15 Nov Imagine a revolution of happiness and health
I’ve often talked about my desire to start and/or be part of a happiness revolution; a movement I believe has already begun in which our health system really focuses on health rather than sickness; in which parents focus on the best in their children not the worst; in which organisations realise that profits will come from looking after their employees not from squeezing every last drop of passion and fun out of them!
I’ve also often reported on the research that suggests health and happiness may well be catchy (a phenomenon technically referred to as social or emotional contagion).
Well, I recently stumbled upon this short interview in which James Fowler, political scientist and medical geneticist (and co-author of Connected) talks about his vision for the future…
San Diego_ã_s native strengths in information and medical technology will help us to lead a new industry that harnesses the single most powerful tool for improving our health: our social networks. As social media and mobile technologies converge, we will spark an _ã–epidemic of health_ã with tools that make it easy to help our friends stop smoking, eat less, exercise more and feel better. This convergence will revolutionize our ability to change our health behavior on the largest scale in human history, and it may be our only hope for putting the brakes on our ever-escalating costs of health care.
Imagine that…an epidemic of health and happiness spread through social networks and including the quality of life everywhere. Now that’s something I’d like to see!