When we meet someone, in just a few milliseconds, we automatically and unconsciously adopt the expressions of their emotional state (tone of voice, posture, facial expressions, etc.). This is a fundamental mechanism aimed at facilitating human relationships and is the root of emotional contagion.
« Emotions are contagious, just like viruses. »
Dr Christophe Haag
Let’s now explore what emotional contagion is, what the symptoms are, what happens in the brain, and how to “decontaminate” yourself from it.
What is Emotional Contagion?
Our emotions are like waves that spread around us.
On a neuronal level, it is our mirror neurons that help us identify and understand the emotions of others. Scientific studies show that we make micro facial movements to imitate the facial expressions of those we interact with and dissect their emotional states to interact with them appropriately.
For example, if a friend is anxious, we will unconsciously imitate the expressions of their anxiety. Our body will adopt similar gestures and tensions, and our limbic brain will produce this emotion for us. This is a mechanism that works even at a distance.
From an evolutionary perspective, it is a mechanism for transmitting information extremely quickly, without even needing to verbalize it. In the case of imminent danger, it is crucial for the survival of the group to be quickly “contaminated” by the fear of a potential threat in order to protect themselves swiftly.
Our emotions affect our cognitive functions.Attention
Attention
Memory
Reasoning
We do not have the same ability to focus, analyze information, and retain it when we are stressed, angry, enthusiastic, or sad.
Hence the importance of taking care of our emotional state.
We are not equally sensitive to different emotions.
Dr. Rick Hanson explains that our brain is like Velcro for negative emotions and like Teflon for positive emotions.
In short, negative emotions leave a more intense and lasting impression because they are survival factors.
We know that, on average, it takes between 5 to 7 positive pieces of information to counterbalance a single negative piece in our brain.
Just imagine for a moment that you could reverse this ratio and become like Velcro for positive emotions—how would that change the quality of your life?
« The quality of your emotions determines the quality of your life. »
Tony Robbins
How to Deal with Emotional Contagion ?
First of all, you need to learn to recognize the symptoms of emotions induced by emotional contagion.
- Chronic anxiety
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Low morale
- Weakened immunity
These are signals your body sends to indicate that you need to take care of yourself. It’s time to explore some techniques that help purge and cleanse your emotional system, freeing up space to welcome emotions that make you feel good.
Comment se décontaminer de la contagion émotionnelle ?
Several approaches are effective for freeing yourself from emotions absorbed from your environment. The first is to take action on…
1. The Environment
Proximity to nature helps you purge the excess of emotions.
A walk in the park or a weekend in the countryside allows you to step away from the emotional cloud of the crowd and disperse the “electricity” around you, without continuing the chain of emotional contagion. A scientific study conducted in London shows that residents of green streets consume fewer antidepressants.
2. Your Social Circle
Since emotional contagion is carried by the people you encounter, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, it is important to develop selectivity in your social circle.
Outside of your professional circle, you can choose the people you spend time with based on their ability to stay connected to positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, kindness, or serenity.
In your professional circle, if you cannot avoid interacting with certain colleagues, you can still limit the amount of time spent in their presence or prioritize contact through phone calls or videoconferencing.
Now that we’ve looked at the approaches that involve acting on the external environment, let’s explore how to act from within to remain impermeable to emotional contagion.
3. Recognize
You cannot manage something you are unable to identify. It is important to learn to distinguish your baseline state from moments when you feel irritated or tense. Learn to recognize when your inner world is peaceful and when it becomes like a turbulent sea. The quicker you can identify the physiological signs, the better:
- Tension
- Rapid breathing
- Shallow breathing
- Desire to leave
- Tightening in the stomach
- Feeling of suffocation
The simpler it is to manage.
If you experience any of these signs during the day, start by taking care of your body. A few stretches or slow, diaphragmatic breathing will help you regain control of your physiology and distance yourself from the emotional cloud being presented to you by your interlocutor.
Once you recognize that the emotional contagion coming from the outside is not beneficial for you, three possible solutions are available:
- Limit the amount of time spent in the presence of this person.
- Transform their emotional state.
- Impose your emotional state.
4. Transform
Transforming your interlocutor’s emotional state means that you are capable of offering them a new way of looking at their problem. You can start by acknowledging their distress. Name what you are sensing. For example, you could say, “From the way you’re talking, I feel like you’re a bit stressed,” or “If I’m not mistaken, you’re a little worried about the current situation.” Play with words to avoid threatening the other person’s self-image.
Transformation is what we practice in coaching. It is the art of changing one’s reality. We start from the same factual reality and help the other person find a new perspective that is more beneficial for them. I will delve deeper into this topic in a future article. To begin, you can try guiding the other person toward the benefits of the situation they fear. Help them see that their fear may be exaggerated, and their negative emotion will start to subside.
5. Impose a Positive Emotion
Emotional contagion is like a game of tug-of-war. The one who pushes harder will win the game.
If you’re faced with someone who, consciously or unconsciously, has become a carrier of negative vibrations, you can choose to impose the emotion of your choice.
Of course, this requires mastery over your own emotions and the ability to increase the intensity of your emotional state to surpass that of the other person. So, connect with a memory that is deeply charged with a positive emotion and feel your body become infused with it. You can even imagine it like music playing inside you, which you offer to your interlocutor because you know it will benefit them.
Practice generating beautiful emotions within yourself with ease. You can even develop an “addiction” to joy or gratitude! This can only be beneficial, as a scientific study suggests that our most authentic state is one of gratitude. I’m preparing an entire article on gratitude—a true antidote to emotional contagion!
