Well fuck me silly! Just as flu season is upon us, the British Medical Journal publishes a study showing that we can also catch happiness from those around us. Check it out on the good old CBC.
Here’s the takeaway, in case you’re too goddam busy to pay attention to this nonsense:
Happiness is contagious, and the more people you know who are full of good cheer, the more likely it is that you’re also happy…
Happiness extended to three degrees of separation, from friends to friends of friends….
Damn, i’ll have to cull my social calendar now.
“The pursuit of happiness is not a solitary goal,” Fowler said. “We are connected, and so is our joy.”
… Each happy friend boosts your own happiness by nine per cent, the researchers suggest. On the other hand, having grumpy friends decreased the chances by about seven per cent.
Am i a nine-percenter or a seven percenter? Yippee!
And on the requisite downer note:
The researchers are also looking at the spread of depression, loneliness and drinking behaviour.
Greg Blee 