How To: Sick? This Facebook App Will Tell You Which Friend to Blame

Sick? This Facebook App Will Tell You Which Friend to Blame

Some people hate cold weather, but there are also plenty of things to look forward to in the wintertime. The holidays, building awesome snow sculptures (or igloos), and hot chocolate, to name a few. But with all the good also comes one gigantic downside—more people get sick during the winter than any other time of year.

If you find yourself sick, despite the fact that you wash your hands every half hour and refuse to be in a room with someone you heard cough last week, a Facebook app called Help, My Friend Gave Me the Flu can help you figure out who to blame. It may not make your cold go away, but the smug satisfaction you get out of pointing the finger at someone should at least make you feel a little better.

The app scans your friends' statuses and other updates and determines, based on geolocation data, which of them are the most likely to also be ill.

Some red flags are obvious—any mention of sneezing, coughing, or doctor visits—but it also calls people out on some pretty "normal" behaviors. Even posting late at night, because it suggests the possibility of "flu-related sleep difficulties," can put a friend on the app's bad list.

Optimistic, aren't they?

Friends who are determined to have a high probability of being sick are "quarantined," with one "prime suspect" who's most likely to be the culprit.

Want to find out who's making you miserable? Or at least know who to avoid? Go ahead. Knowing's half the battle.