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Using contact tracing from interlocking diaries to map mood contagion along network chains
Yang-Chih Fu1, Ta-Chien Chan2,3, Yen-Hua Chu4
1Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
Scientific Reports
|March 2, 2022
Summary
Emotions, both positive and negative, spread through social networks. However, negative moods are harder to disperse than positive ones, as people actively try to prevent their spread.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Network Science
- Emotional Contagion
Background:
- Moods and viruses spread via interpersonal contact.
- Tracking mood diffusion chains is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the contagion patterns of positive and negative moods in social networks.
- To understand how mood diffusion differs based on emotional valence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 56,060 contact records from 113 yearlong diaries in Taiwan.
- Tracing mood states before and after specific interpersonal contacts within a three-person chain (C-B-A).
- Utilizing multilevel analyses to assess mood contagion.
Main Results:
- Both positive and negative emotions are contagious.
- Positive mood contagion to a third person (A) is robust, irrespective of intermediary's (B) mood changes.
- Negative mood contagion to A is disrupted if B's mood improves between contacts.
Conclusions:
- Mood contagion exhibits distinct diffusion patterns for positive and negative emotions.
- Negative moods appear more persistent and harder to dissipate within social networks.
- Individuals may consciously or unconsciously limit the spread of negative emotions.
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