Many of us log on to stay informed. Sometimes we are simply trying to reduce uncertainty, to feel oriented, or to regain a sense of control when the world feels unpredictable. For others, media offers a sense of belonging or shared language. Yet more often than not, we log off feeling heavier, more anxious, more irritable, and more certain that others are misguided and reckless.

This emotional shift is rarely intentional. It doesn’t arrive as a conscious decision to become more reactive or more rigid. Instead, it accumulates quietly through repeated exposure to emotionally charged content. Over time, our moods change. Our perspectives narrow and our relationships become strained.

Psychology has a name for this phenomenon: emotional contagion. Emotional contagion is a well researched human tendency to “catch” others' emotionsas they spread person-to-person, often without awareness (Hatfield et al., 1994).

Emotional contagion was initially understood as a relational process in which we absorb emotions through nonverbal cues (e.g., gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, body posture) and shared environments. From an evolutionary standpoint, this process helped us survive by allowing us to quickly determine threat or safety within a group. It also fostered and strengthened relationships by curating empathy, increasing our willingness to help one another.

In digital spaces, we are no longer emotionally attuned........

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