Chris's Reviews > Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

Humans are social creatures, rarely existing in complete isolation. We live in relationship to each other; we shape and are shaped by each other; you have influence over those around you--even those you haven't met--and they have influence over you.

This book is a fascinating look at a broad collection of recent studies, by the authors and many others, that attempts to understand the dynamics of our social natures and connectedness. What the authors have found is that social networks reach three degrees of influence--to friends of friends of friends, thousands of people when multiplied out for each individual--even though individuals haven't actually met most of those in their networks of influence. Influence ripples across those first three degrees of separation to a significant level then becomes insignificant at a fourth degree. And just as individuals influence others to three degrees, they are influenced by them as well.

"Networks influence the spread of joy, the search for sexual partners, the maintenance of health, the functioning of markets, and the struggle for democracy. Yet, social-network effects are not always positive. Depression, obesity, sexually transmitted diseases, financial panic, violence, and even suicide also spread. Social networks, it turns out, tend to magnify whatever they are seeded with."

Some of it seems a bit obvious--like those who are better connected are more likely to get good jobs--and some of it is surprising--like the way weight gain or loss can skip over a link yet still be in sync. All of it is explored and explained to depths beyond the obvious. It's a lot of food for thought and a lot of ground to cover, and makes for a highly intriguing read.