Nicholas Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard University, and James Fowler, Ph.D., of the University of California-San Diego, "analyzed information on the happiness of 4,739 participants and their connections with several thousand others...from 1983 to 2003," the New York Times (12/5, A12, Belluck) adds. They found, for instance, that "a next-door neighbor's joy increased one's chance of being happy by 34 percent, but a neighbor down the block had no effect." Meanwhile, "a friend living half a mile away was good for a 42 percent bounce, but the effect was almost half that for a friend two miles away."

The Los Angeles Times (12/5, Kaplan) reports, "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."

The researchers based this study on data "from the Framingham Heart Study, which has been running since 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts," Bloomberg News(12/5, Kresge) notes. The authors "defined happiness as a perfect score on the questions 'I felt hopeful about the future,' 'I was happy,' 'I enjoyed life,' and 'I felt that I was just as good as other people.'" According to Dr. Christakis, "The Framingham data had been used before to assess depression as a risk factor for heart disease, but this was the first time researchers looked at happiness across a broad network."

Related Links:

- "Happiness Can Spread Among People Like a Contagion, Study Indicates," Rob Stein, Washington Post, December 5, 2008.
- "Strangers May Cheer You Up, Study Says," Pam Belluck, New York Times, December 5, 2008.
- "Happiness is contagious, research finds," Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2008.