by Freyda Tartak

Created on: September 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

Happiness is contagious for the same reason as laughter and yawns. The desire to mimic these things is as natural as breathing and sleeping. When somebody is happy, they influence through a generosity of spirit. They share their mood and others partake. It's simple, really.

Happiness, in its purest form, knows no negativity. A person who has become happy is unencumbered by emotions such jealousy of their mood or the fear of losing it. Instead, happy people seek the company of others with whom to share it and who are likely to prolong their euphoria. Usually, a smile, a kind gesture, or even a gift is enough to pass along the good fortune of feeling great.

People are social animals. We are all connected in ways that few will likely understand. No matter what anybody says, we cannot exist without each other and are deeply affected by those around us. When somebody does something or says something as a result of being happy, the other person will have some sort of positive reaction. Even if the second person is in the foulest of moods, a happy gesture eats away a tiny little bit of that negativity.

Although each person deals with outside stimuli in different ways, it is more an issue of the degree of impact rather than an open and shut case. Unless a person is clinically depressed, being surrounded by happiness can't help but rub off just a little. A great example is the recent global recession. It is universally regarded as the worst since the 1930s. For the past few months it has been teetering on the brink of recovery. The biggest obstacle has, for a while now, been considered to be consumer confidence. Now that the majority of people have decided to stop being scared and go out and spend again, the economy has started to show quantifiable signs of upward mobility.

Like a self fulfilling prophecy, when everybody bands together and decides that things aren't as bad as they seem, they are able to realize physical results. The more happy and satisfied people are with the idea that the economy is on the mend, the faster the return to overall wealth and prosperity. The ability to respond readily to cheerfulness is actually so important to the overall health and stability of our society that it should be regarded as a social obligation.

When a person is "not in the mood", it is all the more important to take a step back, calm down, and reflect on the things that matter most. There is very little point in being unhappy or wanting to stay that way. In actuality, every single conflict on this planet revolves around the struggle to attain happiness. The winners are always the ones best able to gather the most force behind themselves and are the most fanatical about their belief that it is their natural right to get what they want.

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