Can Social Networking Make You Happier?

Yes, Social Networking Can Make you Happier

Making friends and happy social connections increases your opportunities to be happy. CNN recently reported on a study that happiness is contagious in social networks. This is great! Here’s some quick stats pulled from the article:

• Happiness spreads up to three degrees removed from each other
• Each happy friend increases your chance of happiness by 9%
• Each unhappy friend decreases it by 7%
• you are likely 15% more happy if a direct connection is happy.
• you are likely 10% more happy if the friend of a friend is happy
• you are likely 6% more happy if the friend of a friend of a friend is happy

Are You Smiling on Your Profile Picture?

The researchers studied the photos of groups of Facebook users that were friends with each other by how often they were tagged in each others pictures and by whether the Facebook users were smiling.

Here’s some information on the network map:

The figure below is a map of part of this Facebook network in 2007. It contains 353 students, each represented by a node; each line between two nodes indicates that the connected individuals were tagged in a photo together. Students who are smiling (and who are immediately surrounded by smiling people in their network) are colored yellow. Students who are frowning (and who are immediately surrounded by such serious looks) are colored blue. Shades of green indicate a mix of smiling and non-smiling friends.

Do you think your on line social networking friends help you be happier?