Emotional Contagion
by Miki SaxonFew question the idea of emotional contagion.
It’s not a problem when the mood is upbeat, but what to do when it’s not fills volumes.
I found a way to short-circuit ‘emotional contagion’ decades before was named, defined and discussed.
I learned about it in my early twenties in a book by Napoleon Hill and it’s since been reiterated by others in various forms.
I’ve used and shared with clients and it rarely fails when done whole-heartedly and not just with lip service.
“Act enthusiastic and you will become enthusiastic.”
Sounds simplistic, but simple is often best — because this isn’t about finding the cause of your negativity, but preempting the contagion.
Accomplishing that means you need to stay aware of your own mood.
Long ago I realized that judging my mood based on its effect was a bad idea—by the time I had the feedback the damage was done.
After a lot of trial and error I found the easiest and most accurate method my mood early was to stay conscious of my facial muscles, wrinkled brow, smile, frown, etc., because my muscles react long before I’m aware of the mood that is affecting them.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize that, except that the obvious often zips right by us.
Image credit: ganeshaisis