Have you been enjoying the recent brouhaha about social networks and health, or “social contagion”? In case you missed it, statisticians and other scientists are in a flap over the analytical methods of Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, authors of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives (in which the summarize their research which, they say, shows that components of health such as obesity, tobacco cessation, and happiness spread through networks of “friends”). Carol Harnett did a fine job of deconstructing both sides of the issue in layperson’s terms on Fran Melmed’s blog. Read it here.

Why should those of us in employee wellness care about this? Several reasons, including Read the rest of this entry »