The February 2010 issue of Runner’s World magazine had an interesting article about a young 6 year old son who joined his mother and father on a run one morning. He ran his first mile without stopping. Before too long, the two older boys were running with the parents. The author went on to talk about the two social scientists, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, who discovered that happiness is contagious–as are other good behaviors like quitting smoking, staying thin, exercising. Of course, the flip side of this equation is just what you’d think. Obesity, depsression, cigarettes, and coffee also appear to be “spread” between groups of friends and co-workers. There have been quite a few studies, such as the one in the July 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. However the most interesting conclusion is that of the social scientists: “Stayin healthy isn’t just a matter of genes and your diet–good health is also a product, in part, of your sheer proxmity to other healthy people.”
In the New Yorks Times article on the Christakis/Fowler study, it concluded, “If you want to improve the world with good behavior, math is on your side. For most of us, within 3 degrees we are connected to more than 1000 people–all of whom we can theoretically help make healthier, fitter, and happier just by our contagious example.”
I say we have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference. The differenc of one. One act, one kind word, one smile, one run…one race preparation, one word of encouragement. As the author of the Runner’s World article closed with these thoughts:
“No man is an island. No one runs in a vacuum. There is always someone watching you leave the house, dig it out, come back, and do it all over again. You are being watched by a roommate, a brother, a spouse. The driver of every passing car. You are being watched by future generations. We are inexorably entwined within each other’s influence. You may run by yourself, but no matter how early you start, no matter how remote your location, you never run alone.”
Think about it. And have an incredible, healthy week.