Leaders’ Emotional Contagion

Abstract

Emotional contagion between individuals can occur consciously or subconsciously. It can be understood as the copying of each other’s facial expressions, voices, and movements without being aware of it, which helps individuals feel the same emotions. Modalities of expression include a complex neurological process that facilitates coordination and cooperation in social groups. Additionally, psychological aspects such as personality traits and interpersonal variables influence emotional contagion. The psyche of leaders is frequently challenged, as they must constantly appear as role models to maintain others’ trust in their decisions. Our investigation finds that organizations benefit from incorporating more positive emotions through helpful and cooperative behavior, better teamwork, and job performance. Positive emotions affect all elements of emotional contagion and might contribute to improving the leader-follower relationship. The degree of attention affects the level of emotional contagion, with higher attention resulting in stronger contagion.