Be Careful, Bad Mood Is A Contagious Virus

It is fundamental to develop strategies to prevent the bad mood around us from affecting us. We need to accept our reality and always think positively.

We have all lived through days when bad humor was present.

It’s like an inner pressure and a veil that makes us see things with some resentment, apathy, and a lot of discomfort.

Most likely it happened in specific moments that end up evaporating because we know how to channel them, and we focus on other aspects that deter this sudden illness.

Now… Do you know someone who lives in an eternal state of positivity where bad humor does not interfere in their words or expressions?

It is important to know that a bad mood can also be contagious.  

This is how a study carried out in 2012 by Dr. Lewandonsky and published in the journal “American Scientific” explains it.

When the bad mood invades us

When a bad mood arises, the day turns into a hectic night.

However, these are most often “point explosions”.

In general, this feeling where anxiety, anger and pessimism are similarly mixed, is very limited in time.

Many people tend to confront a bad mood with internal dialogue, trying to figure out what is causing it and trying to deal with it.

It is always advisable to go out for a walk, or to play sports to relieve this internal tension and put our thoughts into perspective.

Now there are also personalities who are imbued with a permanent bad mood which can be very destructive to themselves and to others.

What is causing this bad mood? What are the most common causes that determine it?

• When things don’t go as planned.
• Anger and bad mood also have the function of alerting us to something that is bothering us.
  Some people confront their discomfort, channel it and resolve the nervousness.
• People who assimilate it accentuate the negative emotion felt even more.
• This inner evil tends to turn into rejection, sometimes towards oneself and towards others.
• Personal discomfort generates frustration. 
• People with a chronic bad mood do not have the capacity for reflection, self-esteem or appropriate emotional management.
• There is a negation of reality.
• Sometimes the permanent bad mood is a reflection of a self-centered mindset where problems are always the top priority.

It is transmitted

The conclusion of the study and various scientific articles in the journal Psychology Today, explain the following:

• A person’s attitude, whether positive or negative ends up affecting us in some way.
• The chronic bad mood coming from a relative or a friend ends up generating negative emotions, even a certain discouragement.
• We end up developing a series of almost unconscious mechanisms that transmit this bad mood to us.
• First of all, we imitate certain gestures. If the other person frowns and their face reflects their discomfort, we will do the same because we will feel empathy in spite of ourselves.

We must not forget  that any facial expression generates emotion.  It is enough to smile to feel positive feelings.

So, if we frown and turn off our natural smile, the negative sensations will be felt quickly.

It’s amazing how even in a small space with several people, like in an office, sometimes all it takes is for one person to be in a bad mood to make others feel the same way.

How can we protect ourselves against the bad mood virus?

An essential strategy for defending yourself from the bad mood of others is to use what is called an “emotional impermeable”.

What does it consist of?

Take note, as we are sure this will help you:

• When someone starts talking to you about negatives, uses criticism, and borrows a disheartening type of language, try to bring up positive resources: 

“There are better days”. “Today is a beautiful day, you have to take advantage of it”, “Okay, but you are worth a lot more than that and you will get there”, “I understand but there are gray days for everyone world, we must be happy ”.

• However, very negative people can take these sentences as an affront.
  In reality, you are trying to show them closeness, but you have to protect yourself so that none of this affects you.
• You will need to make a conscious effort to deflect this thread of extreme negativity.
  Pay attention to your facial expressions, and don’t imitate the person in front of you. Try to have a straightforward expression that makes your smile calm.
• Just nod your head so the other person knows you are listening.