Emergence II
I posted a couple weeks ago about emergence, a phenomenon best defined as collective action that is greater than any of the individual parts (think a school of fish or flock of birds: there’s no leader, yet they all move in the same direction and are better defended from predators that way).
This is along those same lines, from Science Friday two weeks ago:
Here’s the summary:
How can your friends — and your friends’ friends — affect you? We’ll talk with Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, two researchers exploring social networks and how they affect our health and behavior. In their new book ‘Connected,’ the pair describe research into how social networks tie into obesity, smoking, voting behavior, happiness, and more.
So people two degrees away from you, your friends’ friends, who you don’t even know, can actually impact your life. And you theirs. Fascinating!