$5000 or a Stranger’s Happiness?

Which do you think would make you happier, receiving a $5,000 pay raise or having a friend of a friend of a friend who is generally happy?

According to a recent survey conducted at Harvard Medical School, the friend of a friend of a friend (aka someone you’ve never met) being happy increases the chance of you being happier three times more than if you got the $5,000 raise.

The study found that if a friend of a friend of a friend is happy, you have a six percent chance of being happier (versus two percent caused by a $5,000 pay raise).   If it’s a friend of a friend who’s happy, the odds jump to 10 percent, and if it’s a direct friend, 15 percent.

They also discovered that this works for sour moods as well, though not as strongly.  Each “unhappy connection” decreased the chance of a person being happy by seven percent.  That means if you have 14 friends, friends of friends, or friends of friends of friends who are unhappy, you are 98% more likely to be unhappy.

How does that affect you?  Well in addition to underscoring the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are generally happy, it also emphasizes the impact you have on other people.  When you’re happy, you increase the liklihood of your friends being happy by 15 percent (and people you don’t even know by six percent)!

So if not for yourself, than for the good of mankind (that might be a slight exaggeration), be happy.

THIS FREE 129 SECOND QUIZ WILL SHOW YOU

what is your humor persona?

Humor is a skill that can be learned. And when used correctly, it is a superpower that can be your greatest asset for building a happier, healthier and more productive life.  See for yourself...

you might also be interested in...

Help Spread the Word!

By Andrew Tarvin | April 1, 2014

You can help spread the word about the 2014 Corporate Humor Awards. Here are some messages you can share: Twitter: Nominate […]

Read More
10-computer-shortcuts-you-can-use-for-evil

10 Computer Shortcuts You Can Use for Office Pranks

By Andrew Tarvin | March 30, 2012

In honor of April Fool’s Day, here are 10 computer shortcuts you can use for (evil) office pranks. Why would […]

Read More

The Secret to Holding Truly Engaging Presentations

By Andrew Tarvin | June 29, 2009

The secret to engaging presentations is to use metaphors, essentially doing metaphor presentations.  Metaphors improve understanding and retention of your […]

Read More
[scriptless]

3 thoughts on “$5000 or a Stranger’s Happiness?”

  1. Good question, I’m guessing study and things. And whether the percentages are accurate or not, I think you hit the key point is that happiness (and sadly depression) is contagious.

  2. Pingback: Carnival of HR – Online Degree Edition | Unbridled Talent

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top