The Psychology of Group Influence: 4 ways to stay true to yourself

Emotional contagion is a very big interference in much of society today. Just walk into a doctor’s office or place of business and observe the automatic synchronization of body language. During my days of supervising clinicians and mental health workers, I would sit in multiple meetings throughout the day and observe my own body language and tone of voice in a group of 10-15 co-workers and superiors. If I would cross my arms, one of my co-workers would do the same. If a co-worker would yawn, I would find myself doing the same thing (unintentionally, that is). If someone began to laugh, most of the group would laugh too. It’s amazing to observe the automatic synchronization of people in groups.

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