Social Networks Can Help With Obesity and Smoking

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The power of other people in your life is probably not something you think about very often. At least not in the way new research has shown it to affect behavior. We have always known that if our kids run with the bad crowd, they will adopt the ways and thinking of that crowd. But we tend to think that we outgrow the influence of other people- at least to some extent, as we grow older. The idea being that as we mature we make better decisions that are not affected by those around us as much. But new research suggests that things like obesity and smoking are very much affected by those around you- especially those you have a close relationship with. In America, being overweight is now considered “normal” and when everyone around you is overweight, it has a powerful influence on how you view reality. This is only common sense but we are just now seeing how powerful an agent for change it could be with medical and social issues like smoking, sex and obesity.

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The latest research comes from Nicholas A. Christakis, a medical sociologist at the Harvard Medical School, and James H. Fowler, a political scientist at the University of California at San Diego. The pair reported last summer that obesity appeared to spread from one person to another through social networks, almost like a virus or a fad.

In a follow-up to that provocative research, the team has produced similar findings about another major health issue: smoking. In a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team found that a person’s decision to kick the habit is strongly affected by whether other people in their social network quit — even people they do not know. And, surprisingly, entire networks of smokers appear to quit virtually simultaneously.

Taken together, these studies and others are fueling a growing recognition that many behaviors are swayed by social networks in ways that have not been fully understood. And it may be possible, the researchers say, to harness the power of these networks for many purposes, such as encouraging safe sex, getting more people to exercise or even fighting crime.

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I see this at work in the gym all the time. The people who are connected to others in the gym are far more likely to keep coming and make progress than those who show up alone and sort of stay on the periphery. So if you want to help someone, invite them to the gym and get them connected to those already working out. Making friends is good!