Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

Christakis, Nicholas A.; Fowler, James H.

ISBN 10: 0743579100 ISBN 13: 9780743579100

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2009

Synopsis

Connected will forever change the way we look at one another -- and at ourselves

- Happiness is contagious.

- Your future spouse is likely to be your friend's friend.

- Your friends' friends' friends can make you fat -- or thin.

These are just a few of the startling findings of internationally renowned scientists Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler. In Connected, they present intriguing new evidence that our real-life social networks shape virtually every aspect of our lives. How we feel, whom we marry, whether we fall ill, how much money we make, and whether we vote -- everything hinges on what others around us are doing, thinking, and feeling.

Connected shows that our world is governed by the Three Degrees Rule -- we influence and are influenced by people up to three degrees removed from us, most of whom we do not even know. For example, your friend's friend's friend has more impact on your happiness than $5,000 in your pocket. Our social networks underlie financial scams, eating disorders, substance abuse, and suicide clusters, but also voter turnout, innovation, altruism, and "random" acts of kindness.

Provocative, insightful, and useful, Connected explains why emotions are contagious, how health behaviors spread, why the rich get richer, and much more. Overturning the notion of the primacy of the individual, Connected provides a revolutionary new paradigm -- that, like schools of fish changing direction in unison, we are consciously and unconsciously led by the people around us..

About this title

Review

PRAISE FOR "CONNECTED":
"Christakis and Fowler have written "the" book on the exciting new science of social networks. With passion and precision, these two internationally renowned scientists expose the invisible webs that connect each of us to the other, and in so doing cast our lives here together in an astonishing new light. We think we are individuals who control our own fates, but as Christakis and Fowler demonstrate, we are merely cells in the nervous system of a much greater beast. If someone you barely know reads CONNECTED, it could change your life forever. How? Read it yourself and find out." -- Daniel Gilbert, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness

"Groundbreaking...." -- Kirkus

"Intriguing." -- SmartMoney.com

"Groundbreaking...."-- "Kirkus"

"Connected argues convincingly that it's not enough to understand how individuals behave. The book details examples of how individual behaviors affect other members of a social network."-ScienceNews.com
"Intriguing."--SmartMoney.com

"Christakis and Fowler have written "the" book on the exciting new science of social networks. With passion and precision, these two internationally renowned scientists expose the invisible webs that connect each of us to the other, and in so doing cast our lives here together in an astonishing new light. We think we are individuals who control our own fates, but as Christakis and Fowler demonstrate, we are merely cells in the nervous system of a much greater beast. If someone you barely know reads CONNECTED, it could change your life forever. How? Read it yourself and find out."-- "The book has all sorts of interesting information about how our friends influence our lives, for better and for worse." "Daniel Gilbert, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness""

"Groundbreaking...." ""Kirkus"""

"Intriguing." "SmartMoney.com""

""Connected" explores the startling intricacies of social networks." "O, The Oprah Magazine""

About the Author

Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, is a professor at Harvard University with joint appointments in the Departments of Health Care Policy, Sociology, and Medicine, and in 2009 was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. James H. Fowler, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, in the Department of Political Science and The Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems, and was named one of the "most inspiring scientists" by the San Diego Science Festival. Christakis and Fowler's research has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Today, and The Colbert Report, and on the front pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743579100
• ISBN 13: 9780743579100
• Binding: Audio CD