Emotional contagion is when you “catch,” or take on, the emotions of other people.
A natural phenomenon, emotional contagion can help you be more empathetic.
If emotional contagion is causing stress, you can find healthy ways to cope with the support of a therapist.
Have you ever watched a video of friends laughing together and found yourself laughing along? Or felt tears well up in your eyes as you sat with a crying friend? This phenomenon is called emotional contagion, and it’s when we literally become “infected” with others’ emotions. Emotional contagion happens on a biological level and can even cause you to unconsciously mimic facial expressions.
You probably can’t avoid emotional contagion completely, and it’s an important part of empathy. But if it’s affecting your day-to-day life or well-being, you can take steps to prevent it from becoming overwhelming and get support along the way.
Where emotional contagion quietly shapes us
Emotional contagion can affect us in any area of life where we interact with other people. We don’t choose to be affected by emotional contagion. According to emotional contagion theory, it happens, at least in part, on a neurological basis.
Humans tend to naturally align with the emotions of others and even mimic the facial expressions of those around us. So whenever you’re observing someone else’s emotions, you might find yourself taking on or mirroring their feelings. This can happen both intentionally and unintentionally.
You might experience emotional contagion with friends or your partner. It can also show up at work and online — even in advertising and media. Consider these examples of emotional contagion:
Your friend is grieving the death of their pet. They come to you for support, and when they start crying, you feel your eyes tearing up too.
Your partner comes home infuriated about someone driving recklessly on the way home. As they talk, you notice your heart rate increasing and heat rising in your face. You start to feel angry as well.
You’ve noticed your coworker hasn’t been as productive or happy at work. Over time, other employees start to feel discouraged, as emotional contagion moves throughout the organization.
Scrolling through Instagram, you notice more and more people are anxious about a new strain of COVID-19. Your anxiety starts to pick up, as you wonder if you should cancel an upcoming trip. Emotional contagion can happen on social media, and it can influence societal attitudes.
You’re watching TV, and a commercial comes on about a new cleaning product. The actor who’s cleaning on the screen looks so happy doing their chores that you can’t help but smile too.
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What makes you more (or less) emotionally absorbent
Emotional contagion is a natural biological phenomenon that affects humans — as well as other species, like rats and dogs. But research shows some people tend to be more susceptible to emotional contagion.
You might be more likely to experience emotional contagion if:
You’re assigned female at birth. Research has shown that females may be more likely to experience emotional contagion than males.
It’s a challenging emotion. Generally, humans tend to more easily "catch" emotions that are challenging or deemed as “difficult”, like anger, sadness, and jealousy, than ones that feel more comfortable.
You’re interacting with a close friend or loved one. The closer you are with the other person, the more likely you are to mirror their feelings. This is especially true for emotions that are more pleasant or comfortable, like happiness.
You have certain personality traits. In one study, people who experienced more sensory processing sensitivities were more likely to experience emotional contagion. Also, people who are more attentive to social cues may be more likely to experience emotional contagion.
You’re highly empathetic. People with higher levels of empathy tend to be more likely to be affected by emotional contagion. Even though they're distinct, emotional contagion is a foundation of empathy.
On the other hand, certain conditions can lower your likelihood to experience emotional contagion.
People with antisocial personality disorder may have lower levels of emotional contagion.
A traumatic brain injury can inhibit your ability to experience emotional contagion.
Having depression can reduce your reaction to positive emotional content.
How to avoid the effects of emotional contagion
Emotional contagion isn’t negative or “bad.” It’s a natural, and largely unconscious, phenomenon that happens across species, including humans. Emotional contagion is one of the foundations of empathy, and can be adaptive in many ways. It can help you connect with people and build relationships.
But in some situations, you might feel flooded by the emotions — especially painful and uncomfortable emotions — of others. Studies have found links between emotional contagion and stress and burnout. And people who experience high levels of emotional contagion could be up to 10 times more likely to have anxiety and depression.
This doesn’t mean that you need to avoid emotional contagion altogether. But you can do some things to make sure it doesn’t affect your well-being.
Focus on self-awareness
Practice mindfulness and self-awareness of emotions. Try to identify what you’re feeling and when that feeling is a result of emotional contagion. When you’re able to recognize when emotional contagion is affecting you, you may be more likely to be able to cope with it — even if you can’t stop it from happening altogether.
For example, if your friend is venting about work stressors and you find yourself agitated throughout the day, pause to do an internal check. Notice when it started and try to see if your feelings stem from your talk with your friend. If so, you can do some grounding exercises and provide self reassurance. You might tell yourself, “It’s hard hearing her go through that. I’m carrying some anger for my friend. I choose to take a deep breath and release the anger. I trust everything will work out.”
Strengthen your resilience
You can also work on strengthening your resilience so that even when you’re affected by others’ emotions, you can bounce back quickly. You can become more resilient through improving your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence and resilience are highly linked. You can also learn healthy ways to cope with stress and other difficult emotions.
Be mindful of your environment
If you’re noticing that you tend to absorb stressors, examine your habits and surroundings. For instance, have you been watching shows that are sad or emotionally charged? Are the people that you’re spending time focusing on negatives? What social media accounts are you following?
When you can bring awareness to your environment, you can make adjustments to support your well-being. Maybe you mute social accounts that increase your agitation. Maybe you set boundaries with others when you don’t have the capacity to process their stressors. Remember, your environment can influence your emotions — and you have some control over it.
Work with a therapist
Emotional contagion is normal. Just because you’re experiencing it doesn’t mean you have a mental health condition. But if you’re taking on others’ feelings to the point that it’s affecting your ability to function, a therapist can help. In therapy, you can explore your response to others’ emotions and build resiliency and healthy coping mechanisms.
One powerful mindset is remembering that you can care deeply without carrying everything. Practicing emotional boundaries helps you stay compassionate while staying rooted in your own energy.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Clinical reviewer
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Emotional contagion can be a sign of empathy, but it can also be exhausting — especially if you experience it intensely or on a constant basis. If you’re frequently taking on the painful feelings of others and it’s affecting your well-being, you might want to work with a therapist.
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Saya Des Marais
Saya graduated with her Master in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California in 2010. She formerly worked as a therapist and motivational interviewing trainer in community clinics, public schools, mental health startups, and more.
Her writing has been featured in FORTUNE, GoodRX, PsychCentral, and dozens of mental health apps and therapy websites. Through both her clinical work and her personal OCD diagnosis, she’s learned the importance of making empathetic and accurate mental health content available online.
She lives in Portland, Oregon but you can find her almost just as often in Mexico or in her birthplace, Tokyo.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Ashley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in generational healing and family dynamics. Ashley has worked in schools, clinics, and in private practice. She believes that people’s relationships, including our relationship with ourselves, greatly shape our experiences in life.
Ashley is committed to empowering others to show up authentically and deepen their self understanding. This passion stems from taking a critical lens on her own life story and doing inner healing. One of her favorite quotes is “Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.”
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