Emotional Contagion, Mimicry and Senders

Emotion is Contagious. Look, we normally think of the expressions on our face as a reflection of an inner state. I feel happy, so I smile; I feel sad, so I frown. But let's think on influencing by mimicry. Or still better, what if I look at mimicry as a means of infection? If I smile, you see me and smile in response, is not just for you initiating and empathizing with me but a response to my iniciative. Actually, mimicry, seen this angle, is a way I can pass on my happiness to you.

This is the concept of Emotional Contagion. Emotional Contagion suggest that I can generate an emotion on you: If I can make you smile, I can make you happy. If I can make you frown, I can make you sad. And we all know that some of us of us are far very good at expressing emotions and feelings thant others, some of us are far more emotionally contagious than the rest of us, more influent. Psychologists call these people senders.

Remember the three Laws of the Tipping Point, the three points an infection has to accomplish to tip? The Law of the few, the Stickiness Factor and The power of the Context. The first one is about the particularities of the messenger, it focuses on the people, which kind of properties the Senders (Salesman, Connectors and Mavens' roles) have. The second one focuses in the message itself, while the third one is concerned about the circumnstance that sorrounds the communication act. Emotional contagion still deals with the first law, the people, how we can influence to make our communication stick, over the circumstance.

Yes, if we have a sticky message, let's say a smile, let's say a business project, let's say a song to sing, or whatever we emphasize the other(s) may be interested in, and if we are a sender (by nature or having learned how to behave a bit as a salesman, a bit as aconnector and a bit as a maven), our message - our smile, business project or song - will probably tip.