Happiness Is Contagious

I have a confession to make: I hate receiving forwarded mass e-mails. Typically, I delete them on the spot. Maybe this roots from my work days of 100 e-mails per hour where you are forced to prioritize. For some reason, though, I decided to give one a chance this week... and I'm so glad I did because it hit a chord. Here it is:

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Happiness Is Contagious Do you ever wonder whether happy people have something that keeps them cheerful, chipper and able to see the good in everything? It turns out they do, they have happy friends. New research from Harvard Medical School and the University of California suggests that happiness is influenced not only by the people you know, but by the people they know. The study shows that happiness spreads through social networks, sort of like a virus, meaning that your happiness could influence the happiness of someone you've never even met. "We have known for a long time that there is a direct relationship between one person's happiness and another's," says study co-author James H. Fowler, PhD, University of California. "But this study shows that indirect relationships also affect happiness. We found a statistical relationship not just between your happiness and your friends' happiness, but between your happiness and your friends' friends' happiness." They concluded that the happiness of an immediate social contact increases an individual's chances of becoming happy by 15 percent. The happiness of a second-degree contact, such as the spouse of a friend, increases the likeliness of becoming happy by 10 percent, and the happiness of a third-degree contact, or the friend of a friend of a friend, increases the likelihood of becoming happy by 6 percent. Surround yourself with happy people, because happy friends can make you happy. Source: webmd.com

I can completely relate to this right now because I've begun to find inspiration in other blogs written by complete strangers... well, 'third degree contacts' per the message above. I know this might sound odd... but I somehow feel happier when I see that there are other decent, Christian people who can't seem to write enough about their own families or take enough pictures of their own family moments. Not only does it make me feel like I'm not the only family-obsessed, picture-happy mommy out there, but it's refreshing to see good news and high spirits amidst such bad economic times.

Also, I'm fortunate to have met and reconnected with friends in 2008 who carry that same quality and I am definitely happier in their presence whether in person or messaging online.

So, thank YOU for making me happier. I just hope I can carry the same role at some point in your lives! And if I can't, I'm sure my sweet little girls will put a smile on your face if you continue to keep up with the blog.

Thanks, Paris, for the forward!