Friday, March 8, 2013


How Happiness Affects People
What?
How many people can say they are happy?  I say I am happy most of the time but on the inside it is not always true.  I have always thought that a person’s happiness is dependent upon their own choices and actions in life.  But what I am coming to understand is that a person’s happiness can be greatly affected by others.  There is an article in The Washington Post that talks about happiness and how it can be spread from person to person. A study was conducted followed 4, 700 people for 20 years found that people who are happy or become happy boost the chances that someone they know will be happy (Rob Stein).  This is a very important when it comes to team work; if a team members is happy there is a greater chance that other member will be happy.  When individuals on the team are happier they tend to be more satisfied more creative and more productive (Hughes p13).

So What?
            A person’s attitude is so powerful that they might be affecting people they do not even know.  According to Nicholas A. Christakis, a medical sociologist at Harvard University a person’s happiness can also depends on the choices and actions and experiences of other people, including people to whom you are not directly connected (Stein p2).  In the business world working on projects, there might be some interaction with non-members of the team that collaboration be it positive could boosts the team’s emotional intelligence.  On the other hand, if that communication is negative it could have devastating consequences for that team’s emotional and social intelligence (Hughes p14).

Now What?
            Short entry today but the message is powerful.  People’s mood and attitudes be it internal or external greatly affects others.  This interaction can be silent but can have a lasting impact.  In order to have a more productive team happiness needs to be involved.  Also happiness has been linked with healthiness contributing to an overall longer life. Being healthy translates into being more productive less people absence from being sick.  Humanity as a whole benefit when people work together (Hughes p15).  So always be nice to others and wear a smile you never know who you might be helping.

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