Most people are able to pick up emotional energy from others. This means they are vulnerable to negative or positive emotions carried by strangers or people they know. The person who receives the emotional energy can be a participant in the conversation or an innocent bystander. Without realizing what has happened, their attitude or mood can be impacted without warning or prior knowledge. Since some people's negative attitudes are highly contagious, it's important to be aware of any unexpected or inexplicable change of mood you might experience and be aware of people you encounter.
"Emotional Contagion," was once considered a questionable concept. But there's a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. The following excerpt from an online article, "Are You Catching Other People's Emotions?" explains it best:
"Research has found that upbeat emotions such as enthusiasm and joy, as well as negative ones, including sadness, fear and anger, are easily passed from person to person, often without either party's realizing it. Emotional contagion occurs in a matter of milliseconds, and it depends on an incredibly basic, even primitive, instinct: During conversation, human beings naturally tend to mimic their companion’s facial expressions, posture, body language and speech rhythms, without being consciously aware of it, explains John T. Cacioppo, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago" (Colino, Stacey).
In the article, Stacey Colino offers suggestions which help guard against receiving emotional energy from negative others. She concludes with, "If that doesn’t help, pull the escape hatch by leaving the scene or taking a break (even if it’s to visit the restroom so you can regroup). Think of it as a way of coming to your own emotional rescue."
Colino, Stacey. "Are You Catching Other People's Emotions?", 20 Jan. 2016
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