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Harvard professor of sociology and health care policy Nicholas Christakis discusses Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.

Nicholas Christakis and fellow scientist James Fowler finally met, after having worked in adjoining buildings on the same university campus for several years, when introduced by a mutual friend. Their common intellectual interests in the power of this very phenomenon, social networks, eventually led them to write Connected, an exploration of the role that social networks play in our lives, how they are formed, how they are maintained, and how far-reaching their effects can be.

Connected shows that our world is governed by the Three Degrees Rule -- we influence and are influenced by people up to three degrees removed from us, most of whom we do not even know. For example, your friend's friend's friend has more impact on your happiness than $5,000 in your pocket. Our social networks underlie financial scams, eating disorders, substance abuse, and suicide clusters, but also voter turnout, innovation, altruism, and "random" acts of kindness.