Have you ever wondered, “Do the things I’m doing really matter? Do they make any difference?”
The answer is a resounding yes.
On average, each person affects 8,000 people every day.
I learned this from an insightful book called Connected: The Surprising Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler. In the book, the authors share fascinating research on how our social networks connect us and influence our lives. Their conclusion is striking. Our actions, thoughts, and emotions impact others every single day. That’s where this number comes from: on average, we affect about 8,000 people daily.
How did they arrive at this number?
Christakis and Fowler discovered that, on average, each person knows twenty people well enough to invite them to dinner. If those twenty people each know twenty people in the same way, and those people know another twenty, we get a total of 20 x 20 x 20 = 8,000 people.
We are all connected in a vast web of relationships. Their research shows that we influence and are influenced by our friends’ friends’ friends. Even if we don’t directly know someone three degrees away, we are still part of that chain of influence. Our actions, thoughts, and emotions ripple through this network, impacting others in ways we may not even realize. That’s truly remarkable.
Christakis and Fowler explain that our feelings and emotions often spread to others, even without us realizing it. When we feel joy, stress, anxiety, or calm, we pass these emotions along. Sometimes, this happens in an instant—just by seeing someone’s facial expression. Our mirror neurons prompt us to mimic that expression and feel the same emotion. This happens with fear, but also with a smile. These emotions are contagious.
So, if we can unconsciously impact a network of 8,000 people, imagine what we could do if we acted with intention. How can we practice intentional reflection and empower ourselves to make a positive impact on our social network, especially through compassion, advocacy, and solidarity?
This leads us to important questions:
— How can we reflect on our own role in the world and empower ourselves to create positive change for those around us? Our choices, no matter how small, can influence others, especially when we consciously choose to spread support.
— And what is possible when we unite our efforts? What kind of positive contagions can we create when we act together in solidarity and support?
All of these actions contribute to a ripple effect of connection and transformation.
If you ever doubt the impact you’re having, remember that your actions matter. Everything you do makes an impact.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 