Emotions are Contagious

This was an interesting read, especially so because this has been an often discussed point between me and a friend....'on how much others moods and energies affect us...how much we can guard ourselves against others moods and energies...... and how inspite of the best insulation there's some peoples moods that just seem to impact us no matter what'

This write up from Daniel Goleman and others definitely clarifies. Apparently emotional contagion is a reality....and it happens at a more subtle level than we know.

'Most emotional contagion is typically at a subtle, almost imperceptible level; the way a salesperson says thank you can leave us feeling ignored, resented, or genuinely welcomed and appreciated. We catch feelings from one another as though they were some kind of social virus.

Emotional intelligence includes managing this exchange; "popular" and "charming" are terms we use for people whom we like to be with because their emotional skills make us feel good. People who are able to help others soothe their feelings have an especially valued social commodity; they are the souls others turn to when in greatest emotional need. 

Research has indicated that the mood of the one who was more expressive of emotions gets transferred to the more passive partner.

Sigal Barasade, a researcher at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, noted “There was this woman, I didn’t even report to her, but she was on my same floor, and she was just so intense and negative all the time. And then one day, she went on vacation. I literally felt my shoulders lower , the whole department felt more relaxed and happy, she said. “Then she came back, and it all got bad again.” And thus, a research obsession was sparked.

How does this magical transmission occur? The most likely answer is that it happens at an unconscious level, through an out-of-awareness motor mimicry of their facial expression, gestures, tone of voice, and other nonverbal markers of emotion. The changes are evident through electronic sensors but are typically not visible to the naked eye.

When two people interact, the direction of mood transfer is from the one who is more forceful in expressing feelings to the one who is more passive. Also, some people are particularly susceptible to emotional contagion; their innate sensitivity makes their autonomic nervous system (a marker of emotional activity) more easily triggered. This ability seems to make them more impressionable; sentimental commercials can move them to tears, while a quick chat with someone who is feeling cheerful can buoy them (it also may make them more empathic, since they are more readily moved by someone else's feelings).

Just as Daniel Stern found in watching the synchrony between attuned mothers and their infants, the same reciprocity links the movements of people who feel emotional rapport. This synchrony seems to facilitate the sending and receiving of moods, even if the moods are negative. 

In short, whether people feel upbeat or down, the mood of the one who was more expressive of emotions passes onto the more passive partner, and the more physically attuned their encounter, the more similar their moods will become.