Before we discuss how emotional contagion contributes to social and political turmoil, let’s talk about what emotional contagion is. Other people’s emotions can rub off on you; emotions may feel like ...

The coronavirus has upended our daily lives, causing anxiety, denial for some, and spreading fear that at times approaches panic. Yet it’s important to understand the psychology of emotional contagion ...

Facial mimicry refers to automatic copying of another person’s facial expressions. When one person smiles, a listener may ...

Older adults who are sensitive to the distress of others are more likely to feel anxious or depressed themselves because of a psychological mechanism called “emotional contagion,” researchers ...

Some encounters leave us inexplicably tired, as if the energy has been literally sucked out of us. This phenomenon could be explained by a very real psychological mechanism: emotional contagion.

Madeleine and Paul are sitting on a park bench. As she tells Paul about her financial worries and how she’s been struggling for months to make ends meet, Madeleine’s eyes well with tears. Paul is ...