Smile at Somebody

 

 

When someone approaches us with a smile, we smile back. And if they frown, then we frown too.

 

We’re mimicking them and, in the process, becoming infected by their state. It’s a psychologic construct called emotional contagion.

 

Emotional contagion can have both positive and negative results.

 

If you think about riots – that’s probably a more serious example of how it can affect us negatively. Conversely, if you get home after a tough day at work and your kids are laughing and jumping on you, that positivity is going to rub off on you.

 

Experts believe that this process happens in three stages…

 

 

Mimicry

 

This stage generally happens subconsciously as we pick up on subtleties in tone, as well as subtle body language such as micro expressions.

 

For example, if you’re feeling a bit down while talking to someone, and the corner of their mouth is turned up slightly in a smile, you will begin to smile a little bit too.

 

…and it may take you a few moments to even realise you’re doing it.

 

 

Feedback

 

By mimicking an emotion, we begin to feel it, and we begin to express it through our own body language and facial features.

 

 

Contagion

 

Here the emotions are embodied and the process of emotional contagion is complete.

 

So, sticking with the above example of someone smiling at you, you would find that you walk away from the interaction feeling a little bit better.

 

…and if perhaps the next person you engaged with also needed a boost in mood, you could provide that.

 

…

 

 

So, by understanding emotional contagion, we are able to better understand giving.

 

You see, giving doesn’t have to just be about charity or baking someone a cake. When you smile at someone, you’re giving them something too.

 

And although it is much more difficult to measure the effect that a smile has versus something tangible like giving someone $100, it is certainly of considerable value.