Feeling Drained? Maybe it’s Social Contagion
Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt tense — even though no one said a word? Or found yourself feeling down after spending time with a friend who’s always negative? This isn’t your imagination — it’s called social contagion.
What is Social Contagion?
Social contagion is a term used to describe how emotions, thoughts, behaviours and even physical symptoms can spread from person to person, almost like a virus.
It’s why you might:
Yawn when someone else yawns.
Laugh when a group laughs — even if you don’t know the joke.
Feel stressed when everyone at work is under pressure.
Panic-buy groceries when you see others do the same.
Humans are naturally wired to connect and mimic. Our brains have “mirror neurons” that make us unconsciously pick up on the energy around us. It’s part of how we bond — but it can drain us too.
How Does Social Contagion Affect Your Health?
When you constantly absorb stress, fear or negativity from people around you at home or in your workspace (or the endless scroll of social media), your nervous system can get stuck in a loop of fight, flight or freeze.
For most of us, we spend more of our waking hours with our colleagues than with our own families! On average, a full-time worker spends about 8 to 9 hours a day at work — plus commuting — and only 2 to 4 waking hours at home with family during weekdays. This means over half of your daily energy is shared with people at work.
Over time this can show up as:
Anxiety that doesn’t feel like yours
Difficulty sleeping
Mood swings
Feeling ‘heavy’ or overwhelmed
Chronic tension or fatigue
If stress, negativity, or tension is spreading through your workplace, it can easily spill over into your personal life too. That’s why it’s so important to protect your energy, know what’s yours and what you’ve absorbed from others — clear it when needed and set healthy boundaries.
The tricky part? It’s not always easy to tell which feelings are truly yours.
How Kinesiology Can Help
Kinesiology is a gentle yet powerful way to clear stress and emotional patterns you may have unconsciously taken on.
Through muscle testing and energy balancing, Kinesiology works with your body’s own wisdom to find where you’re holding stress — and release it.
It helps you:
✔ Rebalance your nervous system
✔ Let go of stress and emotion that isn’t yours
✔ Feel calmer, clearer and more like yourself again
Protect Your Energy
One of the simplest ways to reduce social contagion in your life is to be mindful of what (and who) you let into your space:
Take breaks from negative people or draining environments.
Limit doomscrolling or constant bad news.
Spend time with uplifting people.
Practice grounding techniques and breathwork.
