8 Ways to Use the Power of Emotional Contagion to Change Your Mind

Every human has its own perspective on the world. Everyone has their own thoughts, dreams, desires, goals, and emotions and tries to make sense of them every day. Emotions are part of everyone’s life and they can be negative and positive. Even though there is a popular misconception that you must avoid negative emotions, they have an adaptive goal, helping us survive by noticing dangerous cues in the environment. They make us alert and nervous and this is not something pleasant.

On the other side, positive emotions seem to be what all people are looking after. Everyone wants to be happy, content, joyful, and optimistic. Some of us already discovered the source of our positivity, such as a good morning routine, and others are still looking after it.

According to an essay writer from a research paper writing service on psychology topics, humans form bonds with ones alike to them. To get along with other people you must have something in common. It might be your hobbies, habits, workplace, or goals.

The thing is, people communicate with one another beyond words, and this could be called emotion contagion. Haven’t you noticed that some people have the power to darken your day if you just see their angry faces and walking style? Or someone that can make your day brighter if you just see their smile? This is what emotional contagion is about; the transfer of emotions between people.

So, how can you use emotional contagion to change your mind? I’ve made a list of eight ways to better use it to improve your life and thinking patterns.

Surround Yourself with People You Like

Among the strongest bonds are those between friends and spouses. We spend a lot of time with them and have good and bad moments together. But the most important thing is the collective perspective on these events. Do your friends usually are quite pessimistic and negative or inspiring and optimistic? Choose to surround yourself with the ones that motivate you and send good vibes.

Emotional contagion becomes obvious if we look at portrait photos of old couples. After some time, they start to look alike. Have you ever wondered why? It is because our brains are wired to mimic the other’s emotions and facial expressions, which is a form of emotional contagion. To change your mind and be more positive, you need to surround yourself with the people you like and that inspire and bring the best out of you.

Maximize Time Spent with Your Dearest Ones

Becoming aware of the influence other people have on you, you must ask yourself if they are what you need. Everyone needs a reality check from time to time, but positive collective moods have been shown to improve group dynamics.

This is important not only for your group of friends and family but for your working team too. Studies show that emotional contagion exists within groups and positive emotions can foster cooperation and team cohesiveness and decrease conflicts. Spend as much time as you can with people you love and appreciate and that send you positive emotions.

Limit Your News Intake

The moments when positive news reaches television or news outlets and agencies are so rare nowadays. Media has learned that sensational titles and negative news attract the audience, so they focus solely on them. When you watch the news on TV, you can see only the news of murders, rapes, or possible terrorist attacks.

Even though they might seem inoffensive, emotional contagion can happen between people behind a screen and you. It is so natural for humans to mimic other’s emotions instantly, that it becomes hard to control. However, limiting your news intake can help you change your mind and have a more positive perspective on your life.

Limit Your Time Spent on Social Media

Even though scrolling through your feed might be a relaxing activity, your brain registers everything he sees. According to dissertation services, the best paper writing services, few people control what they want to see on their feed.

You have the power of choosing to follow your friends and other positive pages and people that inspire you. Seeing happy faces will bring a smile on your face and will improve your mood.

Follow Positivity

You cannot give up entirely on social media and news because this means burying your hand in the sand. But, if you start limiting your time spent watching the news, you will surely experience a change of mind and mood.

And because you have the power to choose what to see, try focusing on positive things. For example, there are Facebook and Instagram pages that post funny animal videos or amazing nature photos. Just watching documentaries with animals has been shown to improve one’s mood. The same goes for the people you admire and whose emotions you mimic involuntarily.

Unsubscribe to Negativity

Most of us are not aware of the power of emotional contagion. It can change our mind and mood drastically and we are not even aware of it. But how can you protect yourself from this negative emotional contagion? By unsubscribing to it.

Who would want to spend time with people that are hostile, frustrated, impatient, and unhappy? The people you surround yourself with give you the emotions and the energy they have, so the ones that are calm, happy, serene, and cheerful are the right ones.

Make New Friends

When we meet new people, we take from them all the energy they have to offer. In sociable contexts, people are usually cheerful and willing to share things about them and to get to know you better.

They are interested in communicating and sharing. New people you meet usually come with good vibes and positivity, so making new friends can be a way to use emotional contagion to your advantage.

Become Aware of Your Emotions

The ones around us indeed send us their emotions and energy. But the same is valid for ourselves. Other people are affected by your emotions and energy. Becoming more aware of how you experience certain emotions and how you display them is important not only for you but for your group and team too.

Even though it is said that there are six basic emotions, recent studies showed that there are 27 emotions we experience during our life. So, take the time to get to know yourself better.

Conclusion

Emotional contagion is something that happens involuntarily. We pick the energy and emotions from the people we surround ourselves with by mimicking their facial and micro-expressions.

To use emotional contagion to change your mind, you need to limit your time spent with negative, frustrated, and angry people, reading and watching the news and on social media.

Choose to surround yourself with positivity and follow people that inspire and send you good vibes. This can foster in-group cooperation and cohesiveness and positively affect group dynamics.

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Guest Writer Bio

Piter Bunn is a professional writer from Manchester, currently working at a top essay writing service, the best essay service in the UK. Peter loves watching documentaries about nature and animals and spending time with friends.