Social Contagions

A healthy community and full participation in it are important components of a healthy faith. Psychologists have noticed a phenomenon called social contagions, in which a bad behavior such as drug use or overeating spreads among a group. “It’s hard to watch your weight if your spouse and kids insist on mowing down a dozen frosted donuts as you pick at your kale salad” (Nir Eyal, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life [New York: Benbella Books, 2019], 217).