C061

Emotional Contagion Susceptibility

B08 Empathy & Prosociality
Core LayerMML-2

Version v1.3.2

Definition

How automatically others’ emotions “spill into” the person; state alignment with a partner or group without deliberate intent.

Poles

Each HES element is a spectrum, not a category: the Low and High poles describe how it presents at its two extremes, while the Reference marks the typical, everyday middle. The poles map variation across the range — neither end is inherently better or worse.

Low Pole

Emotional contagion resistance: others’ emotions have limited impact; the person maintains a distinct affective boundary.

High Pole

High susceptibility: others’ emotions have strong impact; the person’s state rapidly aligns with the social field.

Reference

Moderate: contagion occurs, but distance and return to baseline are possible.

Measure

State-shift speed after exposure to strong emotion in others.

Measuring Methods

• Exposure to emotionally expressive interlocutor/video → time-to-shift tracking.
• Pre/post measurement around group events.
• Observation: how quickly tone, expression, and mood change.

Empirical Anchor

Emotional contagion (Hatfield et al., 1993); automatic mimicry; mood contagion in groups.

Notes

• Distinct from C059Affective Empathy: empathy is resonance with a specific person; contagion is automatic field-alignment.
• Risks at MIN: reduced atmosphere attunement.
• Risks at MAX: instability and depletion.

Citation

APA

Human Elements System. (2026). Emotional Contagion Susceptibility (HES Passport C061, v1.3.2). hestable.com. https://hestable.com/passport/C061

BibTeX

@misc{hes_C061, author = {{Human Elements System}}, title = {{Emotional Contagion Susceptibility}}, year = {2026}, note = {HES Passport C061, v1.3.2}, howpublished = {\url{https://hestable.com/passport/C061}} }