Human emotion is defined simply as a state of feeling, and our emotions include feelings of anger, fear, sadness, and enjoyment to name a few. As we express our emotions, not only do we experience a unique individual feeling, we also directly impact the feelings and emotions of those around us. It is this second observation that I would like to highlight today, the effects our emotions have on those around us, and why it is important to understand and appreciate this finding for improved mental health and greater life satisfaction.
Emotion is contagious — the world is a mirror
While most people find it funny how a simple yawn can be contagious when in the company of others, perhaps we should pay closer attention to how our psychological human emotional experience impacts those in our company as well. Words matter when it comes to how well we get along with others, but often people mirror our emotions and change their emotions in the direction of ours. Even more interesting is that this happens all the time, yet rarely are we aware of how we are influencing others (or how others are influencing us) simply by our affect and emotion.
The reality is we are always tuned in to the people around us, and their excitement, joy, sadness, and pain impact us directly. Similarly, our feelings of pleasure and pain are absorbed by our company, and in all of these examples moods change as a result. When we laugh others tend to laugh, and when we show sadness others tend to lower their emotions to match our suffering. Yes, emotion is contagious, and the world really does mirror back to us what we throw off to them.
Applying emotional regulation toward clinical psychology
One great way to use human emotion, and the control we have over our emotions, is to bring a healthy, positive spirit to every room we enter. When we are open, affable, and interested in others, guess what? Others will return those same behaviors back to us, essentially “raising the temperature of the room” based on manufacturing a healthy, positive state. Clinically speaking, when a client can generate just enough of a smile and interest in others, the return on this investment is not only a better overall experience and interaction with others, but this approach is 100% natural with no drugs involved! When others become more interested in us, largely because of the positive spirit we initially brought to the room, our feelings and emotions improve, all leading to a better overall state and improved mental health.
Unfortunately, there is also a potential downside when using emotions to improve interpersonal relationships, and that occurs when we let our worst-self enter the room — our personality that displays disinterest, disgust, and general dissatisfaction. Yes, emotion is still contagious, but what happens in these situations is not ideal, especially when others allow their mood-state to drop because we have brought them down by our mood state being down. Drilling deeper here, when we experience depression we often show depression, and then when the world around us appears sad as well, we often internalize what we see from others and compound our depression even more.
Final thoughts
The world is a mirror around us, and people will give back both positive and negative emotions depending on what we promote to them. Happy, affable people often excite others in their company, while negative people drive people away. Before starting a mental health medication, try improving your emotions in the company of others, and watch for how they raise their emotions to yours. Over time, these healthy mini-exchanges can bring about a paradigm shift and overall improved mental health — and all without potential side effects!
drstankovich.com
