Those Who Share a Roof Share Emotions
Four takeaways:
- It is scientifically proven that feelings are contagious– our moods affect the moods of those around us.
- One study of college students matched up depressed and nondepressed roommates, and found that on average, nondepressed roommates would soon start showing signs of depression– as early as five weeks after moving in.
- In cases where loved ones might be depressed or unhappy, we naturally want to help them weather the storm; Brooks offers tips for maintaining your own mental health while helping to bring happiness back to those around you:
- Work on your own happiness first: you can’t help others to be happy when you yourself are miserable!
- Do not take it personally: view a loved one’s unhappiness the way you would view a cold. Random & temporary. You are not to blame.
- Use the element of surprise: spontaneity is your friend. Unhappy people will usually resist the feeling of being force-fed happiness.
- Prevent the spread: control negative feeling by strategically avoiding the other person, and be conscious of your own mood when you speak with the other person.
- Unhappiness of those around us can indeed be contagious, but we don’t have to treat it like the pandemic. Unhappiness is inevitable, and when approached correctly can be an opportunity to “grow in love” for someone else.
From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
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