The graphic above, from a social network analysis, shows how a contagion spreads in a human community. A contagion can be an idea or a disease. Communicable diseases such as TB, SARS, H5N3 [bird flu], HIV/AIDS, all spread with the help of social/contact networks.
Now researchers have found that Obesity also spreads via a network. If you friends are fat, the data says, soon you may be fat also!
"What spreads is an idea. As people around you gain weight, your attitudes about what constitutes an acceptable body size changes, and you might follow suit and emulate that body size," Christakis said. "It may cross some kind of threshold, and you can see an epidemic take off. Once it starts, it's hard to stop it. It can spread like wildfire."
"People are more likely to copy the actions of people they resemble," Christakis said. "What we think is going on here is emulation."
The amazing pattern was that friends are more influential than spouses or siblings in determining your weight. This confirms why groups like Weight Watchers are so effective, while our worried spouses may not be. Alchoholics Anonymous also follows this peer influence model to keep its members from over-drinking.
Original The New England Journal of Medicine paper by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler.
Originally published July 25, 2007
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