Citation

Burt RS. Soc. Netw. 1987; 9(4): 311-331.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0378-8733(87)90002-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Using network data obtained in the 1985 General Social Survey, expressions of happiness are shown to increase with the size of a person's discussion network and decrease with the prevalence of strangers in the network. The density of especially close relations in the network has no direct effect on happiness. It is the negative impact of strangers rather than the positive impact of close relations that determines expressions of happiness. The network size and stranger effects remain strong even after respondent differences in socioeconomic status, age, sex, race, and domestic situation are held constant. However, it is clear that an almost certain route to strengthening the network measures to predict well-being lies in studying how happiness varies with the position of a spouse or other domestic partner in the respondent's network.