ARE YOU EMOTIONALLY CONTAGIOUS?

How a Leader’s Mood Shapes the Team’s Climate

A recent survey by the American Psychological Association revealed something striking:

“Managers affect employees’ mental health more than doctors and therapists — and as much as their spouses.”(Work in America Survey, 2023; BusinessWire, 2023.)

Among 3,400 employees in 10 countries, 69% said their manager impacts their mental health — higher than the influence of doctors (51%) or therapists (41%). And 81% consider good mental health more important than a high salary.

The mechanism behind this is emotional contagion — the unconscious transfer of emotions through facial expressions, tone, and posture. As psychologist Elaine Hatfield described, when we mimic another’s expression, our body sends feedback to the brain, recreating the same feeling.

Classic “waiting room experiments” show this clearly: when one participant expresses happiness or anxiety, others’ moods shift accordingly within minutes.

In organizations, hierarchy amplifies contagion. High-status individuals—leaders, managers, executives—are more visible, and their emotional signals spread more strongly.From a neuroscience perspective, mirror neuron systems in our brains activate when we observe others’ expressions, helping us “feel into” their state. The more authority the observed person has, the more attention (and neural activation) they trigger.

So, a leader’s internal state shapes the emotional weather of their team.A tense morning meeting, a hurried tone, or an anxious posture can quietly drain energy across the room.

What Can Leaders Do?

• Micro-regulation: Start the day with a quick “How am I feeling?” check.

• Emotional check-ins: Begin meetings by asking “How are we today?”

“Leaders manage not only work processes, but the emotional climate of their teams.”– Yasemin Manavbaşı

🎯 Reflection Question “As a leader, which aspect of your emotional state do you think most influences your team’s motivation and atmosphere?”