Emotions Are Contagious and What You Can Do About It
This article originally appeared on Medium.cm 2/22/2021
Originally published in 1993, the book Emotional Contagion by Hatfield, Cacioppo, & Rapson, presented a framework for how people can catch emotions. In the book, they propose three mechanisms by which emotions can be caught: mimicry, feedback, and contagion.
Suffice it to say…
I don’t actually plan to dive too far into their book as much as it’s helpful to understand that emotions, by their very nature, are contagious. This is something that may fly under the radar for many people given that emotions exist non-physically. It’s not like catching a virus or having bacteria infect our bodies.
It’s really critical that we understand this phenomenon. Not only can it help us understand the impact that our interactions with others can have on us and vice versa, but it also helps us contextualize so much of the chaos we have watched unfold over the past few years politically and socially.
Consider for a moment that COVID depression is contagious. Even more, consider that some of the challenges navigating this crisis are that many people are feeling isolated and lonely which is then spread to others. Many people are experiencing the effects of being locked down and isolated then those feelings are compounding.
The subtle non-conscious interactions and communication that takes place as we cover ourselves up and remain distant from one another. The feelings of disconnection as we pass by each other without a second glance or hint of recognition.
One research study showed that, for adolescent boys and girls, having a friend that committed suicide increased the likelihood of attempts in their circle of friends. The research also shows that for females that are socially isolated the risk for suicidal ideation increases.
In addition to suicide being contagious, trauma is contagious as well. The effects of vicarious, or secondary, trauma are well known within communities of individuals that do trauma work. One study explores how trauma researchers can end up feeling flooded through listening to experiences of trauma and develop “secondary traumatic stress.”
Another study, looking at vicarious trauma, indicated that, ”mental health professionals with higher levels of vicarious trauma had lower levels of self-efficacy.” Meaning, the more trauma work they did, and the higher their levels of vicarious trauma, the less effective they became at doing their job.
Research has also shown that, in a study conducted on over 12,000 people, that obesity is contagious. The results concluded that:
Becoming obese increased by 57% if a friend became obese in a given interval
If an adult sibling became obese, the chance of becoming obese increased by 40%
If one spouse became obese, the chance the other spouse would become obese increased by 37%
The results also indicated that influence among people of the same sex was greater
But, emotional contagion doesn’t stop there. Not only are negative emotions and experiences contagious but positive emotions and experiences are contagious as well.
Research has been able to show that smoking cessation spreads over clusters of people. The statistics this study generated concluded:
Smoking cessation by a spouse decreased a person’s chances of smoking by 67%
Smoking cessation by a sibling decreased the chances by 25%
Smoking cessation by a friend decreased the chances by 36%
For people working in small firms, smoking cessation by a coworker decreased the chances by 34%
Friends with more education influenced one another more than those with less education
Happiness is contagious too
In addition to spreading the habit of quitting smoking, another study suggested that “clusters of happiness result from the spread of happiness and not just a tendency for people to associate with similar individuals.”
A friend who lives within a mile and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25%
Similar effects are seen in spouses living together, siblings who live within a mile, and next door neighbors
Effects are not seen between coworkers
The effect decays with time and with geographical separation
I mean…our happiness is connected to that of our neighbors. For me, this is pretty profound stuff. This study concludes that happiness is better viewed as a collective phenomenon as it is dependent on the happiness of others with whom we are connected.
Meaning, if you hang around a bunch of people that are unhappy…you will likely eventually end up being unhappy. Conversely, if you hang out with a bunch of happy people…you got it, you will end up happier.
How emotional contagion impacts group behavior
One study was able to show that positive emotional contagion among a group led to, “improved cooperation, decreased conflict, and increased perceived task performance.”
Especially in the age of social media, the influence of emotional contagion in large networks of people is becoming increasingly relevant. We can look specifically at the instances of disinformation that are proliferating on social media platforms about COVID.
Even looking at how influence for the insurrection gained traction, referring specifically to the virality of election disinformation. These dynamics have been weaponized by many people in power to influence large groups of people into acting. Emotional contagion makes these dynamics all the more troubling.
One study, using Facebook, attempted to analyze how emotional contagion spreads on social media platforms. Using the emotional influence of rainfall, researchers analyzed how emotional content changed and spread as a result.
The study suggested that “for every one person affected directly, rainfall alters the emotional expression of about one to two other people, suggesting that online social networks may magnify the intensity of global emotional synchrony.”
At this point, I find it pretty evident that emotional contagion is a real phenomenon that we have to be mindful of. It suggests that, in a similar vein that we protect ourselves from illness and bacteria, we must take similar precautions against catching other’s emotions and moods.
Through these studies, we can see the emotional contagion of positive and negative emotions. We can see the spread of behaviors and habits over groups of people. We can even see the spread of these dynamics over social networks.
Psychology of persuasion
In addition to these studies that were cited, Robert Cialdini wrote a well-known marketing book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion that touches on some similar dynamics. In his book, there is a chapter entitled Social Proof that is dedicated to similar phenomena.
Looking more closely at some of these dynamics starts to get even more troubling.
In the book, Cialdini goes on to explain that for every front-page suicide story that was run in the newspaper, an average of 58 people more than usual killed themselves. The phenomenon is referred to as the Werther Effect or Copycat Suicide…aka suicide contagion.
In addition to suicide contagion, Cialdini also draws a correlation between acts of violence and the homicide rate. Cialdini draws a correlation between heavyweight championship prizefights that received large network coverage and their connection to an increase in homicide rates.
This part was particularly striking to me…
Cialdini states, “when such a match was lost by a black fighter, the homicide rate during the following ten days rose significantly for young black male victims but not young white males. On the other hand, when a white fighter lost a match, it was young white men but not young black men who were killed more frequently in the next ten days.”
The implications of emotional contagion
What we’re really looking at here is that emotions and actions are highly contagious — positive and negative. They spread over networks of people which is only amplified by larger platforms such as social media. And, this spread can also include acts of violence.
These findings open the door for understanding so many of the social dynamics we see unfolding before our eyes in terms of political discord, COVID fatigue, the proliferation of racism, and so many other social challenges we are watching unfold.
It also provides a basis for generational trauma aside from an epigenetic exploration which is a book in and of itself (maybe even multiple books). Trauma that one individual experiences can indeed be passed on to those around them. Parents can pass it on to their children and so on. And so goes the cycle.
Whether we are talking about the trauma that many marginalized communities have had to endure, the ongoing dialogue around police brutality, COVID misinformation, the capitol insurrection…or even school shootings…
These situations are painful and problematic in and of themselves. We also have to consider that not only are these situations morally complex but the feelings and experiences individuals are having are being magnified through emotional contagion and large networks.
And…the media companies and the politicians…
Let’s not forget the role of the media companies and politicians that plant and water the seeds of discord for personal gain. They have a large role in how events continue to play out. But, considering the degree of power that many media company’s wield, it is unlikely that they will change their tune or be held accountable anytime soon.
The sensationalized stories and headlines used to get views, clicks, and attention, are designed to get people engaged without regard for moral implications. But, that’s another post for another day. They just deserve an honorable mention for being culpable entities.
So…what do we do?
That’s a great question because I don’t about you, but it can feel pretty daunting when we look at how the deck is stacked. But, in the same way that we are influenced by emotional contagion, we can also influence emotional contagion on our behalf.
We can inoculate ourselves against emotional contagion. And, through doing so, we can help inoculate those around us.
Sleep, diet, exercise, hydrate
Take care of our body first and foremost. When we do not have the emotional resources to be present with our experience, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Focus on improving emotional intelligence — specifically self-awareness and self-regulation
Practice naming your feelings. This can help improve emotional regulation and boost self-awareness.
Practice mindfulness. This exercise of non-judgemental observation can help improve self-awareness and self-regulation.
Learn to think critically
Critical thinking is a deep and complex topic but here is a great resource to help it along. Learn to understand and identify fallacies in information that is presented. Question things. Find your own answers knowing that many of our media organizations do not deploy responsible use of their information.
Choose your company
If we are susceptible to emotional contagion then we have to be cautious about who we spend our time around.
Be selective about the content you consume
As we are susceptible to the emotional content of the media we consume, it would go a long way to be mindful of the information we consume and our intent behind it.
Practice self-care
Be mindful of how you are impacted by the events and people around you. Take time to restore and replenish yourself as needed.
Know when to set boundaries on negative influences
Know when you need to disengage from something that is wearing you down…even if that means quarantining yourself because you are the source of negativity (it happens to all of us from time to time).
Promote positive contagion
Spend time generating positive emotions such as — compassion, wisdom, loving-kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, and generosity. All of these feelings can uplift your mood and spread to those in your network.
In summary…
Due to the impact of social isolation and quarantine fatigue, many people have been having a challenging time. The COVID, economic, political, and ecological challenges are exhausting.
The sheer amount of challenges that many individuals are facing is enormous. Then factoring the spread of emotional contagion into this dynamic only magnifies the intensity that many people are experiencing.
If you are having a hard time, you are not alone. If you are doing better than others, please take time to share your uplifting presence with others, it’ll help. Give back, contribute, and lend a helping hand.
We are all in this together. And…none of us make it out alive. We may as well do what we can to make this ride as enjoyable as we can while we are here.
That involves all of us.
