Emotional contagion

Our own emotions and feelings can be impacted significantly by the emotions of others we encounter. Emotional states are “contagious”: we can take on what other people around us are feeling, often without even realizing what happened. At work, this means that strongly positive or strongly negative emotions can lift or lower the energy of the entire team.

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Think of a workplace situation where you were in a positive (or neutral) emotional state, and where you felt more negative because of someone else’s emotional state.

 

Workplace situation:

 

Your emotion (pre-situation):

 

Other person’s emotion:

 

Your emotion (during/after the situation):

 

 

Ask yourself the following questions:

 

At what point did I become aware that my emotional state was changing (or had changed)?

 

How did I interpret the other person’s emotional state?

 

How did I think the other person’s emotions related to me specifically?

 

What could I have done to prevent my emotions from being negatively impacted?

 

 

Contributors include.articlesDr. Joti SamraMary Ann Baynton

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