The phone’s ringing. You look at the phone screen and see the caller’s name. Don’t you want that, that person? You always have a complaint or problem to report. You woke up a little upset today. She made an appointment for lunch with her friend. You get to the meeting and in minutes you realize that your mood has changed. She admires her enthusiasm and optimism and, above all, her ability to convey good vibrations and feel better.
These two scenes describe different situations, but to which we can all identify Who has never fled this person who transmits or who has not sought refuge in this other person who is able to contaminate us with his joy?We do this because emotions are contagious, either for better or worse.
- Good and bad vibrations spread as fast as a cold virus.
- As David Goleman points out in his book Social Intelligence.
- Who mentions a series of studies confirming that this emotional contagion exists.
- One of these studies showed how the people who underwent the experiment became infected with the emotions they saw in the photos shown to them.
- Or the people who came into contact with them.
We can all be carriers and transmitters of these emotions, but we are not always aware of them, there are people who are able to convey their sadness, their bad mood, their jealousy or their selfishness, just as there are others who are able to do so. imbuite ourselves with his excitement and enthusiasm for life. It’s easier for us to identify the effects others leave us.
Let’s just say you know it would be better to protect yourself from those who can infect us with their negative emotions, intentionally or not, and spend more time with those who radiate energy, but negative emotions are not always as harmful or useless to us. emotions, to the extent of their possibilities, also have their usefulness.
Think of fear. Since ancient times, fear has protected us from predators and enemies, anxiety is essential to overcome certain adversities, react to them and stay alert, pain or sadness can serve as a springboard to overcome a situation.
Logically, the healthy thing is not to experience negative emotions; In fact, it is important to control how long these emotions accompany us, just as we must protect ourselves from them, we must also establish mechanisms to distance ourselves from those who are able to spread anger, anger or anguish and create discomfort.
On the other hand, showing positive emotions is always more pleasant, besides receiving them, because it creates a more pleasant environment that benefits everyone, so it is more favorable to surround ourselves with people who do us good, who recharge our energy, than those who suck our energy. If our goal is to enjoy and be happy in life, we will have to try to surround ourselves with people who help us achieve this goal.