Have you ever had a conversation with someone, then that person suddenly starts to giggle? Chances are, you would burst out laughing too. Even if you came into the conversation late and you have no idea what the laughter is all about, you would at least probably smile.

That is because happiness is contagious. This is not just in your imagination. In fact, a study conducted by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler said that the happiness of other people has a powerful effect on others’ feelings of happiness. It is so powerful that spread through people who do not even know each other. In the same study, a happy person increases the other’s happiness by 15 percent if they know each other. A friend of a friend will boost happiness by around 10 percent, and third-degree connections enhance happiness by 6 percent.

With the world’s rapidly improving connectivity due to social networking, is it possible that social networks can actually relay the same level of happiness as in real-life social connections? Research suggests that social networks can.

Christakis made a couple of study in which he observed 1,700 Facebook profiles. One study showed that people who are smiling in their profile picture their Facebook account are more likely to have more friends who also smile in their profile pictures. In addition, people who look happy in their profile photos have an average of only one more friend than Facebook users who don’t look happy.

The research seems to prove the original findings of the Christakis-Fowler’s studies on how happiness spreads. Happy people tend to cluster in happy groups, and the same finding was validated in their Facebook study.

How is it possible for happiness to spread through a social network? The study explains that just like in real life, there are three ways that positive feeling moves through a group.

1. Confounding

Individuals are loosely connected because they share the same life experiences. Perfect examples are people who work in the same office, athletes who belong the same sports team, individuals who share the same passion with a hobby or activity, or contacts in a social network. Positive as well as negative experiences affect them as a whole.

That is why a group of friends in Facebook experience a cluster of happiness.

2. Homophily

This happens when happy people choose each other as friends simply because, well, the other is happy. If a person sees another one with a profile picture that shows a happy face, he is drawn to that smiling person like a magnet.

3. Induction

This is the sensation of happiness in one person that leads to the happiness in others. In short, this is emotional contagion. People share the feeling to those who are emotionally wired for happiness.

Thus, if you want to have a network full of happy people, whether for personal or business interaction, try replacing that grumpy profile picture of yours into one that shows your great smile (genuine, of course). Aside from getting a great group of happy contacts, you are able to transmit that good ‘ole feeling.