你可能聽過「笑聲是會傳染的」這句話，當有人對你露出笑容時，你也會不自覺回以微笑。同樣地，有個總是在生氣、愛抱怨的旅伴，可能會毀了整趟旅程；又如果你關心的人正在痛苦，你也會感同身受。
當你經歷這些現象時，你正在經歷情緒傳染。
情緒傳染（Emotional Contagion）描述的是情緒或行為在個人或群體之間傳播的方式。因為人類是社會性動物，我們時時刻刻對周圍世界的刺激做出反應和回應
雖然僅僅觀察別人、或是聽他們表達感受並不一定意味著你會以同樣的方式做出反應。儘管如此，情緒傳染使這種可能性更大。根據你所處的環境的情緒，無論是積極或消極的事情，你可能會很容易受到周圍人的影響。不過也有一些方法可以通過同理心和自我調節的工具將情緒傳染的影響控制在你希望的範圍內。
什麼會觸發情緒傳染?
情緒傳染發生在一個人對看到另一個人情緒時感受到的刺激做出反應時。早期的研究發現，情緒傳染是無意識的，是基於某人所觀察到的複製行為。但事實並非如此簡單。幾個心理因素也會影響你的情緒反應。
這包括言語交流和非言語交流，如面部表情和身體語言。還有環境因素，如音樂、香氣和氛圍也可能產生影響。
想像一屋子人在看脫口秀。有趣的故事和表演者的生動敘述引起了歡樂的傳染性情緒反應，導致笑聲連連。又或者，一個井井有條的房間可以引發平靜舒適的感覺。這種情緒對每個進入的人都具有傳染性。
廣告商、電影製作人、零售銷售人員和許多其他人都依賴情緒傳染來說服你購買某樣東西或在你內心喚起某種感覺。
負面情緒更容易產生共鳴
但是，正如積極情緒可以分享一樣，消極感受一樣具有傳染力。當你的抑制力較低時，你更有可能複製憤怒、沮喪或抑鬱的情緒。
比方說，如果那天你睡眠不足、正餓著肚子、先前存在的壓力，會使某人更容易受到情緒傳染的影響。因為在基本層面上，你已經精疲力竭，更容易被外部情緒潮流給淹沒。
無論是有意識還是無意識的，如果你注意到自己的情緒變化，似乎正模仿別人的情緒，或者你採納了一個群體的情緒或感受，你就正在受到情緒傳染力的影響。
情緒傳染與我們的神經元有關
研究表明，情緒的模仿也可能與我們的「鏡像神經元系統」強烈相關。當一個人觀察另一個人做某事時，這些些神經元會變得活躍，觀察者會不自覺模仿他們所看到的動作或表情。
這意味著如果你看到另一個人哭泣、大笑、生悶氣或微笑，你的大腦會「映射」這些反應，使他們的情緒變得具有傳染性。學會模仿照顧者的情緒實際上是嬰兒發展心理學中的里程碑，這也可以解釋為什麼這種習慣會持續下去。
情緒傳染的階段與影響
雖然情緒傳染似乎在你知道之前就發生了，但專家表示這實際上是分階段進行的。
「首先是模仿 - 你微笑，我的臉就跟著你微笑。然後是反饋 - 嘿，看，我在微笑，這告訴我我現在可能很開心。最後是傳染 - 既然我在微笑，我就會對下一個經過我身邊的人微笑，」專業諮商師 Carl Nassar 博士指出。
微笑和笑聲當然是分享情緒的積極方式。不出所料，當你微笑，映射別人的情緒時，你也會感到更快樂，壓力更小。
生活中不乏情緒傳染以積極的方式影響群體和社會的行為，例如我們在演唱會上感受到和觀眾的連結和喜悅、在紀念活動等場合溫馨的社群支持感，以及派對中的歡樂和興奮。
負面的傳染性感受會產生有害影響。
當情緒傳染是負面時，可能導致精疲力竭和自我感的混亂。當你承擔他人或周圍環境的情緒時，很難在當下保持穩定，清晰了解你自己的感受或觀點。
當這種情況在更大範圍的群體中發生時，可能導致暴民群體心態，傳播暴力，或助長恐懼氛圍和廣泛恐慌。
控制情緒傳染的策略
大多數人都希望能控制負面情緒的傳染，並擴散積極的情緒。而你都可以採取以下步驟來管理你的情緒反應：
1. 找出刺激你反應的言語和非言語行為，了解哪些是你的「地雷」。
2. 停下來片刻，審視正在發生的事情，然後深呼吸。深呼吸具有高度心理調節作用。當你這樣做時，你的身體告訴你的大腦，一切都會好起來的。你的身體和心靈會回到同一陣線。
3. 練習對他人富有同情心。從同情的角度出發可能會讓你保持清晰和超脫，而不是吸收別人的情緒。當我們開始把其他人的情緒當作自己的情緒，或者不再認識到這些情緒是「他們的」時，那就是越界了。
4. 創造一個能發揮你最佳狀態的環境。這包括與讓你感到輕鬆和舒適的人在一起。
5. 努力使用適合你的應對方法。「在不舒服的情況下，先覺察，並利用深呼吸、視覺化和認知重構等應對策略。
生活充滿了情緒傳染的時刻。關鍵是知道如何駕馭它們，並讓它們為你所用！
Emotions Are Contagious! Here's Why We're Easily Influenced by Others' Emotions
You've probably heard the phrase "laughter is contagious." When someone smiles at you, you instinctively smile back. Similarly, a constantly angry or complaining travel companion can ruin an entire trip. Or if someone you care about is suffering, you might feel their pain too.
When you experience these phenomena, you're experiencing emotional contagion.
Emotional Contagion describes how emotions or behaviors spread between individuals or groups. Because humans are social animals, we constantly react and respond to stimuli in the world around us.
While simply observing others or hearing them express their feelings doesn't necessarily mean you'll react the same way, emotional contagion increases this likelihood. Depending on the emotional environment you're in, whether positive or negative, you might be easily influenced by those around you. However, there are methods to control the impact of emotional contagion within your desired range through empathy and self-regulation tools.
What Triggers Emotional Contagion?
Emotional contagion occurs when a person reacts to the stimuli they feel upon seeing another person's emotions. Early studies found that emotional contagion was unconscious, based on mimicking observed behavior. But it's not that simple. Several psychological factors also influence your emotional response.
This includes verbal and non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions and body language. Environmental factors like music, scents, and atmosphere can also have an impact.
Imagine a room full of people watching a stand-up comedy show. The funny stories and the performer's vivid narration trigger a contagious emotional response of joy, leading to bursts of laughter. Or, a tidy and organized room can evoke feelings of calm and comfort. These emotions are contagious to everyone who enters.
Advertisers, filmmakers, retail salespeople, and many others rely on emotional contagion to persuade you to buy something or evoke certain feelings within you.
Negative Emotions Are More Likely to Resonate
However, just as positive emotions can be shared, negative feelings are equally contagious. When your inhibitions are low, you're more likely to mimic emotions of anger, frustration, or depression.
For instance, if you're sleep-deprived, hungry, or experiencing pre-existing stress, you're more susceptible to emotional contagion. At a basic level, you're already exhausted and more easily overwhelmed by external emotional currents.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, if you notice changes in your emotions, seem to be mimicking others' emotions, or have adopted the emotions or feelings of a group, you're being influenced by the power of emotional contagion.
Emotional Contagion Is Linked to Our Neurons
Research suggests that emotional mimicry may be strongly related to our "mirror neuron system." When a person observes another person doing something, these neurons become active, and the observer unconsciously mimics the actions or expressions they see.
This means that if you see another person crying, laughing, sulking, or smiling, your brain "maps" these responses, making their emotions contagious. Learning to mimic caregivers' emotions is actually a milestone in infant developmental psychology, which can explain why this habit persists.
Stages and Effects of Emotional Contagion
While emotional contagion seems to happen before you're even aware of it, experts say it actually occurs in stages.
"First comes mimicry - you smile, and my face follows suit. Then there's feedback - hey, look, I'm smiling, which tells me I'm probably happy right now. Finally, there's contagion - now that I'm smiling, I'll smile at the next person who passes by me," explains Dr. Carl Nassar, a professional counselor.
Smiling and laughter are, of course, positive ways of sharing emotions. Not surprisingly, when you smile, mirroring someone else's emotions, you also feel happier and less stressed.
Life is full of instances where emotional contagion positively influences group and social behavior, such as feeling connected to the audience at a concert, experiencing warm community support at memorial events, and the joy and excitement at parties.
Negative Contagious Feelings Can Have Harmful Effects
When emotional contagion is negative, it can lead to exhaustion and a confused sense of self. When you take on the emotions of others or your surroundings, it's difficult to stay grounded and clearly understand your own feelings or perspectives in the moment.
When this happens on a larger scale or in groups, it can lead to mob mentality, spread violence, or foster an atmosphere of fear and widespread panic.
Strategies to Control Emotional Contagion
Most people want to control the spread of negative emotions and propagate positive ones. You can take the following steps to manage your emotional responses:
1. Identify the verbal and non-verbal behaviors that trigger your reactions, and understand what your "triggers" are.
2. Pause for a moment, examine what's happening, and then take a deep breath. Deep breathing has a highly regulating psychological effect. When you do this, your body tells your brain that everything will be okay. Your body and mind will return to the same wavelength.
3. Practice empathy towards others. Approaching from an empathetic perspective can help you stay clear and detached, rather than absorbing others' emotions. When we start treating other people's emotions as our own, or no longer recognize that these emotions are "theirs," that's when we've crossed a line.
4. Create an environment that brings out your best. This includes surrounding yourself with people who make you feel relaxed and comfortable.
5. Work on using coping methods that suit you. "In uncomfortable situations, first become aware, and then utilize coping strategies such as deep breathing, visualization, and cognitive restructuring.
Life is full of moments of emotional contagion. The key is knowing how to navigate them and make them work for you.
