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The “I’m Contagious” Vision - Spreading Ease One Happy Thought at a Time
From Bird Flu to Swine Flu, from vaccines to vitamins, our daily lives are filled with the struggle to beat sickness. We live in a state of panicked paranoia - is the air I breathe safe? Can I catch what you have? Is this antimicrobial or antibacterial?
Are we dwelling too much on germs and not enough on joys? Can contagiousness be a good thing?
In 1979, the late Dr. Aaron Antonovsky coined the term “Salutogenesis,” and taught that “not sick” is not the same as “healthy.” In the early 21st Century, Positive Psychologists such as Dr. Martin Seligman added that “not depressed” is not the same as “happy.” In both cases, a shift in focus from “ the bad” to “ the better” was called for.
While we fight the spread of disease, can we delight in the spread of ease?
The truth is positivity is viral:
One Happy Thought is Infectious
One single happy thought can make all the difference in your mood. It can keep you from going down the rabbit hole of negativity and prevent bad choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapists explain that this is because one neuron fires on another and creates a neural net, or web of fibers that fire together, over time. These nets become habits. Not a Cognitive Behavioralist? You know this sensation as a "train of thought." One thought triggers another. Where do you want your train to go?
Smiling is Catchable
Thanks to a fascinating evolutionary brain component called "Mirror Neurons," smiling creates a domino effect. In short, we do what we see. When you see someone smile, for example, your mirror neurons for smiling fire up, too, triggering the sensations and feelings associated with smiling. You don’t have to think about what the other person intends by smiling. You experience the benefits of smiling immediately.
Smiling spreads like wildfire. According to Tal Ben Shahar, if you smile at 4 people, and they smile at 4 people, within 20 links, everyone in the world will be smiled at.
Happiness is Contagious
“Misery loves company?” What if I told you the opposite is actually much more true?
The Framingham Heart Study looked at the happiness of nearly 5000 individuals over a period of twenty years. Researchers found that when an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person’s happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only their friends, but their friends’ friends, and their friends’ friends’ friends. (That’s like making your mom’s best friend’s sister happy.) The effect lasts for up to one year.
The flip side, interestingly, is not the case: Sadness does not spread through social networks as robustly as happiness. Happiness appears to love company more so than misery.
Far from insurance co-pays and miracle drugs, the spread of ease is simple. It’s free. It’s scientifically proven. And it starts with one single happy thought.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
“Hold a Happy Thought.” - My Grandma
From Bird Flu to Swine Flu, from vaccines to vitamins, our daily lives are filled with the struggle to beat sickness. We live in a state of panicked paranoia - is the air I breathe safe? Can I catch what you have? Is this antimicrobial or antibacterial?
Are we dwelling too much on germs and not enough on joys? Can contagiousness be a good thing?
In 1979, the late Dr. Aaron Antonovsky coined the term “Salutogenesis,” and taught that “not sick” is not the same as “healthy.” In the early 21st Century, Positive Psychologists such as Dr. Martin Seligman added that “not depressed” is not the same as “happy.” In both cases, a shift in focus from “ the bad” to “ the better” was called for.
While we fight the spread of disease, can we delight in the spread of ease?
The truth is positivity is viral:
One Happy Thought is Infectious
One single happy thought can make all the difference in your mood. It can keep you from going down the rabbit hole of negativity and prevent bad choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapists explain that this is because one neuron fires on another and creates a neural net, or web of fibers that fire together, over time. These nets become habits. Not a Cognitive Behavioralist? You know this sensation as a "train of thought." One thought triggers another. Where do you want your train to go?
Smiling is Catchable
Thanks to a fascinating evolutionary brain component called "Mirror Neurons," smiling creates a domino effect. In short, we do what we see. When you see someone smile, for example, your mirror neurons for smiling fire up, too, triggering the sensations and feelings associated with smiling. You don’t have to think about what the other person intends by smiling. You experience the benefits of smiling immediately.
Smiling spreads like wildfire. According to Tal Ben Shahar, if you smile at 4 people, and they smile at 4 people, within 20 links, everyone in the world will be smiled at.
Happiness is Contagious
“Misery loves company?” What if I told you the opposite is actually much more true?
The Framingham Heart Study looked at the happiness of nearly 5000 individuals over a period of twenty years. Researchers found that when an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person’s happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only their friends, but their friends’ friends, and their friends’ friends’ friends. (That’s like making your mom’s best friend’s sister happy.) The effect lasts for up to one year.
The flip side, interestingly, is not the case: Sadness does not spread through social networks as robustly as happiness. Happiness appears to love company more so than misery.
Far from insurance co-pays and miracle drugs, the spread of ease is simple. It’s free. It’s scientifically proven. And it starts with one single happy thought.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
“Hold a Happy Thought.” - My Grandma
Happiness Advocates and New Perspectives are proud to jointly present this information.
All Information Copyright of New Perspectives, 2010.
