Whether we appreciate it or not, we live out our lives surrounded by an intricate pattern of social connections… We’re all embedded in this network; it affects us profoundly and we may be unaware of its existence, of its effect on us. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
I’m not suggesting that social scientists stop teaching and investigating classic topics like monopoly power, racial profiling and health inequality. But everyone knows that monopoly power is bad for markets, that people are racially biased and that illness is unequally distributed by social class. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
The reason we form networks is because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs. It’s to our advantage as individuals and a species to assemble ourselves in this fashion. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
Everyday interactions we have with other people are definitely contagious, in terms of happiness. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
The social sciences offer equal promise for improving human welfare; our lives can be greatly improved through a deeper understanding of individual and collective behavior. But to realize this promise, the social sciences, like the natural sciences, need to match their institutional structures to today’s intellectual challenges. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
It is the spread of the good things that vindicates the whole reason we live our lives in networks. If I was always violent to you or gave you germs, you would cut the ties to me and the network would disintegrate. In a deep and fundamental way, networks are connected to goodness, and goodness is required for networks to emerge and spread. Nicholas A. Christakis Read Quote
