The SQUEEZE: In Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Christakis and Fowler examine the concept of social connectivity and base their investigation on a central topic: the spike in the mortality rate of a spouse after a partner passes away. Both Christakis and Fowler are fascinated with relationships, comparing topologies (the hows of a given structure) across multiple social networks. The authors conclude that the whole of a network is greater than the sum of its parts. Christakis and Fowler use five basic rules to describe the relationships individuals have with their friends. Mutual adaptation and the influence of friends and friends’ friends are two such categories that form the basis of their study, revealing much about how a network promotes the good of the group, spreads contagion, creates epidemics, permits substance abuse, and alters voting patterns. Connected, essentially, offers an entertaining guide to understanding the dynamics of human networking.

Notable Endorsement: "Christakis and Fowler have written the book on the exciting new science of social networks. CONNECTED could change your life forever. How? Read it yourself and find out."--Daniel Gilbert, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness

Common Q’s Answered by this Book:

• How does mutual adaptation influence groupthink?
• What type of social network forms the basis of other social networks?
• When is it appropriate to promote the good of a group?

About the Author: Nicholas A. Christakis is a physician and social scientist. Christakis is also a professor in multiple departments at Harvard University. For more than ten years, Christakis has studied how social networks form and how they function. Christakis received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University; a medical degree from Harvard Medical School; an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health; and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. For more information, visit: http://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/people/hcp_core_faculty/nicholas_christakis. James H. Fowler is a professor of Medical Genetics and Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. Fowler is also a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Fowler’s research interests have been featured in the New York Times magazine's Year in Ideas, Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Business Ideas, and twice in Time magazine's Year in Medicine. Fowler has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, and The Colbert Report. Fowler was recently named one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" by Foreign Policy and "Most Original Thinker" of the year by The McLaughlin Group. Fowler completed a master’s degree at Yale University; and both a master’s and doctorate at Harvard University.

Book Vitals:

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press (January 2012)