Like many, I have been concerned about the rise of anger, division, polarization and general negativity in America in recent years. We are inundated daily with stories of conflicts, accusations, protests, riots and shootings. It is increasingly more difficult to find examples of kindness, civility and open, considerate communication between people with differing opinions.

One psychological phenomenon that may help us understand this trend is “emotional contagion.” This is the idea that humans synchronize their emotions with the emotions expressed by those around them. We tend to take on the emotions of those we observe. This process can be conscious or unconscious. It can also occur when we experience another’s emotions by watching them on TV, listening to them on podcasts or seeing their social media posts.

Research on this tendency goes back as far as 1897 and has been fairly consistent through the years. Studies suggest that our conscious assessments of other’s emotions are more often based on what others say, but our own internal emotions are more heavily influenced by their non-verbal ques such as facial expression, body language or tone of voice.

In 2012, a large but controversial study was conducted on over 600,000 Facebook users. The researchers filtered out either positive or negative emotional content appearing from others on participant’s newsfeeds. They found that people posted more negative emotional content when they were exposed to negative emotions from others and more positive content when exposed to positive emotions. I know that I have personally enjoyed the Facebook option to unfollow someone who posts particularly angry or negative posts.

So, we do seem to take on the negative or positive emotions of those around us, but what do we do about it? If our moods are being influenced by others who are positive, hopeful and happy, it can be great, but that isn’t what is happening around us today.

The first step is increased awareness. We must ask ourselves if a particular mood or attitude has been influenced by what we have observed in others. Is this mood or emotion something we want to feel? Is it helpful or productive? If not, simply reminding ourselves that we may have been caught up in other’s negative moods may help us make a shift.

We also have to be very deliberate about what we expose ourselves to. We need to filter what we watch on TV. We need to remind ourselves that news channels are designed to sell advertising and that sensational and negative stories attract more viewers, thus generating more money for them. The more they upset us, the more money they make!

We should also be aware of the impact of those in our more personal orbit. Does that one friend tend to stir you up a lot. Does her anger, pessimism or anxiety trigger similar feelings in you? Perhaps you don’t want to distance yourself from the person, but you might be able to agree to not discuss certain topics at all. You may request that some discussions be off-limits or simply change the subject.

Humans are social animals, and we are influenced by the emotions of others. We can allow ourselves to be swept along by the current negative emotional wave, or we can deliberately take steps to resist the influence. We may not be able to change the world, but we can change ourselves. Then again, perhaps in doing so, we can help change the world.