A recent article in The Wall Street Journal cited research that showed our social networks—family members, friends and acquaintances we regularly interact with—strongly influence how we feel.  For example, when one person is happy, the members of their social network are 25% more likely to be happy.  Furthermore, this influence can even spread though online networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  This means that every one of us has the ability to set the tone for how the members of our social network feel on any given day.  If we come to work feeling happy and upbeat, that feeling is going to rub off on our coworkers.  The same holds true if you send an email or a Tweet with and upbeat spin on it, that feeling is likely to influence how the receiver will feel that day.   Now that we know that happiness really is contagious, we all need to be more intentional about spreading it.  The impact we have on each other is truly amazing.