Emotional Contagion in Organizations: Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Abstract Recently, scholars from a wide variety of disciplines have begun to study the influence of attention, mimicry, and social context on emotional contagion. In this chapter, we will review the classic evidence documenting the role of these factors in sparking primitive emotional contagion, especially in occupational settings. Then we will discuss the new evidence, which scholars have amassed to help us better understand the role of culture in fostering the ability to read others’ thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Finally, we will briefly speculate as to where future research might be headed.