A recent study has discovered that older adults who reflect the emotions of those around them are more likely to experience anxiety or depression themselves.
Madeleine and Paul are seated on a park bench. As she shares her financial concerns, revealing her struggles to get by for months, tears fill Madeleine’s eyes. Paul feels her anguish deeply; her troubles strike a chord within him and amplify his own worries. His heart feels heavy, and he too finds his eyes glistening with tears.
What’s happening here? This is a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion” in psychology, where individuals unconsciously imitate the feelings of others.
“Similar to how some people are more prone to catching a respiratory virus when they are close to infected individuals, others are more likely to ‘catch’ the emotions of those around them,” explains Marie-Josée Richer, a psychoeducator at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, which is linked to the Université de Montréal. She conducted doctoral research on this phenomenon in older adults.
“Individuals sensitive to emotional contagion are particularly attuned to others’ feelings,” said Pierrich Plusquellec, a professor at UdeM’s School of Psychoeducation and co-director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress. “This sensitivity is an adaptive response that happens unconsciously as people mirror facial expressions, gestures, and body language, leading to a convergence of emotions.”
For instance, he noted, “a sensitive person might physically tense when encountering angry people on television, tear up when witnessing someone cry, or feel uplifted when around someone joyful. We assess vulnerability to emotional contagion by examining various emotions, including joy, love, anger, and fear. This contagion plays a crucial role in society, forming the foundation of empathy.”
However, this sensitivity can also have negative consequences. In research co-supervised by Plusquellec and UdeM psychology professor Sébastien Grenier, published in PLOS Mental Health, Richer found that older adults experiencing psychological distress have a heightened vulnerability to emotional contagion.
“This research was part of my work on psychological resilience in the elderly,” she stated. “The goal was to gain a deeper understanding of the factors affecting resilience to help mitigate psychological distress, which can severely impact seniors’ health—leading to increased risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and early mortality.”
The study indicated that emotional contagion vulnerability varies among individuals, much like personality traits, and is often neglected in mental health studies focusing on older populations.
Research Involving 170 Adults
The UdeM team examined a sample of 170 adults aged 55 and over who resided in retirement homes or utilized community services while facing some form of adversity. Adversity was defined as any significant challenge or difficult circumstance, such as loss of a loved one or relationship conflicts (explicit adversity), as well as susceptibility to emotional contagion (implicit adversity).
This study was part of a broader initiative aimed at assessing a program designed to manage stress and emotional contagion. To participate, individuals needed to live in an urban area and show interest in group techniques for stress management. Researchers aimed to include a diverse population, capturing various levels of psychological distress and physical limitations to achieve a comprehensive representation.
Data collection took place between September 2018 and September 2019, with a majority of participants—85 percent—being women. Their ages ranged from 56 to 96, with an average age of 76.1. Most participants were Canadian and lived independently.
Participants were categorized into three groups based on their psychological distress levels:
- Nearly 45 percent presented with an anxiety profile, exhibiting clinical or subclinical anxiety symptoms only.
- Approximately 20 percent were identified with the anxious depression profile, reflecting clinical or subclinical symptoms of both anxiety and depression.
- The remaining group, the no-distress profile, included individuals without significant symptoms of anxiety or depression.
“We distinguish between symptoms based on intensity that significantly disrupt daily life as ‘subclinical’ or ‘clinical’,” explained Grenier. “Clinical symptoms meet formal diagnosis criteria for anxiety or depression. For instance, someone with clinical anxiety might frequently experience panic attacks, struggle with leaving their house, and isolate socially. On the other hand, a person with subclinical anxiety may not have an official diagnosis but still face concerns and physical symptoms that impair their daily activities.”
Vulnerability Up to 10 Times Greater
The researchers examined psychological distress levels concerning sex, age, income, living arrangements, independence, satisfaction with social networks, coping strategies, and an emotional contagion vulnerability scale.
The findings revealed that older adults with heightened emotional contagion sensitivity were 8.5 to 10 times more likely to exhibit anxiety or anxious depression symptoms than those with lower sensitivity. This correlation existed independently of other factors, such as social support or coping mechanisms.
This study is the first to investigate emotional contagion vulnerability as a factor contributing to psychological distress in older individuals, according to the researchers.
While the researchers did not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between emotional contagion vulnerability and psychological distress, their findings underscore the significance of recognizing both explicit and implicit adversity to identify seniors at risk for psychological challenges. They emphasize the need to proactively address emotional contagion risks in communal living settings like senior residences and caregiving environments.
The team proposes developing resources to assist the most vulnerable individuals in managing their emotional sensitivity better. This approach could enhance their psychological resilience and overall quality of life. They also recommend further research into the factors that might moderate vulnerability to emotional contagion to improve understanding of its effects on mental health and to help lessen psychological distress among older adults.
