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The article ''You’re NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With'' states:

The article ''You’re NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With'' states:

{{Cquote|The first major study on the breadth of [[social influence]] was conducted by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler. The duo was examined the data set from the Framingham Heart Study, one of the largest and longest running health studies ever, when they realized that it covered more than just the heart health of the participants. They were studied for all sorts of medical conditions, and during interviews they were probed with all sorts of demographic questions, including questions about family members and friends.

{{Cquote|The first major study on the breadth of social influence was conducted by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler. The duo was examined the data set from the Framingham Heart Study, one of the largest and longest running health studies ever, when they realized that it covered more than just the heart health of the participants. They were studied for all sorts of medical conditions, and during interviews they were probed with all sorts of demographic questions, including questions about family members and friends.

So they started analyzing the data to see what the effects of family members and friends was on something fairly easy and objective: obesity. According to their results, if a friend of yours becomes obese, you yourself are 45 percent more likely than chance to gain weight over the next two to four years. More surprisingly, however, Christakis and Fowler found that if a friend of your friend becomes obese, your likelihood of gaining weight increases by about 20 percent — even if you don’t know that friend of a friend. The effect continues one more person out. If a friend of the friend of your friend develops obesity, you are still 10 percent more likely than random chance to gain weight as well.

So they started analyzing the data to see what the effects of family members and friends was on something fairly easy and objective: [[obesity]]. According to their results, if a friend of yours becomes obese, you yourself are 45 percent more likely than chance to gain weight over the next two to four years. More surprisingly, however, Christakis and Fowler found that if a friend of your friend becomes obese, your likelihood of gaining weight increases by about 20 percent — even if you don’t know that friend of a friend. The effect continues one more person out. If a friend of the friend of your friend develops obesity, you are still 10 percent more likely than random chance to gain weight as well.

Your friends make you fat, but so do their friends, and so do their friends of friends.<ref>[https://archive.ph/TDJEJ#selection-245.0-245.68 ''You’re NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With'']</ref>}}

Your friends make you fat, but so do their friends, and so do their friends of friends.<ref>[https://archive.ph/TDJEJ#selection-245.0-245.68 ''You’re NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With'']</ref>}}