Have you noticed how one person in a group can influence the moods of the rest of the group just by their affect, facial expressions or voice tone? I was both impressed and inspired by the two movies Inside Out and Inside Out 2 that featured a variety of characters interacting in a child’s and later teenager’s brain based on their moods: joy, sadness, anger, embarrassment and so forth. These movies demonstrated how the various characters influenced each other, causing them to switch their moods based on which character was more in charge in the child’s or teenager’s brain.
According to Wikipedia, a mood is “an affective state. In contrast to emotions or feelings, moods are less specific, less intense and less likely to be provoked or instantiated by a particular stimulus or event.”
I have noticed in myself that I can be moody when I am around others and that they can pick up my moodiness and may then mirror that mood as a result. Sometimes I try to fake being happier, and sometimes that works, but human beings are often more intuitive than they get credit for, so it doesn’t always work.
Another feature to consider about us as human beings is that we all fall on the category of one’s temperamental trait that is associated with Quality of Mood. We can consider our Quality of Mood on a continuum from positive and optimistic to more somber and pessimistic. (I tend to fall more on the pessimistic side, and in fact a friend of mine sometimes calls me Eeyore.) (One of the outstanding books on temperament I recommend is titled Understanding Temperament: Strategies for Creating Family Harmony by Lyndall Shick.)
I also have observed that others influence my moods based on their outward affect towards me, whether they are smiling or frowning, seem annoyed with me, curious about how I am feeling, are anxious or disappointed. In a way, all this is kind of like the dance we have with each other. I think it can be helpful to appreciate some of the invisible forces associated with our moods and how contagious they can be, which influences that dance.
Some research I found from the National Library of Medicine affirmed what I have shared so far: “When someone smiles at us, the natural reaction is to smile back in order to align with the emotion of the other person (Barger and Grandey, 2006; Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006; Smith and Rose, 2020). Instinctively, humans tend to align with the emotional states they perceive during interactions (Ekman et al., 1983; Hatfield et al., 1994; Barger and Grandey, 2006; Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006; Papousek et al., 2011; Kramer et al., 2014; Dixon et al., 2017; Prochazkova and Kret, 2017). Evidence suggests that emotions can be contagious and cause mind and body arousal (Schachter and Singer, 1962).
Emotional contagion can be reflected in showing a similar facial, vocal, or postural expression, as well as similar neurophysiological and neurological reactions (Hatfield et al., 1994) toward the interacting party. As a response to emotional contagion, individuals show behavioral, attentional, and emotional synchrony (Hatfield et al., 1992).“
One more bit of information from this article that I thought was interesting: “Emotional contagion can be a very effective and attractive strategy in communication and advertising, and understanding the mechanisms underlying emotional contagion can help marketers to improve their commercial approaches or develop better ones.” When I think about all the emotions expressed in commercials that are attempting to entice us to buy a product, it is actually part of this advertising strategy based on emotional contagion.
I think it is important to appreciate one’s power. Even the power to increase your awareness of things like your temperament and your current circumstances. What can you change or modify? You can claim that power.
For me and I hope for you, this information is both informational and empowering. I am more aware of the emotions I am feeling, how I express them and how these expressions might be impacting others. One of the ways I do this is to be more intentional about smiling – and not only does smiling make me feel happier, I love how most people respond by smiling back!
Invitation for Reflection
- Was there information in this blog that was new for you? If so, how has the information impacted you?
- Are there any ways you are going to be more aware of how the emotions of others may be influencing your emotions?
- Are there any ways you are going to be more aware of how your emotional expressions might be influencing other’s emotions?
- Is there anything you will now change about your emotional expressions?
Diane Wagenhals
Director Emeritus, Lakeside Global Institute