TO ALL HSP sufferers (Highly Sensitive people)-The Dangers of “Emotional contagion”: Just like a physical pandemic, emotional concerns in one person can spread like wildfire: How to avoid falling in that vortex of “Emotional contagion”:

A study on the psychological resilience of seniors found that the more vulnerable a person is to “Emotional contagion”, the more likely they are to show signs of psychological distress.

A short story to share: “Sitting side by side on a park bench, Stephanie, eyes moist, shares her financial worries with her neighbor Patrick, describing her struggle to make ends meet for several months. Moved by her despair, Patrick feels a pang in his chest, as Stephanie’s concerns resonate with him like a sad song, amplifying his own fears.

Patrick is evidently susceptible to “Emotional contagion”. Just as some individuals are more prone to catching a respiratory virus from an infected person, others tend to ‘catch’ the emotions of those around them more easily,” explains Marie-Josée Richer, who conducted doctoral research on seniors’ mental health and their vulnerability to Emotional contagion”.

“A person vulnerable to “Emotional contagion” will be particularly sensitive to others’ emotions,” clarifies Pierrich Plusquellec, professor at the University of Montreal’s School of Psycho-education. This adaptive phenomenon occurs unconsciously, as people mimic facial expressions, gestures, and postures, leading to emotional convergence. For instance, such a person may feel tense when seeing angry people on TV, tear up if someone cries nearby, or feel more upbeat simply by being with someone cheerful.

The professor, also co-director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress, adds: “When we measure “Emotional contagion” vulnerability, we look at a range of emotions like joy, love, anger, and fear. “Emotional contagion” is crucial in society as it underlies empathy.”

However, this vulnerability can be a double-edged sword, as it seems more prominent in seniors experiencing psychological distress. This is highlighted in a study by Marie-Josée Richer, co-led by Pierrich Plusquellec and psychology professor Sébastien Grenier, recently published in PLOS Mental Health.

“This research is part of my work on psychological resilience in older adults,” says Richer, who is a psychoeducator at the University Institute of Geriatrics of Montreal. “Our primary goal was to better understand the factors influencing resilience in seniors to prevent psychological distress, which can have harmful effects on their overall health, like increased risks of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and premature death.”

The researchers observed that vulnerability to “Emotional contagion” varies among individuals, similar to personality traits. This vulnerability, they say, is still often overlooked in mental health studies, particularly for seniors.

Study Context

Researchers worked with a group of 170 adults aged 55 and older facing various types of adversity. Adversity refers to challenges, obstacles, or difficult conditions an individual may face, such as bereavement, conflict with a close one (explicit adversity), or vulnerability to “Emotional contagion” (implicit adversity).

The study was part of a larger project evaluating the effects of a program on stress management and its contagion. Study subjects had to reside in North America and be interested in group stress management techniques. Researchers aimed to include a wide range of participants, without excluding those with varying levels of psychological distress or physical limitations, to better represent the general population.

Data was collected between September 2018 and September 2019 from 170 seniors living in retirement homes or receiving community services. The sample was mostly women (85.4%) with an average age of 76.1, ranging from 56 to 96 years. Most participants were born in several provinces or states all over North America and lived alone.

Psychological Distress: From Anxiety to Anxious Depression

Study subjects were grouped by their level of psychological distress. About 45% were in the anxious profile, showing only clinical or subclinical anxiety symptoms. Around 20% were in the anxious depression profile, showing both clinical and subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression. The remaining group had no significant symptoms of anxiety or depression, corresponding to a non-clinical distress profile.

According to Sébastien Grenier, “’subclinical’ and ‘clinical’ symptoms refer to varying intensities that can be significant enough to disrupt an elderly person’s daily life. Symptoms are clinical when they meet formal criteria for anxiety or depression. For example, a person with chronic anxiety might have frequent panic attacks, diagnosed with agoraphobia, difficulty leaving the house, and social isolation. A person with subclinical anxiety wouldn’t have a diagnosis of the disorder but could suffer from somatic symptoms and worries that interfere with daily functioning.”

“Emotional contagion” Vulnerability Index

To analyze psychological distress, researchers considered factors like gender, age, income, cohabitation, autonomy level, social network availability and satisfaction, and adversity coping strategies. They added an “Emotional contagion” vulnerability index to measure this characteristic.

Results showed that seniors most vulnerable to “Emotional contagion” were 8.5 to 10 times more likely to display anxious or anxious-depressive symptoms than those less vulnerable. This was independent of other factors like social support or coping strategies. This is the first time susceptibility to “Emotional contagion” has been studied as a determinant of psychological distress in seniors.

Senior Residences: Staying Vigilant

The study could not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between vulnerability to “Emotional contagion” and psychological distress. However, it highlights the importance of considering both explicit and implicit adversity to identify seniors at risk for psychological distress. In communal living settings, such as senior residences or care giving situations, “Emotional contagion” risks should be proactively addressed.

Researchers recommend developing tools to help individuals most vulnerable to “Emotional contagion” better manage this aspect of their lives. This could strengthen their psychological resilience and improve their quality of life. They also suggest future research examine moderating factors between “Emotional contagion” vulnerability and psychological distress in seniors to better understand this phenomenon and its impact on mental health.

About This Study

The article “The Contribution of Vulnerability to “Emotional contagion” to the Expression of Psychological Distress in Older Adults” by Marie-Josée Richer, Sébastien Grenier, and Pierrich Plusquellec was published in PLOS Mental Health on October 29, 2024.

This study was funded by Groupe Maurice and the Quebec Research Fund – Society and Culture Sector. Sébastien Grenier is a senior research fellow with the Quebec Research Fund – Health Sector.