Emotional Contagion / Edition 1

by Elaine Hatfield, John T. Cacioppo, Richard L. Rapson

Overview

When people are in a certain mood, whether elated or depressed, that mood is often communicated to others. When we are talking to someone who is depressed it may make us feel depressed, whereas if we talk to someone who is feeling self-confident and buoyant we are likely to feel good about ourselves. This phenomenon, known as emotional contagion, is identified here, and compelling evidence for its effects is offered from a variety of disciplines—social and developmental psychology, history, cross-cultural psychology, experimental psychology, and psychopathology. The authors propose a simple mechanism to account for the process of contagion. They argue that people, in their everyday encounters, tend automatically and continuously to synchronize with the facial expressions, voices, postures, movements, and instrumental emotional behaviors of others. Emotional experiences are affected, moment-to-moment, by the feedback from such mimicry. In a series of orderly chapters, the authors provide observational and laboratory evidence to support their propositions. They then offer practical suggestions for clinical psychologists, physicians, husbands and wives, parents, and professionals who wish to become better at shaping the emotional tone of social encounters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521449489
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/24/1993
Series:	Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	252
Sales rank:	676,668
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Animal research; 3. Developmental research: A. Evidence that children catch their parents' emotions; B. Evidence that parents catch their childrens' emotions; 4. Clinical research: A. Therapists' reaction to clients: i. Clinicians assessment of clients' emotional states: Conscious judgments versus emotional contagion; ii. Do therapists' expectations subtly effect emotional contagion?; B. Psychopathic clients; C. Peoples' reactions to the anxious, depressed, or angry; 5. Social psychological research: A. Cross-cultural research: hysterical contagion; B. Experimental social psychological research; 6. Historical research: A. The dancing manias of the Middle-Ages; B. The great fear of 1789; C. The New York City riots of 1863; D. Man's inhumanity to man; 6. Summing up.

Editorial Reviews

"...the potential of Emotional Contagion to exert a positive and long-lasting influence on research and theory in emotional interaction is immense...an important and useful book." Joseph N. Cappella, Contemporary Psychology

"...this book clearly explores its topic and presents a compelling case for its thesis, all in readable prose that is laced with interesting examples." Cognition and Emotion

From the Publisher