Is Our Collective Mood Contagious?

"Group stress seems to be spreading like a bad cold. People seem on edge. Tempers are shorter. There's more honking at the green light. Conversations often turn to resigned regret about the division in the country. And the other day, someone I hadn't seen in 35 years left a surprisingly snarky comment on a social media post, an act out of character for the person I once knew."

"The term collective consciousness dates to the 19th century, when sociologist Émile Durkheim proposed that shared beliefs, values, and attitudes serve as a unifying force in society, acting as a form of moral glue that bonds communities, especially during difficult times. Think of collective consciousness as emotional and cognitive energy that quietly seeps into our lives, whether we're aware of it or not."

Collective consciousness describes a shared emotional and cognitive atmosphere that binds people through common beliefs, values, and feelings. Human brains are wired for empathy and mirroring, making emotions contagious and prompting unconscious imitation of others' expressions and behaviors. Recent years brought a cascade of emotionally charged experiences—global pandemic, political upheaval, climate anxiety, mass shootings, and rising institutional distrust—that have intensified communal stress. Close relationships have fractured over polarizing issues, turning previously intellectual debates into emotional deal-breakers. Constant exposure to alarming news and social media accelerates tensions and contributes to a pervasive, shared unease across society.

Read at Psychology Today