It is becoming clear that a whole range of phenomena are transmitted through networks of friends in ways that are not entirely u

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问题 It is becoming clear that a whole range of phenomena are transmitted through networks of friends in ways that are not entirely understood: happiness and depression, obesity, drinking and smoking habits, ill-health, the inclination to turn out and vote in elections, a taste for certain music or food, a preference for online privacy, even the tendency to attempt or think about suicide. They ripple through networks "like pebbles thrown into a pond," says Nicholas Christakis, a medical sociologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who has pioneered much of the new work.
At first sight, the idea that we can catch the moods, habits and state of health not only of those a-round us, but also those we do not even know seems alarming. It implies that rather than being in charge of where we are going in life, we are little more than back-seat drivers, since most social influence operates at a subconscious level. But we need not be alarmed, says Duncan Watts, a sociologist at Columbia University, New York. "Social influence is mostly a good thing. We should embrace the fact that we’re inherently social creatures and that much of who we are and what we do is determined by forces that are outside the little circle we draw around ourselves. " What’s more, by being aware of the effects of social contagion we may be able to find ways to counter it, or use it to our benefit. " There’s no doubt people can have some control over their networks and that this in turn can affect their lives," says Christakis.
To get an idea of what is going on, take Christakis’ findings on the spread of happiness, which were published last month. His team looked at a network of several thousand friends, relatives, neighbors and work colleagues. They found that happy people tend to be clustered together, not because they naturally orientate towards each other, but because of the way happiness spreads through social contact over time, regardless of people’s conscious choice of friends.

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答案 人们越来越清晰地认识到,一系列现象以令人捉摸不透的方式在社交圈内出现:快乐和忧郁、肥胖症、饮酒和抽烟的习惯、不健康的身体状况、参加竞选投票的倾向、对某种音乐或食物的喜好、对网上隐私的偏好,甚至尝试或考虑自杀的倾向都是可以传染的。它们“就像是丢进池塘的卵石”在社交圈内荡漾起层层的涟漪,波士顿哈佛大学医学院的医学社会学家尼古拉斯.克里斯塔基斯如是说。他是这项新研究的开拓先锋。 周围人甚至是陌生人的情绪、习惯和健康状态都能够传染给我们,这样的观点乍一听令人震惊。它意味着,由于社交影响大多在潜意识的层面上运行,我们并不是自己人生方向的掌舵者,更像是对驾驶者指手画脚的乘客。纽约哥伦比亚大学的社会学家邓肯.沃茨则称我们不必为此惊慌。克里斯塔基斯说道:“社交网络基本上利大于弊。必须承认,我们天生是社会生物;我们是谁,我们做什么多是由自己划定的小圈子外的力量决定的。”更重要的是,如果意识到了社会传染的作用,我们也许能够找到方法控制它,并为我所用。他还说道:“毫无疑问,人们对自己的社交圈子有一定的控制力,这也能够影响人们的生活。” 想要了解这到底是怎么一回事,看看克里斯塔基斯上个月发表的有关幸福蔓延的研究结果吧。他的团队以一个包含了几千个朋友、亲戚、邻居、同事的社交圈为研究对象,最后发现快乐的人往往会聚集在一起。这并不是因为他们自然而然互相吸引,而是无论人怎样有意识地去选择朋友,快乐总会通过久而久之的社交接触传播开来。

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