happy baby

Photo by CafeMama

Now there's even more reason to don't worry, be happy. New research shows that when you're happy, your friends and family are more likely to be happy. Even your friends of friends will get your joyful, feel-good vibes.

Happiness is contagious, or so it seems.

Happiness is a chain reaction, says the study's author in a story on CNN.

According to the research by scientists at Harvard and The University of California in San Diego, we are 15 percent more likely to be happy if a direct connection is happy, 10 percent if the friend of a friend is happy, and 6 percent if it's a friend of a friend of a friend.

Here are some benefits of being happy and making happy friends. Happy people:

  • experience less pain
  • heal faster
  • live longer

Sadness also spreads through our social networks, but luckily, not as quickly.

I'd sure rather catch some happiness rather than a super-contagious cold or flu.

What do you think? Is happiness catching?