Smile and The World Smile With You

Remember that old cliché? It’s not too far from the truth.

Mood contagion is a real neurological phenomenon, but not all emotions spread with the same ease. A 1999 study conducted by Sigal Barsade at the Yale School of Management showed hat, among working groups, cheerfulness and warmth spread easily, while irritability caught on less so, and depression least of all.

It should come as no surprise that laughter is the most contagious of all emotions. Hearing laughter, we find it almost impossible not to laugh or smile, too. That’s because some of our brain’s open-loop circuits are designed to detect smiles and laughter, making us respond in kind. Scientists theorize that, this dynamic was hardwired into our brains ages ago because smiles and laughter had a way of cementing alliances, thus helping the species survive. The main implication here for leaders undertaking the primal task of managing their moods and the moods of others is this: Humor hastens the spread of an upbeat climate. But like the leader’s mood in general, humor must resonate with the organization’s culture and its reality.

Smiles and laughter, we would posit, are only contagious when they’re genuine.

---------------------------------

Daniel Goleman , Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee are the authors of Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, forthcoming from Harvard Business School Press in March 2002.