Ideas worth spreading

The hidden influence of social networks

1,938,311 views | Nicholas Christakis • TED2010

We're all embedded in vast social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a wide variety of traits -- from happiness to obesity -- can spread from person to person, showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even know.

We're all embedded in vast social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a wide variety of traits -- from happiness to obesity -- can spread from person to person, showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even know.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Nicholas Christakis

Nicholas Christakis

Physician, social scientist

See speaker profile

Nicholas Christakis explores how the large-scale, face-to-face social networks in which we are embedded affect our lives, and what we can do to take advantage of this fact.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.