Emotions are akin to Virus

Imagine this scenario: It’s Monday morning; you reach office bubbling with energy and enthusiasm; you are looking forward to kick-starting a new project.

You walk into a conference room to attend a cross-functional meeting. Everyone in the room is quiet and tense, perhaps after a heated argument. The leader walks in with a frown.

You do not know what happened, but you start to feel uneasy and less enthusiastic about the day ahead.

Emotions are like virus, they spread fast…. We catch emotions from people around us, even without realizing – thus the phrase, emotional contagion.

Our brains have mirror neurons. As a result, we are wired to mimic the facial expressions, posture, tone of voice of others and behaviours. For instance, if someone smiles at you, your brain signals your facial muscles to smile back, which can then boost your mood.

Here’s my EMOTIONAL MASK:

  • I surround myself with positive people, who uplift my emotions. Remember, positive emotions are also contagious
  • If meeting negative people is unavoidable, I prepare myself for the onslaught of virus by increasing mindfulness and strengthening emotional boundaries
  • I watch out for my own negative emotions and minimize people interactions when consumed by negative emotions

Have you experienced emotional contagion? What is your EMOTIONAL MASK?

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