The good-vibe virus

Wherever you are right now – whether you’re waiting in line for coffee or sitting at your desk in class – take a quick look at all of the strangers around you. What keeps you from introducing yourself to them? That nervous feeling in your chest? A lack of time?

In their recently published book “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives,” scientists Nicholas Christakis of Harvard and James Fowler of UC San Diego make an intriguing claim: Happiness, as well as depression, is contagious, and the people who have the greatest number of social connections tend to be the happiest.

Their study, based on data compiled from more than 30 years of research in the Bloomington-sized college town of Framingham, Mass., suggests that if you make an effort to develop new relationships now, it’ll pay off in increased mental, physical and emotional health in the future.

As far as I’m concerned, though, this comes as no surprise.

But why do we act against our better senses knowing that it is going to have a negative effect on our future state of mind?

It’s the bitter Bloomington winter blues, and it affects nearly everyone here to some degree. As the temperature drops, spirits harden considerably in this town. Some friendly extroverts, previously vitalized by the warm influence of summer, become increasingly mechanical in their social dealings.

Increased course loads are partly to blame, as is the reduction in large-scale social happenings. People lose touch with their friends and confine their festivities to small groups that gather privately in someone’s basement or in the living room in front of a television screen.

To some, the time to make friends in college is during the fall semester of their freshman year, and after that they make no effort to expand their social network.

Some even believe that more friends translates to more stress, avoiding sociability for fear of increasing their commitments.

But, as the study shows, this is all self-destructive behavior. We all want to be content, even the introverts and antisocials among us, and one of the major factors that determines whether or not we can remain in that state is our ability to break through the barriers that keep us from developing new relationships.

You may find this theory to be parallel with the sort of cutthroat socializing that takes place in high schools and middle schools, the popularity contests that none of us are interested in revisiting.

But, in fact, the whole notion of a “popular” group sounds like the sort of exclusive social circle that Christakis and Fowler believe are more susceptible to bouts of sadness.

It’s important to note the more positive implication of this study: Happiness is infectious. If you can stay upbeat in every situation, the good vibes will spread, and that’s a positive development for everyone.   

So please, don’t deny yourself the things that are going to keep you happy just because the weather is less accommodating. Make an occasion for hearty celebration, and get friendly with a stranger – for everybody’s sake.