Obesity, politics, STDs flow in public networks

social_network_circles
Meet "network man." He has basic needs of his own, but has many arbitrary preferences, such as in harmony or clothes, that has been influenced by the people he knows.

Network man's likes and dislikes, in turn, affect the actions of his friends, and their friends, and their friends. For example, when he gets into an obscure indie rock band, he shares an album with his friend, who likes it so much that he recommends it to his cousin, who spreads the word to her friends.

This is the view of human deeds put forth in "Connected," a new book by Dr. Nicholas Christakis, professor at Harvard University, and James Fowler, associate professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Examining years of research of their own and from others, the authors end that social networks, both offline and online, are crucial in understanding everything from voting patterns to the spread of disease.

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