Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Friendship Paradox

Do you know what it is? Simply put the Friendship Paradox states that you are more likely to be friends with someone who has more friends than with someone who has fewer friends. In other words, more than likely your friends have more friends than you do.

Is this idea difficult to wrap your mind around? It depends. If you think you are an extremely popular person then perhaps it might be. In my case, since my wife considers me to be a misanthrope it made immediate sense. This finding was published in the American Journal of Sociology in 1991 by Scott L. Feld.

Of what use is this finding you ask? One way it can be used is as a way to forecast the course of epidemics as Nicholas Christakis explains in this TED talk in the video below.

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