Happiness spreads readily through the social networks of family
members, friends and neighbors, US researchers say in a study
published Thursday. Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3
percent more likely to be happy yourself, according to the study
conducted by scientists from Harvard University and the
University of California at San Diego. A happy friend of a
friend increases your odds of happiness by 9. 8 percent, and
even your neighbor's sister's friend can give you a 5.6 percent
boost, said the study appearing online in the British Medical
Journal. The researchers discovered that happy people in close
geographic proximity were most effective in spreading their good
cheer. They also found the happiest people were at the center of
large social networks. The researchers based their conclusion on
a study of the relationships of nearly 5,000 people tracked for
decades. The results showed that a happy friend who lives within
0.8 km makes you 42 percent more likely to be happy yourself. If
that same frien