anxietya condition that causes physical, psychological, or emotional stress is something that most people experience at some point in their lives.

However, is it “sticky”? Can one person pass it on to another?

Anxiety can be contagious, according to a 2014 study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology that caused a global sensation.

The scientists of this study concluded that seeing a person under stress can cause the body to release cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” as a response. This phenomenon is called “empathic stress(empathic stress), as a rule, occurs in loved ones under stress, but can manifest itself even in a complete stranger who is suffering.

“It is possible to subconsciously perceive the feelings of another person, especially negative ones. This would be a result of our evolutionary past, as it would provide a non-verbal way to communicate about impending danger,” explains Tara Pero, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Canada.

According to a 2013 analysis by Current Biology, emotions can be transmitted from one person to another through so-called “mirror neurons(mirror neurons), brain cells that fire when we see someone doing something in particular, like yawning, causing a reciprocal response. In practice, this means that if, for example, someone sees a tired person sitting opposite, then he himself may begin to feel tired. The same applies to anxiety, because the state of the sufferer is involuntarily accepted.

“If someone panics, they are under stress. Panic can be transmitted to society in the same way as fear or anxiety, regardless of whether there is a reason for it, ”explains Jo Herbert, professor of neurology at the University of Cambridge.

Stress as a survival tool

According to him, the transmission of emotions is an important survival mechanism. “It activates a reaction in others that can help solve not only a personal problem, but also a general one,” he notes, citing a case of danger when someone reacts emotionally, which mobilizes the vigilance of others.

This transmission of feelings is a subconscious energy, according to Perot, and is not an exclusively human characteristic. “Other animals can perceive the emotions of their own species. For example, rats that see other rats experiencing stress have increased levels of the stress hormone, even if they don’t directly experience it,” she says.

Of course, as Perot points out, anxiety is different from anxiety. While it has evolved to play an important role in preparing the mind and body for stressful situations, in modern humans it is often activated by psychological factors that prolong the duration of high cortisol levels. “There is so much to do every day that people end up interpreting it as stressful, and the stress response can be triggered too often, which is potentially harmful to the body and brain,” he says.

A 2014 study showed that anxiety can be contagious if one person can “infect” the whole office. However, according to Perot, “getting stuck” can be avoided since, according to her, that’s all approach to the problem situations.

“Every stress response starts with the perception of the stressor,” she says. And, according to experts, activities such as taking a breath of fresh air, taking a breath, or exercising can help avoid or at least reduce the likelihood of a third party triggering an alarm.

For his part, Herbert believes that the “key” is to divide stress into two parts: “The stressor can be external or internal. For example, a financial claim or illness. The response to stress is how each person reacts, emotionally, but also physiologically (hormones, pressure, etc.),” he notes.

Source: live science