You can send an email message to a friend, and your friend can it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
You can send an email message to a friend, and your friend can it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study 24,000 people. They had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 people chosen at . These 18 targets lived in 13 different countries and included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
The messages that got to their intended destination arrived in an average of four emails. Based on the lengths of the chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally contact in five to seven emails.