How important are our relationships to our health? Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is known for answering this question through a series of groundbreaking studies on the role of social networks in medicine.

As a physician and sociologist at Yale University, Christakis examines how friends, family, or colleagues influence our physical and mental health. His studies show that phenomena such as obesity, smoking, or even happiness spread through social networks – much like contagious diseases. One of his most well-known works demonstrates that obesity is more influenced by friendship networks than by genetic predisposition.

Christakis also explores the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence in networks. He illustrates how and to what extent social networks promote health, wealth, and cooperation – or not.

Nicholas Christakis began his career in 1995 at the University of Chicago, where he served as a professor of sociology and medicine. In 2001, he continued his work at Harvard University before becoming a professor at Yale University in 2013. In 2009, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. That same year, he published the bestseller Connected, and in 2010, he delivered a TED Talk on the hidden influence of social networks. In 2024, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

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