Getting rid of the winter blahs is easier than we ever imagined — happiness is contagious, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal. Based on 20 years’ worth of data collected on nearly 5,000 people, researchers found that happiness can spread within social networks by “emotional contagion,” where individuals “catch” the moods of others by mimicking body language, especially facial expressions. Makes sense, considering that when someone smiles, we tend to smile back!

But we can’t put a smiley emoticon on our Facebook status updates and expect to instantly cheer up our friends; the research showed we must be physically close to pass along the happiness. A joyful live-in partner ups your bliss by 8 percent, nearby happy siblings 14 percent, cheery neighbors by 34 percent. A degree of separation appears to be key, so we’ll keep that in mind when planning our next dinner party — the more friends of friends, the better.

Of all the things going around this winter — colds, flus, etc. — happiness sounds the most appealing. Do you believe that happiness is contagious?

Tags: Emoticon, Facebook Inc, Happiness, Human behavior, Internet culture, Personal life, Positive mental attitude, Positive psychology, Smile, World Wide Web