Not in teacher's college, nor while I was teaching, did I hear the term "emotional contagion." However, it didn't mean that I was unaware of its effects.

A typical class is filled with children with a variety of abilities, needs and behaviours. It is the teacher's job to knot those disparate strands together to weave together a healthy learning environment. Some days go better than others. Some years also go better than others. A lot can depend upon the make up of one's class. It can also depend upon the teacher's demeanor.

There's one thing for certain: the dynamics in a classroom are never static.

One Contagious Student

One student can have a huge influence upon the mood and behaviour of the class. It's evident when that particular child is absent. Suddenly, there are fewer interruptions, the classroom is quieter and the lessons flow. Normally quiet students may be more apt to engage in classroom discussions, as it likely feels safer to do so.

Classroom Dynamics and the Teacher

Just as there is a range of learning styles, there's also a range of teaching styles. Some classrooms are run with military precision, while others allow for more freedom. The personality of the teacher, along with the focus of the school (traditional, arts, sports, etc.) and the socio-economic area that the school is located in, can all have an impact on the classroom dynamics.

Many teachers will tell you that there are several phenomena that can also impact student behaviour: pre and post-Halloween; the week preceding Christmas or March break; the last month of school; a full moon.

Flexibility, compassion, creativity and a regular undressing of stress practice for both the teacher and the students can lead to a positive change in the dynamics of the classroom.

Outside the Classroom

Who can forget the toilet paper crisis of 2020, brought on by COVID-19 pandemic shopping? It began with toilet paper, then extended to other goods that people deemed necessities. Suddenly, there was a panic run on at the grocery stores.

Now that you have some distance from those early days, are you able to see how or if you were infected by that "everybody else is doing it, so I'd better do it, too" virus? Fear, tainted with uncertainty, set the world ablaze with a wildfire of emotional contagion.

Let's face it!

On ScienceDirect, the article Emotional Contagion and Socialization reports:

"In situations in which participants are watching an unpleasant medical procedure on video, for instance, it is easy to identify the occurrence of emotional contagion, including the corresponding facial expressions. In such cases, people usually display the classic 'disgust face' (Bavelas et al., 1986). In addition, participants in a study who watched a prerecorded videotape of a target person describing the happiest or saddest events of his or her life tended to experience the same emotions." (Hsee, Hatfield, Carlson & Chemtob, 1990)

Emotional contagion happens. Are you aware of its effects on you?

Emotional contagion at work

Here are three emotional contagion scenarios that often infect work places:

In the lunchroom. Have you ever noticed that your mood suddenly plummeted after sitting with a particular group of people? If you dissected the conversation, you might discover that food was not the only thing on the menu. You may have been exposed to a lot of negativity in the form of complaints, anger and resentment.

What to do. Awareness is key. If possible, choose to sit with people who aren't always soaking in negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. While this is not always possible or desirable, practice stress techniques that help you balance your emotions, during or after the event. No one needs to know that you are doing them, as they can be done anywhere, anytime. You won't even look like you're spaced out.

The rumour mill. This contagion is a sneaky one. Perhaps your grapevine has sprouted some of these rumours? "We're downsizing." "We are going back to work next month, even though COVID-19 is still a concern." "Our office is moving."  Someone starts a rumour, maybe it makes them feel powerful, under the pretense that they're "connected," or perhaps they just like to see the detritus that their actions produce.

What to do: Recognize that rumours are like dust particles; they're always floating around. Train yourself to not press the panic button as soon as you become aware of them. Stress techniques can help you recognize that these are unsubstantiated and to wait until you hear what is actually going on from management. The turmoil (stress) that is produced by rehashing the what-ifs of whatever rumour is not worth the wear and tear on your nervous system.

The self-fulfilling prophecy: Otherwise known as expectation, derived from what you heard about what went on before you. Several years ago, a client had expressed concern that he was stepping into a new position where there had been a lot of turmoil. He heard that it was not a good place to work and was feeling apprehensive about the situation. I urged him to transform his fears and hold off on forming any sort of judgement until he was actually working there. After several weeks of work, he reported that he enjoyed his job and found it to be an invigorating place to work.

In schools, you can find this scenario occurring when a particular class has a reputation that sticks with them like toilet paper adheres to a shoe. If you inherit that "branded" class you might get a lot of eye-rolling and sympathy from your colleagues. Often, everyone from the principal to the cleaning staff knows the "rep" of that class, which not only influences the teacher, but also the students' behaviour and performance.

What to do: Stop! While forewarned is forearmed can be a helpful aphorism, it can also prevent you from having a good experience. A type of self-fulfilling prophecy can colour your judgement. Unconsciously, you may begin to look for reasons to support what you heard about that class or that position.

Teachers, like everyone else, have biases. It's important to recognize when they crop up so that they don't create problems. From How Teacher Expectations Influence Student Performance:

"Once teachers form expectations, they convey them to students through smiles, eye contact, and supportive and friendly actions. Low teacher expectations have been identified as a significant obstacle to academic achievement for disenfranchised learners."

The above quote can apply to any number of scenarios. Expectations - for better or for worse, we all have them in varying degrees: it's a bad work environment; it's a great place to work;  I've got that class; my students are wonderful; it's a supportive community; that area is known for its problems; and on it goes.

Regularly addressing and undressing your stress can help you change your perspective, which in turn, puts you in a better position to navigate your way through life. When you look at things differently, you may not be so reactive. Additionally, you are able to see solutions where you thought there weren't any.

Positive Emotional Contagion?

It's electric! For example, while watching this YouTube video of one of my favourite bands, Blue Rodeo, I felt it. It's evident that the band and the audience did, as well. The positive energy of the crowd sent ripples that were felt in the heads and hearts of everyone present. The spirit of singing well-loved tunes together added another dimension to an already positively-charged event.

Here's a YouTube video about how singing together changes the brain: