Our lives our made richer by the people in it—the web of family, friends, co-workers and other people who form our personal social network. And a growing body of research is showing that—for better or worse--how well we grow and nurture these social ties can have a big influence on our health and well-being.

Consider these surprising facts from Well Being: The Five Essential Elements:

• One study found that if you are happy, even people three degrees of separation from you (the friend of your friend’s friend) are 6% more likely to be happy. That’s three times the estimated 2% increased chance of being happy a $10,000 increase in your personal income will make you.

• Your chances of being physically active triple if your best friend is very active. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true: if your friend becomes obese, your chances of gaining weight increase by 57%.

• Every hour of social time decreases the odds of having a bad day. Getting no social time at all gives you a 50-50 shot at having a good day. But if you get at least three hours of social time, your odds of a good day increase to 90%.

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