Emotional Contagion: A Review of the Phenomenon and Its Implications
Abstract
The phenomenon of emotional contagion, the process of one person’s emotions and behaviors affecting another person’s emotions and behaviors, has been studied extensively in recent years. Emotional contagion has been found to occur across domains, including physical, cognitive, and social domains. This review paper will explore the definitions and theories of emotional contagion, its effects, and the implications for social relationships and public health. The review will also discuss the implications for individual differences in emotional contagion, such as gender, age, and personality.
Keywords: Emotional Contagion, Social Relationships, Public Health
Introduction
The development of social media has increased the opportunities for individuals to interact with each other in novel ways. One example of this is emotional contagion, which is the process of one person’s emotions and behaviors influencing the emotions and behaviors of another person. This phenomenon has been studied extensively in recent years and has been found to occur in physical, cognitive, and social domains. This review paper will discuss the definitions and theories of emotional contagion, its effects, and the implications for social relationships and public health.
Definitions and Theories
Emotional contagion is defined as the process of one person’s emotions and behaviors influencing the emotions and behaviors of another person (Hatfield, Cacioppo, & Rapson, 1994). This process is believed to be an unconscious cognitive process, which is triggered by the perception of another person’s emotions and behaviors (Kramer, Guillory, & Hancock, 2014). Emotional contagion is thought to be a form of social influence, as it relies on the ability of individuals to influence each other’s emotions and behaviors (Raghunathan, Nair, & Feldman, 2006).
Theories of emotional contagion are grounded in the concept of social contagion, which is the process of one person’s behaviors influencing the behaviors of another person (Foster & Coté, 2007). The most commonly accepted theory of emotional contagion is the “affect infusion model” (AIM), which posits that emotions and behaviors are contagious when they are shared between individuals (Foster & Coté, 2007). The AIM explains that emotional contagion occurs through a process of “affective infusion”, or the transfer of emotions and behaviors between individuals (Foster & Coté, 2007).
Effects of Emotional Contagion
The effects of emotional contagion have been studied extensively in recent years. Research has found that emotional contagion can have both positive and negative effects on the emotions and behaviors of individuals (Hatfield et al., 1994). Positive emotional contagion has been found to increase feelings of empathy and social closeness, while negative emotional contagion has been found to increase feelings of stress and anxiety (Hatfield et al., 1994). Additionally, research has found that emotional contagion can have a significant impact on an individual’s cognitive performance, as emotions can influence an individual’s ability to focus and think clearly (McClure & Soto, 2014).
Implications
The implications of emotional contagion are far-reaching, as it has the potential to affect both social relationships and public health. Emotional contagion has been found to affect social relationships, as it can lead to increased levels of trust and cooperation (Kramer et al., 2014). Additionally, emotional contagion has been found to have an impact on public health, as it can influence an individual’s behaviors, such as physical activity and eating habits (Raghunathan et al., 2006).
Individual Differences
Although emotional contagion is a universal phenomenon, there are individual differences in the way it is experienced. Research has found that gender, age, and personality can all influence an individual’s susceptibility to emotional contagion (Hess & Blairy, 2001). For example, research has found that women are more susceptible to emotional contagion than men (Hess & Blairy, 2001). Additionally, research has found that younger individuals are more susceptible to emotional contagion than older individuals (Hess & Blairy, 2001). Finally, research has found that individuals with certain personality traits, such as extraversion and openness to experience, are more susceptible to emotional contagion than individuals with other personality traits (Hess & Blairy, 2001).
Conclusion
In conclusion, emotional contagion is a phenomenon that has been studied extensively in recent years. This review paper has explored the definitions and theories of emotional contagion, its effects, and the implications for social relationships and public health. Additionally, this paper has discussed the implications for individual differences in emotional contagion, such as gender, age, and personality.
References
Foster, A. E., & Coté, S. (2007). Affect infusion and contagion: An affective model of social influence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(4), 284-305.
Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J.T., & Rapson, R.L. (1994). Emotional contagion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hess, U., & Blairy, S. (2001). Facial mimicry and emotional contagion to dynamic emotional facial expressions and their influence on decoding accuracy. International Journal of Psychology, 36(6), 539-548.
Kramer, A. D. I., Guillory, J. E., & Hancock, J. T. (2014). Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(24), 8788-8790.
McClure, J. B., & Soto, D. (2014). Emotional contagion and its influence on cognitive performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1020.
Raghunathan, R., Nair, H., & Feldman, R. S. (2006). Emotional contagion and its influence on consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(4), 540-550.