In Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, IQSS Faculty Associate Nicholas Christakis and coauthor James Fowler describe research into the ways in which our social networks influence us. Our participation in social networks effect the spread of happiness, maintenance of health, the quest for democratic societies, and much more.

The authors describe the science of social networks, articulating the rules of connections that govern them, the spread of phenomena through them, and the composition of what the authors call "the human superorganism." Five rules of connection are identified, and the authors argue that most phenomena show three degrees of influence. That is, if we all are connected through a chain of acquaintances, our individual influence typically spreads through three levels of that connection.

Christakis, a Harvard Professor in the Departments of Sociology, Health Care Policy, and Medicine, and James Fowler, an associate professor at the University of California's Department of Political Science, are long-time collaborators in the quest to expand social network science.

To read more about Connected, including reviews in the New York Times and SEED, and to learn more about the five rules of the human superorganism, please visit the following page: http://www.connectedthebook.com/.