have to work and strive for. Happiness is not only something we have to work to discover. It also takes work to keep happiness, because in some places-places where negativity lingers, happiness will never thrive.Maintaining a happy heart is a full time job but the benefits to being happy are undeniable.
My dad used to always warn me to be ware of the people who are trying to steal my energy. I would proceed to do my polite “im not listening” head nod and go about my business but as I got older I began to understand what he meant. Now that I am entering my later phases of my transition to adualt hood I have realized the importence of who you surround yourself with.
What I learned from the article is that the level of happiness the people have that surround you, is as much a factor as is say their social or economical statuses.
I say this article is completely true and kind of funny. It took some really smart scientists decades of following people around just to prove that happiness is contagious. They could have just looked at little kids or just normal people in one day and would have seen that when you smile at someone, that person smiles back and then goes on to smile at someone else, how hard could it be to see that. Anyways, I agree with this article because I have seen it be proven true many times. My baby cousin is the proof. Whenever I feel down or bummed, my cousin does something or says dumb stuff that gets me laughing non-stop. After that I feel much happier and smile, then I smile to others and make them happy. I guess I try to be the person that makes others happy like my little cousin makes me happy. But what I still have some trouble is why these analysts that studied the social network of happiness and put all types of numbers of how different relationships have different impacts on how happy others make you. I don’t agree with that part. Like when I meet a new person and they make me laugh or just do something stupid, I remember that for a while and then I just start laughing by myself, I bet that must look stupid also and I make others laugh, keeping the happiness chain going. The article said that the more frequently you see a person, the bigger impact they have on raising your happiness, but I don’t see that. If anyone that I meet makes me laugh, I feel much happier, I don’t see a difference in how happy I get when I meet with different people. But I guess the gist of all that I just said would be that I agree with this article and that happiness “Is” contagious.
Happiness I believe IS contagious BUT only when the person is vulnerable enough to be susceptible enough to receive it. Therefore extreme negativity would be the antidote to the ‘happiness virus’ One could be so stricken with negativity, that seeing happy people would only make them more unhappy out of jealousy that they are not happy. Nevertheless in a normal situation, it is hard to see how happiness could NOT be contagious.
I think that happiness is a state that one can b in, and that it is always possible to change the state of mind of others, even if it is subconsciously. Human beings are mimicking animals, so if someone were to talk about how good and happy they feel, it is easy to feel good, but when someone mentions how sad or bad that they feel, you are more inclined to feel the same way.
I think this article is true in all of its aspects. I can say when I am around happy people I do feel happier myself. Fro example when the article talked about siblings “siblings make you 14% more likely to be happy yourself”. I can say if I’m ever having a bad day, and I come home and my brother and sister run to me with their smiling faces I feel better instantly. I don’t know what it is about them, but whatever it is it works.
I agree that happiness is contiguous. Say you hear someone laugh on the other side of the room; I can say it makes me laugh even though I have no clue what it is about. There is just something in the air I guess. Also another example that I find is true is “A happy friend who lives within a half-mile makes you 42% more likely to be happy yourself.” It’s all so amazing. My best friend lives about ½ to 1 mile from my house and any time I call her and she is having a great day so am I. It is like we are linked to each other. It seems to be that way with a lot of people. If you know someone is sad or depressed don’t you find it to be odd that you feel a little of what they are feeling. No matter the feeling they all seem to be contagious. So I agree when the article said and proved that “Happiness is contagious”.
I agree with the particle. Happiness is contagious. If you are feeling depressed and you have a friend who is always happy, that person is some how going to make you laugh or make you happier. I think if you talk to some one over the phone you could get happy by just listening to their voice. You don’t have to see the person to get happy some times it’s the voice that triggers your emotions. But happiness is contagious and it makes your life a little easier.
I definitely agree that happiness is contagious. People tend to get the best out of you, regardless of age, when you’re feeling down. I know this because I can’t remember one day where I actually spent 24 hours being either mad or depressed. The reason for this is because happiness is always in you no matter what kind of person you are or what emotion you’re feeling. For example, every time I go to family parties I always tend to feel bored and a lone because all of my cousins that I use to hang out with grew up or got married so I’m basically the oldest one that is still there. But there is something about my little cousin Jordan ,who is 5, that makes my day because no matter what mood he’s in he is always showing happiness. Just the other day I asked him why he was always happy and he responded with, “Because being mad or sad is not good for you”, and I couldn’t agree any other way.
I agree with the article. My experiences show me that if the people around me are happy I am more likely to be happy.I think this works with all types of emotions. If the people around me are angry, bored or sad I am likely to feel the same way and I have noticed this in other people. This is not the first time this has been researched. I have read about other researches on the exact same thing that came out the same way.
i agree with this article because having like negative emo people around you all the time, like makes you as a person negative and sad. So yeah i guess you could say happiness in contagious. Cause like if you’re with your best friend and like she’s happy and laughing and excited then of course you know its gonna catch on.
i don’t know about that whole your neighbor makes you happier than your best friend though..cause i don’t even talk to my neighbors. haha
but i do agree with the other people who are responding..like if i am having one of the worst days of my life, happy people would tend to piss me off.
:]
I believe that the article proves some good points. Like other people who are happy near you you tend to be happy too. Like when I am at the store and guys are being stupid and perverted it makes me angry but then I see a stranger that just looks at me and smile and I just smile back and I don’t feel so angry anymore. But I believe the part where the article says that when your family lives far they don’t make you happy even if you see each other frequently that is a lie. I am always happy to see my aunt who lives in Ontario and we see each other every week and so I found that a bit of not true. I read an article not to long ago it was talking about how when your angry or sad try to smile and you will not be angry nor sad anymore.
I have heard this argument before just without the statistics about proximity to a happy person. In my own life i have witnessed this theory about being around a happy person is likely to make you happy. For example alot of times someone who is depressed will try to talk to someone who will make them laugh to have them feel better and it works. The one thing about this article i disagree with is the statistics because i feel that you do not have to be right next to a happy person to get the vibe from them I can simply be texting someone and i can feel there happy vibe and in turn i will return the happy vibe in my response. Which brings me to my answer about use different media devices to communicate i think you can still “catch” the happiness bug through them.
I actually read this article in the LA times, so I thought it was pretty cool that my next blog would be about this. I do agree with the “happiness is contagious” theory, because when I surround myself with people, my mood will usually reflect theirs. I also believe that ultimately everyone has full control of their own mood, so even though someone else’s mood may have an influence, it will not completely change it. I agree with the part of the article that states “nothing is like face-to-face interaction”, even though hearing from a person via phone or internet is nice, i don’t think it can include all the things you would see in person. Things such as physical interaction and “vibes” a person may put off.
I would definitely agree with this article that happiness is Contagious. I agree with this article because every time im in a bad mood and im around a happy person they always cheer me up one way or another no matter what. i have also been told that my happiness and goofiness can cheer a person up when that certain person is down. I don’t know anyone that wouldnt want to be happy or a around a happy person because that happy person can always put you in a good mood and make your day everyday a great full day with a bit smile.
The research is pretty impressive. I guess we have to start seeing each other more and staying away from the negative people, unless we cheer them up. I guess technology, by making us stay away from us “face to face” is just going to help us keep our depression inside since we won’t be able to express ourselves more than we do face-to-face, since it will insure us that the person is sincere. PLus sometimes people just talk to people who they don’t really know. It just goes to show you that technology has more negative than we thought.
“…Emotions can spread like a virus.” This is what I read in the article.
‘Happiness is contagious.’ I think that it really depends on the person. You can get happy because of the people around you but at the same time this isn’t always true. For example, if someone is doing something that is making them happy and you know that it’s not the best thing for them, it is not making you happy even though it makes them happy. You can ‘show’ that you are happy but you aren’t actually happy. You are more irritated than happy, I guess.
Don’t get me wrong, people can be truly happy because of their surroundings. The research give percentages of how much more likely you are to be happy because of your surroundings. I would think that it is that people are happier for those brief moments that they are around the people. I don’t think that it grants true happiness unless you are constantly around those people.
Technology has a play in this too. It seems that people would be happier with a face to face visit rather that over the phone or through the computer. There’s something about communicating in person that keeps a person happy. I guess it is the vibe a person sets off, the facial expressions, hand gestures, etc. It keeps you from missing the person.
I agree on the article that I read and that happiness can be contagious. Sometimes you are in a very depressing or angry mood and if you are around people that are happy it is very likely that you are going to be happy too. Also the waiter part is true, sometimes you go to a restaurant and if the waiter is nice and has a smile on it makes you feel more comfortable. For example one day I went to subway and the lady that i got was so mean she didn’t smile once and if you told her something she would get mad and that just get you in a bad mood. Also when you go out, usually with your friend, if everyone is having a good time then most likely you are going to have a good time but whenever there iis like two people just not feeling happy or in the mood everyone together gets in a bad mood. Personally I do agree on this because happiness is contagious as also any other emotion you can think of.
I somewhat agree with this article. I was skeptical at first, especially when they repeatedly referred to happiness as a disease. But then they mentioned waitresses getting good tips because of their uplifting manners and I realized for the most part its true. It reminded me of a couple of times I had with the same experience. One of these times was when a bus driver just greeted me as i got on, and usually their the biggest jerks. It also makes sense that the people you aren’t close to do not have as much affect on you. And as for the workplace, I guess people for the most part just focus on getting the job done.
I agree with this article. I believe that when you express emotions, those emotions will get projected on to the people around you. When people say ‘misery loves company’ it is true, and it only makes sense that it would work the opposite way, as well. When my family or friends are happy, I can’t help but feel happy with them and for them. I also agree with the fact that it would have to be geographically close for it to work, or face to face. Over the internet and via cellphones becomes more impersonal because you can’t read off the body language, or share that interaction when you aren’t near the person. The workplace thing I found interesting. I guess it kind of makes sense, since at the workplace you are usually concentrating on your work.
I’ve come to find that this article is pretty much true! Well, at least to my life. Being surrounded with people who are always happy or most of the time happy can rub off on you. Being around family and friends when they are in a GOOD or even down mood really can affect the whole group. In which i’ve come to witness more than once.
So i do agree with this whole “Happiness is Contagious” theory.
P.s.
I was also surprised to see how high the percentages of how happy you will become if near a happy person. It made me laugh of they even mentioned that
“A happy friend of a friend increases your odds of happiness by 9.8%, and even your neighbor’s sister’s friend can give you a 5.6% boost. ” So its amazes me that through these decades of re-searching they were able to come up with this data that pretty much pin-points your happiness meter? Anywho i found the data pretty interesting.
This article compared the spread of happiness to the spread of contagious disease. Happiness seemed to spread only through face-to-face contact between friends, family, and neighbors who were in close geographic proximity to each other.
I agree with the article.
I think happiness is contagious with friends, family, and neighbors because to some extent I think people in general want have what others they know have. I also agree with some of the other responses that people copy each other. For me, I know when I see one of my friends or family members really happy not only am I happy for them but I want something of my own to be happy for too. We may not realize it, but in general I think people want the things other people around them have. I think that’s one of the reasons happiness wasn’t contagious in the workforce. For many people, the people in the workforce are simply co-workers and not true friends so seeing them happy may have the opposite effect on you. I also thought it was funny how people are pointing out that seeing happy people sometimes just pisses them off more, because I’ve had those days too…
I think one of the reasons happiness isn’t contagious by phone calls, or internet messages because you don’t get a true feeling of emotion with those forms of communication. My cousins currently going to college in Texas so I haven’t seen her very much over the past year. I smile when I read some of her text messages, and we laugh together on the phone, but it doesn’t compare to when I see how happy she is in person. Something about seeing her facial expressions and feeling her emotions in person means so much more then talking on the phone or emailing her.
I would have to agree with the article that happiness is contagious. I was really shocked by the numbers they gave out. For example a happy friend who lives within a half-mile makes you 42% more likely to be happy yourself, I think this is pretty crazy but I do believe this. Because a lot of my friends live with in half a mile from me and they do make me pretty happy just by knowing they are their. One that I would have to agree with and I know its true is a happy siblings make you 14% more likely to be happy yourself, but only if they live within one mile. The reason why I agree with this is because my little nephew lives with me and he is always happy, so some way he manages to make me happy. No matter if I had a bad day or I’m just sad he just always make me laugh by the things he does and say. I think it’s amazing how happiness could be contagious. I know that when I’m around some one I could always make the laugh and get happy. Because that’s just how I am, a happy person. I also think this could go the other way. That if someone close to you like a family member or a real good friend is sad then you would also be some what sad, but that’s just my opinion. Over all I hate being sad, because that just makes things go wrong. So that’s why I always try to maintain happy and make the people around me happy to.
I completly 100% AGREE with this article on how happiness is contagious!!
Just like smiling, if you smile at one person they will smile back and then they will smile at someone eles! People’s emotions do bring out emotions in ourselves. For example the study shows that when a friend lives closer to you your happiness goes up 20% more than if a friend that was happy lived farther away! And i can relate to that when my friend that lives right across that street is happy and she tells me about it i am way happier than if my friend if west covina is happy about something. It’s not about if i like one more than the other it’s just i can feel and see my friends happiness that lives closer to me than the one who lives in west covina. Also how a spouse gives you an 8% boost if they live under the same roof, i can’t TOTALLY relate because i don’t live under the same roof as my boyfriend but when he’s in a good mood he deffently give me a joyful boost! =D
Also people can bring out your happiness and your depression or sleepyness or whatever. If i’m around a person who is hyper and all happy and laughing i’m going to start laughing and getting excited! But if i’m around people who are quiet and more claim then that how i’m going to act.
In my house my mom is a really loud, happy, hyper person and so she brings out the best in me and my brothers. But it’s so strange how when she is in a good mood we can all be in a great mood but then if her mood shifts then we are all quiet or claim and we just act different compared to when she is in a good or bad mood. It’s like her mood contols the house!
I enjoyed reading this article and seeing how much of an impact others happiness has on ourselves, was very interesting! It was alsot fun because i could TOTALLY realate! A smile can go a lonng way but giving someone happiness can go an even lonngger way! I believe happiness is like a disease and it spreads like wildfire and it’s almost impossible to put the fire out once it’s been lit!
I guess ima have to agree with the article as well. Ive had some experiences where I notice that I would randomly get happy because one of my friends or family were. When they achieve something they worked hard for or when the just come outside or meet up somewhere happy it really grows on you. But since all emotions are strong like happiness, isn’t the a “contagious disease” for all emotions. I could see emotions being contagious just as happiness with the same conditions. If your near angry people all the time then i should effect you to just as if you were around happy people. I don’t wanna sound weird and all but when i see couples together and stuff, it kinda puts me in the mood but i dont have a girlfriend and the i want one. not sure if that is related but i tried to get a point across. no ones gonna read this anyway beside Purther, maybe and I guess its all vibe. Whether the vibe is happy, sad, angry, or in love, it all effects you.
I think this article has very good research to back itself up, but I don’t necessarily agree with everything in it. I don’t really think that it is true that all people will be happy if they are in large social networks. Who really cares if you have 500 friends, but none of them are there for you? What difference does it make if you are only happy where there is someone around?
People have to be at peace with themselves, and happy on their own. What good is life if you cannot make yourself smile? What will you ever accomplish if your only source of happiness is other peoples happiness. That’s like being a leech and feeding off others.
Also I don’t agree with the statement about friends living farther away. Most of my friends don’t live that close to me. Many of the people who make me the most happy are the ones that live the furthest away. Maybe I-Poly is an exception because we still see each other every day, but I still don’t think that is true. For example, one of the people that makes me the happiest is my cousin, but she lives 3 and a half miles away. I actually think I am happier when I see and talk to her now than when she lived closer.
Also, what if neighbors are your friends? Does that make them fit in the neighbor catergory or the friend catergory? There aren’t statistics for that…
For us at i-poly would we be considered co-workers? or a social network? would the happiness spread or not?
Does video chat count as face-to-face? you can read emotions that way…
okay… now i am just going on and on… Wrap up- I believe this article could have a solid foundation for understanding sociology, social networking and groups, but I do not believe that this research will truly help psychologists who want to figure out the true reasons for happiness.
After reading this article i kinda do actually agree with this whole “happiness is contagious”. i just think of the times when im mad and happy people come around and just make me more pissed off. MOstly i dont think it spreads, only sometimes.
Happiness is Contagious, well I agree with this article, but yet I also disagree with it. Main reason why I agree with it is because it say’s people are most likely going to be happy when people are happy around them. But this is not always true, you can have people around you that are happy, and having a good time but at the same time you personally can be sad or just plain unhappy. Some people may call that depression, but that is just not the case in this instance. It really just depends on the person, and how they feel about the people around them.
This article does have a understanding for sociology, and what not; but a thing to always keep in mind is that sociology does not count for everyone, just a majority or the population. So that is why I do not agree with this article all to much. However one thing I will agree strongly with is the whole face-to-face thing that the article talks about. How talking face-to-face can make someone happier or whatever because you can read there emotions on there face better. In my own opinion I think face-to-face is the way to talk to people to know if you get happy from talking to them or whatever. Main reason is that if you are just talking to someone on myspace, or AIM, or what have you; you cannot really know how you feel (happy, sad, etc.) because you have not seen that person.
Back to how happiness is contagious, well if you are with people you like (friends, family) and those people are happy then you will most likely crack a smile and feel better. But if you are around people you are just ‘eh’ about then most likely you will just stay the same inside. For an example, when I am around my friends and they are all happy and having a good time but I maybe in a bad mood, I still end up forgetting what I maybe upset about and crack a smile. But for a different example, around the holidays my family is always in a good mood talking to everyone, laughing about stupid things like a family does; but I am always in a ‘pissy mood’ I guess you can say. Main reason why is I am always left doing the cooking, and cleaning, and no matter how happy my family is I am always in a bad mood. So in that case happiness is NOT contagious.
I think that this article is great! it was finally something uplifting. lol wheather or not i think its true? Heck yes! i truly beleve in this article it like when your super happy and wide awake, when you go into a room with a lot of tired people they drain your energy and make you fall into their mood. It works the same way with happy people when you start feeling bad if you walk into a room with good energy you tend to gain thats energy and become happy.
Happyness is contagious!!!
This article is generalizing the entire human race. I believe happiness is only contagious if you allow it to be. Only you, can make you happy. I disagree with this article though. I know I said happiness could be contagious if you allow it to be, but this article is ridiculous. “even your neighbor’s sister’s friend can give you a 5.6% boost” doesn’t anyone see how ridiculous this is??? How can anyone expect me to believe this? It seems like a pretty big mind game if you ask me to try and cheer people up.
I do agree with this statement though “waiters who offer service with a smile are rewarded with bigger tips”. I just like to see that my server is happy. If you have a waiter who is in a bad mood… are you honestly going to give them a big tip? Waiters are told to greet everyone with smiles anyways. It’s important to be happy around the customers to get good business.
I think this article is a joke.
hmm I agree with the article. I mean yeah it would be annoying if I was mad and my friends were all overly chipper but being just happy would rub off on me I think. I know if my mom is mad it rubs off on me so why not the opposite. My best friend lives only one block away, less than a mile. I think her happiness, when she is, rubs off on me because I see her so often. The article refered to distance and how much you see the person as a contributing factor. I see my friend a lot and I know that if I am having a bad day I want to go over to her house. She makes me happier either because she is happy or because we have many jokes between us. Either way, when I leave her house, I am a happier person…for a while. haha
In the article it is stated that, “Happy friends who are more distant have no discernible impact, according to the study.” I don’t believe this is true. With networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, MyYearbook, etc I think that people who live far away can have just a big an impact on someone’s mood who live near by. Instant messaging is one of the fastest growing forms of communication, same with text messaging. And with web cam technology talking to someone across the globe is easier than ever. And I think talking to happy people online can make you happy. But of course there is nothing like face to face contact. You can’t compare the two really. But I think its not so much that distant contact is less effective at making you happy, but maybe its just a less intense happiness. Physical closeness with someone just makes you more happy, than probably internet or phone contact. But they can probably both just as effectively alter your mood. And the sociologist from UC Irvine, Katherine Faust, brings up a good point about genetics possibly playing a role in the demeanor of people. It brings up the whole nurture versus nature argument. For example, depression is a disorder that has been found to possibly have genetic links so do other disorders that alter mood, but also someone could become depressed over-time after suffering from a trauma such as losing a loved one. So mood can possibly be a bit a both. Someone could have a natural disposition to be happy or become happy through experiences. But it can very well be agreed upon that human contact is important. And I’m sure that the isolation punishment in prison would not be as effective if the prisoner was given internet access. So I wouldn’t exactly throw distant contact out, especially since communication has branched out to many venues and is till evolving.
This article is true. If you around happy people then you tend to be a happy person… Every person, stranger or not, you come across in your life tends to have an impact on you depending on their own attitudes. Some wise person once told me “I tend to be negative around negative people.” this is pretty true. Its like the “Nature vs. Nature” Therory and in this case it depends on which you et impact you more. Although my friends are important to who i am my family has a bigger impact. I come from a very diverse family that instead of gathering for the holidays we go off on vacations with our immediate family therefore it sometimes sucks not seeing you cousins but as ive gotten older i have realized there are people who ive grown up with and as time has progressed i have created my own family of uncles, aunts, and cousins regardless of blood relation cause thos people are who have contributed happiness into my life. In conclusion, i beleive this article has truth within it…Happiness is contagious and can be passed down.
i agree with this article. i believe that happieness is contagious. i think that most of the times im happy its because i see others around me that are happy. i think that mostly all emotions are pretty much contagious, but happieness is the easiest to spread. when i think of a perfect example is when i get home and sometimes i can be super tired or just stressed but all that goes away when i see my brother or my sisters acting dumb and that gets my spirits up. sometimes its not really that ur happy cuz something good happened to you its just the satisfaction you get by seeing others around you happy. but in the end i definitely agree with this article. i believe happieness is contagious. =)
I agree with this article 100 percent. It is impossible to be mad around someone that is always happy and cheerful. I believe it is better for someone with a depression to hang around a person that is fun and happy then to go see a old boring psychologists. It will just be better for that person and im sure some people might disagree with me but i think its true.
My mom takes care of my little cousins. Whenever im mad, i go ahead and play with them, it cheers me up because any little thing they do makes me laugh and that makes my day.
I would have to agree with the article that happiness is contagious. I was really shocked by the numbers they gave out. For example a happy friend who lives within a half-mile makes you 42% more likely to be happy yourself, I think this is pretty crazy but I do believe this. Because a lot of my friends live with in half a mile from me and they do make me pretty happy just by knowing they are their. One that I would have to agree with and I know its true is a happy siblings make you 14% more likely to be happy yourself, but only if they live within one mile. The reason why I agree with this is because my little nephew lives with me and he is always happy, so some way he manages to make me happy. No matter if I had a bad day or I’m just sad he just always make me laugh by the things he does and say. I think it’s amazing how happiness could be contagious. I know that when I’m around some one I could always make the laugh and get happy. Because that’s just how I am, a happy person. I also think this could go the other way. That if someone close to you like a family member or a real good friend is sad then you would also be some what sad, but that’s just my opinion. Over all I hate being sad, because that just makes things go wrong. So that’s why I always try to maintain happy and make the people around me happy to.
This is a good article. It is based on something we all know and I agree with it. Happiness is something we all look for in our lives, and yes sometimes we do have to depend on ourselves to make us happy. But then there are other times where only another person can help cheer us up. I’ve been in situations many times where I will start the day out angry or sad, but then someone will come along and smile and cheer me up. I also agree with the facts that this article states about the people around you. All though you may love your spouse so much, you get used to them being around you all the time. So when you see someone less often they are more likely to make you happier, it’s like a break from the norm.
I agree that happiness is contagious to an extent. People tend to get the best out of you when you’re feeling down. I know this because I can’t remember one day where I actually spent the whole time being depressed. and that there r somepeople who will bring out better things in me then others
Well first, I do agree with the statement that happiness is contagious. When you are around happy people, you are more likely to be happy yourself because that is the enviornment you are in. But this doesn’t affect everyone the same way. Some people seperate themselves from their enviornment not letting it affect them, some people are just naturally lightened by the mood. I believe it depends on the person and what is going on in their life.
I have a hard time believing the statistics though. It seems very unlikely that you can have a happiness increase from someone you don’t know who lives within half a mile of you. I mean, come on. If happiness is contaigious, then it’s spread through relationships and knowing the person, not from how close they live to you or how many times you see them. This theory was already disproven by them anyways. It said in the article that it was most likely the amount of times you saw the person that helped spread the happiness, therefore rationalizing the distance factor. but in the article, it said that you are 34% more likely to be happy if your immeadiate next door neighbor is happy, but only 8% more happy if your spouse is happy. How does that make sense? If it is contaigious by time spent with person, then I would think that a happy spouse would boost your happiness to a much greater degree.. at least more than just a next-door neighbor.
Laughter and happiness is contaigous, I do agree with that. But a lot of the supporting evidence that this article gives seems like a lot of “bs”. I agree that if your waiter is friendly and smiles, you will have a better experience and feel that you recieved good service resulting in a better tip. I believe that good things for others can become good things for you too and can lift up your spirits. But I do not think that the rationalization in this article is sound and I think that we need to more carefully analyze data and numbers that are thrown at us. Just because a “scientist” gives you a statistic, doesn’t mean that it’s even remotely true. and just becuase someone wrote an article on this topic, doesn’t mean that a lot of it isn’t “bs”.
I would have to completly agree with the article I just read. I believe it is so true. Happiness is very contagious. =]]If you surround yourself with positive people, you have no reason to be negative.
I personally experience this every so often. I have a couple of people who can make me smile no matter what mood I am in.
In the article it mentions how even your neightbors, sisters friend can give you a 5.6% boost! Like how crazy is that? That’s how contagious happiness can be. That it can start a long long train. :]
This is a really interesting article. I agree that there is nothing like face to face contact. Even if talking on the phone for a few hours it isn’t close to seeing the person and interacting with them. Because a lot of our senses are out through the phone or even through the internet it is harder to have that pass of emotion or even know exactly how the other is doing… because we discern more than just when the person is speaking, but tone of voice and facial expressions. And hugs can go a long way to giving someone the reassurance they need.
I agree that there is a transfer of emotions to some extent. That happiness is contagious. I think it gives people hope. Something I think everyone enjoys having. It lifts the persons emotion.
I find it strange that friends can effect emotions by 42% and spouse by only 8% its very strange because spouse is often closer than friends. And I also wonder if web cam or video phones are included in what they were saying about face to face contact. Just a thought.
I’m going to have to agree with this article like many of my collouges have said. I’m pretty sure we have all experianced this in some form or way. “They discovered that happy people in close geographic proximity were most effective in spreading their good cheer. They also found the happiest people were at the center of large social networks.” This makes total sense. I also completely agree that the proximity of your peers has a major affect on how happy you are. It makes so much sense because most people like being the center of attention or having all these people coming up and wanting to have a nice chat with them. Another thing that i agree with is when someone lives closer to you, you end up spending a lot more time with you. The small distance just makes its so much easier and allows for spontanious planning and not having to worry about finding ways to get home. It allows you to just call up your homie and ask, “hey wana go get some chinese food?”.
Definitely agree with the conclusion drawn on this article. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s not true. Being happy just because someone else is..make sense. You see this daily…some people more then others. But if you’re at a park and see a little happy over a balloon or something you smile, you laugh, it puts you in a good mood. Or when you go home from school in a bad mood, and your moms happy to see you, you instantly cheer up. Even if you think that the percents are a bit high, 15.3% happier when being by someone that’s happy…that’s almost a fifth percent happier! Definitely happiness is “contagious like a disease”, as stated in the article
Everyone be happy so I’m in a good mood!;]]
I honestly think that happiness can be contagious, and i have experienced it many times. Say if i have had the worst day imaginable, and sudden i see my sister partying it out because she somehow got a good grade on a certain test, she really gets me into that good mood, and sometimes even takes me out for a treat due to her happiness. I think that someone has experienced becoming happy at one point or another just because of someone else happiness.
I found this to be a very interesting article. But even though it was interesting to me, most of it seemed like bs. I mean i get that if there are happy people around you then you are more likely to be happy, that obvious. It sad that it took scientist this long to figure that out. But all these statistic seem like bull, they pretty much could have put anything in there. I dont think it makes a difference who it is, a happy person can make you happy to any degree. On to of that, i disagree that the distance that a friend live from you has alot to do with how happy they make you. Just because a friend lives closer to you doesnt mean that you will see them more often or make you any happier than a friend that lives far away.
Well over all this was an interesting article….peace out.
OOhhhhhhh yeeeuhhh I absolutely agree with this believe that happiness is contagious. I agree with this because I have seen it happen with my own eyes. Fowler and Christakis learned from many studies that if you are around happy people, you will have a percent increased to your own happiness. This happiness could come from family, friends, neighbors, anyone who always has a smile on their face. “Studies showed that obesity and smoking spread among groups of friends and relatives” said Fowler and Chrisakis. And the same is with happiness, if you are with groups of happy people then the happiness will spread. Another study of theirs was on college freshmen that lived in dorms. The happy ones that roomed with people that were always depressed, turned out to eventually become depressed during the day. I think that a simple smile at someone would change their day and give then an extra boost. Even if you do not know someone, be friendly I mean its not that hard. You have no idea what the person is like. For all you know they could be the best person you could ever meet. So no matter if you know them or not, just throw a lil smile at them, Im sure it wont hurt a bit. Things like this happen to me all the time. For example, there are times where I tend to come to school a little upset in the mornings. But once I come around certain friends, then the process of happiness begins to kick in. By the end of the day my day turns out to be pretty good. So BE HAPPY!!!!
I believe that happiness is contagious. People at school who tend to be happy people usually have happy friends and unless those people are annoying they make you happy. I don’t think contagious happiness is in someone genes i think that sociologist at the end just wanted to disagree. She probably doesn’t have anyone that is happy around her.
I know that when i am in a good mood and i talk to someone else they smile more and look happier when i leave. It is weird that the researchers would compare contagious happiness to HIV or other diseases. It makes it sound less happy. I also think a persons susceptibility to contagious happiness depends on their predisposition to being happy in the first place BUT in general i think the happiness disease idea is true.
I definantaly agree with this article too, happiness is contagious and in my opinion will always be contagious. I really did not find this arctile interesting (besides all the facts) because in my opinion this is all common sense.
The article said, “Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself…” This is probably only of the most interesting facts of the whole article. Because I can apply it to my life specifically. For example, when I am with my boyfriend and he is cheerful and happy I automatically become happy and joyful too. No matter what poition I am in, if I am with happy people, I am happy too. Especially when I am down, I know to go hang out with happy people so my mood can change and I can be happy too. It just wouldn’t make any sense for a person to be down when everyone else is happy.
Friendship does not only come because of the people you have close to you it can also be with friends of long distances. But the aritcle asks what people think of it and also if people can spread happiness. I dont care how people feel especially if people are trying to figure out how and why they are happy and how to spread happiness. I don’t find any interest in this article but im going to do it because it’s my homework. So then, I do believe that staying connected via telephone and internet is someway to always stay in touch with those who make you happy.
I agree with these ppl cuz in my personal vida i had been down and like being around happy ppl made me get off my downess , when i really think about it its crazy how someone else that is happy could give some of that to other ppl and make them be in a better mood. Come to think about it this happends to everyone all the time everyday all 365 days no matter who you are or think you are.
I agree with this article. Happiness can be spread. This isnt always true though. There are people who just envy on other peoples happiness. Theres a person I know who instead of being happy for other people, the person talks shit or tries to bring them down on whatever they are happy about. I believe this tpe of person can really reaceive happiness from others.
But besides that type of person i believe that people can pass on their happiness to one another. For example i have a friend that is always smilling, this one day i was having a really horrible day and everyone just felt bad for me but when i walked up to this friend she cheered me up by simply giving me a good smile. She made me so much more happy than everyone else that just felt bad or whatever.
I am personally an overall happy person. I try not to let things bring me down. This includes having friends that envy of others’ happiness. I want friends that i can make happy and that can make me happy when i need it.
I also agree that friends that live within one mile can make you happy if theyre happy themselves. I have a friend who lives really close to me and lucky for me hes an overall happy guy. We always make the best out of shitty days and just try to laugh it off.
I also have another friend who lives within one mile from me. This person usually comes to me when theyre depressed or have problems. I usually try to keep away from this person when all theyre gonna do is complain about stuff. Not that im not there as a friend but this person stopped being a happy person and just started being a sad person that tries t bring anyone or everyone down.
In conclusion i guess you can say that i agree with this article.
An example of spreading happiness is seen through everyday life. I think that smiling at a person and them smiling back is a good way to just spread happiness with minimal effort. It is hard to keep contact wityh those who make you happy and live far away or dwell in a place where you rarely see them at all. I know this because i have family that i rarely see or talk to but when i do it makes me very happy to hear from them. Many people believe that the statistics stated in the article are false and that they do not make any sense, but personally I truely believe in them. Happiness is very contageous. No, not everyone wants to be happy but those who try to make others happy usually do. I know this from experience sometimes my friends are unhappy but by trying to cheer them up or trying to make them smile they become happy and don’t dwell on being negative or sad anymore. So i believe that happiness is truely contagious and if more people were happy then things would turn out better in the long run. “For every minute you spend upset or angry is a minute of happiness you never get back”. It’s so much easier to contagiously be happy.
Oh my gosh, I totally agree with this article. Whenever you might walk down the street and you may not be smiling but you pass a person that is smiling, and they might happen to even say hi to you, you get that happiness back.
It’s funny how people say happiness is a drug, because it is. It just starts off with a smile and ends in a laugh. But don’t me wrong. Sometimes some people won’t just give you a smile back.
Overall I do agree with the article and the rest of my classmates! = ]
I think this article is very true. If you are a person thats always around happy people then you are most likely going to be a happier person. This reflects onto my life. If im around happy people then i tend to be more of a happier person, same with sad or mad. My friends and family determine how I am, and how I act. These are the people that account for my actions and how I’m feeling. In any case, happiness is very contagious and can be spread onto others.
YES!
I so agree with this aticle. Happines is contagious. When you are around a positive envoiornment you are also happy. “Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself, the study found. A happy friend of a friend increases your odds of happiness by 9.8%” Having a friend who is always in a good mood will make you happy and feel better if you were having a bad day. The happiness is passed slong through other people that are happy because they can make your day in the smallest ways. I dont agree that people such as friends or famliy that live further away dont have to affect your happiness. I have friends and family that live further away and I dont see them all the time but i talk to them almost every day and when tey are in a good mood that makes me feel better and in a good mood also. I like how a person that is happy has a chance to live longer than others. People who see things in more of a positvie way has a better view on things. Happiness is contagious. : D Happy people make others happy
i am facinated with this article as it proves/ agrees with some of my theories on us humans. this article also follows along the lines of quantum physics, which many should look into. i am a very visual person so this is how i imagine how all this works. Picture each of us individuals as a plasma ball, those things that were in way back in the 90′s. if you have no idea what im taking about google it. anyway, with each of us emitting energy and coming into contact with others, a connection is made. it may even be an unconsciouses connection. none the less, you are connected by an unseen force of energy and emotion. we call these vibes. so imagine if you are happy, that influences your connection with others. it doesn’t have to change that connection in anyway, but it is still an influential force. And like any electrical current or connection, distance effects that connections strength, like a radio frequency. How well you know people would also make this connection stronger, so it makes sense that if friends are distant, physically, that connection is weakened.This article also sligthly addresses the technology crisis of the world. we continue to distance ourselves with technology, reducing human interaction. that makes some depressed, and in turn, as the article may suggest, will make most of us depressed. So e should always be aware of our surroundings, i guess? “Your emotional state depends not just on actions and choices that you make, but also on actions and choices of other people, many of which you don’t even know,” that line kinda scares me. because so many people are around us, are we really affected by all? this article i think sheds a whole different light on the idea that we are all connected.
I thought the article was very interesting because its crazy how just cause someone you know is happy you can be happy to but i dont really agree with the article because just cause sonmeone you know is happy doesnt mean you in turn will me happy. i think that it will better your chances because if you know your friends or family are happy then you’ll feel good about it but it doesnt mean your going to be happy. if your day is already going bad and someone you know is happy it will get you happy but it will soon fade cause your mad mood will over power the small happy mood you got for seeing your friend happy. i really dont agree with the conclusion either because if you treat people as a network or community then its unfair because what if there is one person in the community that is really sad you just cant assume that everybody is feeling good or happy.
Hey, depression is pretty contagious too, you know? I guess I agree with this article.
I mean, I wouldn’t disagree with it.
I think it’s because you don’t really notice happiness rubbing off on you the way it states so clearly it did in the article. I mean, just cause my neighbor is happy doesn’t mean I notice myself become happier by 42%. Maybe its the pessimist in me, but I honestly think I notice myself get more depressed when I see my friends are sad and everything. Or maybe its Amira’s perpetual state of apathy — ha, just kidding, Mira.
About the whole technology thing: being close to people makes you happy, yes. My issue with technology is that it lets you be close without being close. There’s a big difference between having an actual conversation and having a conversation by texting. When you have actual human contact, you’re able to interact with the person and go off of the way that person said whatever he said, you can tell how they mean what they say by facial expression. That’s something MySpace, Facebook, texting, will never give you. Webcams only go so far. You can’t slap people in the face or hug people over a webcam, you know?
The only cool thing technology has provided me with this winter season is Elfster.com. I think it’s cool. Hah. But I know the second everyone starts using it I will be hella pissed and hypocritical and exclaim, “What happened to the good old days when people just picked names out of a hat?”
I concur with the conclusions the article came to. I suppose.
I do agree with this article i do think that happiness is contagious because for me when im in a bad mood or just sad and im hanging out with my friends and there all happy and being in a good mood that usually changes how im feeling because it makes me feel better some how . Also when your hanging out with your friends and they are having a good time you also have a good time because there making you have a good time by how they are acting and what mood they are in. Also when all your friends are feeling down it brings you down to so i think that it works both ways with being happy or sad. Because some how you feel what they feel.But i think its depends on what type of people you are around or hanging out with
I think that this study rings true, because it makes sense that the closer your happy friends are to you, the happier you will be. Because it makes sense that if your friends are happy, then you will be, because if you think about it, there has always been some kind of correlation between happy people and their friends, family, neighbors, or even their coworkers. Whether this correlation is subconscious or not is something that hasn’t been decided until now. But to me it always seemed that when people are happy it normally means that those people around them are happy. But then again there are always exceptions to the rules, such as people that are happy but do not have happy friends or unhappy people who are surrounded with happy people. But one of the most shocking things in this article was the fact that even people with terminal illnesses have a better survival rate if they are happy and are surrounded by happy people, this really shows that happiness is not only contagious but it’s necessary.
I believe this article rings true since i think that people adjust to the people around them. If you’re spending time around happy people, you’re much more likely to open up and smile than if you were spending time in say, a mental health clinic. People were hardwired to adapt to whats around them, and this comes into play with just about everything, including emotions and happiness.
A recent example that i could use would be that i was at el pollo loco the other day, and there was a little old lady who was just so nice to everyone around her, even though she didnt actually know any of these people. She started talking to me, and he good mood put me in a good mood and made me smile.
Wow I never knew happiness work that way. It makes sense actually, the article. I think what the article says is pretty fascinating. Because I wouldn’t have thought that way before. So the closer you are with someone you love the happier you are. I agree with the article, happiness is contagious! Happy people want to share their joy; it is kind of hard contain it. Also, when you are surrounded by happy people, it cheers you up. It article also mention about cell phone and myspace. I think everyone communicate differently. Some people are happy talking through myspace and some people are happy talking through cell phones. But probably not as happy as to face-to-face. Because when you are face-to-face with someone, you get to see their actions, hear their laughter, and interact with them. I think with those factors, face-to-face makes a person happier. Happiness is contagious!
I don’t believe happiness is necessarily contagious. I think that when you’re around happy people, you tend to feel a little more at ease, but that’s only when you’re around them. That doesn’t really qualify you as a happy person per say. I think if you have to depend on other people to give you that feeling of being happy, then you’re just not a happy person to begin with. Yes, they can fuel the feeling, but overall shouldn’t you be able to be a happy on your own too? And unless you can do that, it won’t matter that you feel a little better around cheerful people. The true test is when you’re alone.
I think I strongly agree with the article. not only with its statement about happiness beign contaigious, but also about how the most effective way for it to spread is by face-to-face interaction. I do think that the internet and phones are extremely useful, but only for business puropses. when it comes to relationships, I have always thought that the best thing is to be close to the person and to be able to have eye contact. I think we’re all aware of this to a subconcious level, that’s why when we have something terribly important to say to someone, we dont just call them, we try to see them so we can tell them in person.
I have to agree with this article how happiness can be contagious. I definitely believe how people’s emotions around you can affect your emotion as well. When I see some mom and dad having a good time just laughing and smiling, I get a feeling of happiness, but if it is just them yelling at each other, of course I would feel irritated about it and that would be when I get a little mad and start yelling a them to stop yelling at each other. Every emotion is contagious as long as you have something that will trigger it like people around you.
I would agree when they say that happiness is contagious because if your all bummed out but people around you are having fun and being silly then it might be able to cheer you up and you will probably join the crowd so I would say its contagious especially when your in large groups of people or around family. Its better when everyone is doing something that brings them together as a whole.
Happiness is contagious. The beauty of happyiness, its a beautiful gift from god. The people you do hang around with does affect youre mood. Something on the side may make you mad or upset. but its all on you if you want to feel better, happy family and or friendship make a different. Like the article said happy people tend to have a big social crowd. The article also shows that a happy waitress, who gives a smile, tends to recieve bigger tips. Some their studys seem a little bogus, but the point is happiness is contagious. And people that are around you do affect how you feel. And I like what the article said that a person that is happy with a chronical illness tends to live longer. Happiness is the cure to many emotional put downs.
I have to absolutely agree with the article because its true with what it says about the waitress. Ive had experiences where at restaurants the waitress is happy and with a really nice smile and actually makes me smile as well and the plus side of this is that because of this it gives me more joy to actually go to a restaurant where you know you’ll be served well and not with attitude. Now in the other hand there are cases when the waitress gives me attitude and like laziness, that’s when i get upset and start saying things like ” I don’t know why they act like that if its their job”. Honestly i do agree one hundred percent that happiness is contagious. Now the thing about happy people being around large crowds could also be called in a school environment, a class clown or hyper person. For example, Ian Olazaba is always just the center of attention and you know that if there’s something to make fun of then he will do it because its in nature or habits to do so and its fun. So yes it is contagious.