March 18, 2024
Being able to tune into the emotions of other people can be a super-power, a significant source of stress, or a bit of both. The more sensitive to others' emotions you are, the faster you'll pick up when something's off for them: the client who isn't comfortable with the proposed pricing, say, or the child who's had a rough day but doesn't know how to bring it up. On the downside, being empathic can make you much more susceptible to "catching" other people's emotions. If your social environment is full of people who are stressed, it's likely you'll pick that up - unless you put some countermeasures in place.
How emotional contagion works
The idea that we can transmit emotions has been around for centuries, but only began to get research attention in the early 1990's. Recent studies suggest that some of the neurological equipment that smooths social interactions - particularly our ability to mirror other people's behaviour, and adjust quickly to their feedback - also makes us prone to catching emotions from one another. They can be transmitted by vocal tone, behaviour, facial expression, or all three. And contagion can happen with any kind of emotion - positive or negative.
Emotional quarantine
While there's obviously no need to protect yourself against positive emotions, a work or home environment where others are often stressed is a different matter. Here are some reliable ways of reducing the negative impacts without damaging relationships:
- Identify what's happening: often just noticing that you've picked up someone else's stress is enough to reset your own state. It may help to remind yourself that their stress isn't your stress, or that you'll actually be less able to help them if you get stressed too.
- Insulate: use earbuds and your favourite playlist to shut out stress-filled background noise, or take the opportunity to physically go somewhere else until the storm has passed. If the issue is frequent, creating a calm zone you can retreat to might help.
- Turn the tables: the flipside of catching someone else's stress is that they can also catch your calm. If you're able to maintain a calm voice, a reassuring manner, and a sense of humour, there's a good chance you'll be helping them reduce their stress as well as keeping your own under control.
By noticing contagion as it's happening and putting some simple countermeasures in place, you can reduce stress for everyone.
