Don't worry, be happy

If I'm happy, you ought to be happy, too. That's assuming we are friends.

So says the result of a study in the British Medical Journal. The study of 4,700 people who were followed more than 20 years found that people who are happy or become happy boost the chances that someone they know will be happy. It doesn't stop with the people you know however, the happiness can persist through another degree of separation. When one person in a network becomes happy, the chances that a friend, sibling, spouse or next-door neighbor would also become happy increased between 8 percent and 34 percent.

Are you smiling yet? What about the person next to you.

The study confirmed what I've always sensed, that it is harder to be miserable around people who are joyful than people who are miserable. If you want to stay happy, it's best to avoid those who seem to wallow in unhappiness.

Could that phenomenon have been at work in the last election? I think we'd all agree that Barack Obama was the one candidate who always seemed to have a sunny disposition. No matter what was thrown his way, he seemed to always be able to summon a smile.

If you looked at his staff and supporters, they always seemed to be upbeat. By contrast, some of his opponents (who will remain nameless) seemed to be perpetually peeved and were always surrounded by a sour-faced lot.

Barack's attitude is in keeping with dreams of our founding fathers. Less than 100 words into the Declaration of Independence they not only proffered that our unalienable rights are life and liberty, but also the pursuit of happiness. Barack Obama might just remind us that happiness is not only good for campaigning but essential for governing.

The study also resonated with me because it reminded me of my Dad. He has got to be the most optimistic person I know. No matter what I've seen him go through, I've never seen him without his smile or without a word of positive encouragement. His optimism is so bad that sometimes we would get upset at him for being happy...when the situation called for some righteous indignation.

I'd like to think that I inherited some portion of his positive attitude...like his brown eyes and chubby cheeks. I'm still working on continuing his legacy of happiness, but I do know that whenever I go to my parents house, there is a joy that is unmistakable. There is no doubt that their joy transfers to anyone who enters their home.

The good news is that their joy and happiness is viral. They'll pass it to me, and I'll pass it to two friends. And so on. And so on. Pretty soon we will have infected everyone in our network. That's got to be a beautiful thing.

Ask Barack Obama. Ask my dad.