I hope you are out spreading joy these days because recent studies by Harvard Medical School and University of California, San Diego suggest that your happiness may not only be influenced by people you know but by the people that they know.

Studies have shown for a while that happiness is contagious, these new findings show, however, that happiness is also influenced by people you may not know. "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' friends' happiness," says study co-author James H. Fowler, PhD, of the University of California-San Diego.

Statistically, researchers concluded that one’s happiness is increased by 15% when they come into direct social contact with someone who is happy. The happiness of a second degree contact, such as the spouse of a friend or friend of a friend, increases the likelihood of becoming happy by 10%. The happiness of a third degree contact, a friend of a friend of a friend increases the likelihood of happiness by 6%. There was no correlation found of fourth degree contacts.

Having many friends also increases happiness, but having happy friends increases happiness even more.

Should we avoid unhappy people? No, but we should be aware that our moods may affect not only the moods of our family members and friends, but the moods of their friends and family members as well.

The moral to the story, spread happiness. A smile goes a long way. You never know who’s day you may brighten. Even if its a friend of a friend of a friend. So get to it. Spread joy!

Interestingly similar findings were reported with regards to obesity and quitting smoking as well.

Via Web MD