3 'Emotional Contagions' That Social Media Can Infect Us With

The influence that social media can have on our emotional well-being is far more profound than what meets the eye.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | April 29, 2024

A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that social media use elicits three types of emotional reactions, especially in women, signaling a kind of "emotional contagion," which refers to a process through which emotions are transferred from one person to another, often leading to the adoption of similar emotional states.

Social media's ability to transmit and amplify emotions among users highlights how digital interactions can significantly influence and shape our emotional well-being.

Here are three ways in which we are emotionally influenced by social media, according to the study.

1. Emotional Self-Expression

Researchers found that a primary motivation for using social media is for individuals to vent and regulate their emotions, fulfilling various psychological needs including self-expression, relationship building and seeking social validation and community support.

Users also engage in self-disclosure and social media use to experience positive emotional benefits such as a sense of belonging, stress relief, entertainment or leisure and to document daily experiences and important moments to revisit later.

Social media also meets the need for feelings of self-competence, allowing users to acquire knowledge by offering diverse content that matches their interests and reduces their search time for relevant information.

While it can elicit joyful emotions, social media is not without its pitfalls. Researchers found that users often experience disappointment and self-doubt if their content lacks likes or engagement. Moreover, social comparison on these platforms can trigger a fear of missing out and concerns about appearance, financial status, social acceptance and more, significantly impacting mental well-being and limiting self-expression.

Whether online responses (or a lack thereof) from others are real or perceived, they seem to deeply influence an individual's emotional inner world.

2. Emotional Masking

Researchers found that individuals actively shape their public image online, engaging in "impression management" to portray an idealized self. This involves consciously or unconsciously presenting versions of themselves that align with perceived social norms and expectations, projecting intellect, social status or often veiling mistakes or flaws to maintain attention and social approval.

As one's social circle expands online, becoming filled with acquaintances rather than close connections, the need for impression management intensifies and becomes a heavier burden to manage. Individuals feel compelled to align their posts with others' perceptions and grapple with fears of their actions online being misinterpreted, transitioning from relaxed self-expression to a guarded facade online to maintain social relationships.

Additionally, constant comparisons with peers of similar backgrounds, known as "comsim," can trigger negative emotions like self-doubt, hopelessness, envy or resentment and prompt self-modification to outshine others due to a perceived lack of comparable accomplishments.

Maintaining one's digital persona can also cause anxiety if one feels that it differs from their offline, "real" self, creating a fear of exposure and a pressure to "perform" their online self in the real world. This leads to social fatigue, emotional lows and feeling disconnected from one's true self.

Moreover, conforming to collective behaviors online, such as posting about societal events or philanthropic causes, even when disinterested, becomes a means to avoid social isolation. This continued emotional masking on social media erodes genuine self-awareness, hampers emotional well-being and gradually diminishes the courage to be authentic both online and offline.

3. Emotional Straying

Researchers explain that the overwhelming nature of constant updates online surpasses our cognitive limits, leading to emotional exhaustion, avoidance and disengagement from social media, where individuals start to share less of themselves as well as reduce their online exposure to others.

Social media platforms becoming commercialized further diminishes their value as spaces for leisure and stress relief. For instance, if a working individual's social media is used for company branding and promotions, they may feel disconnected from their account due to a loss of control over their own friend circle. They may feel pressured to post content dictated by superiors or feel compelled to "like" work-related posts, diluting the genuine emotional value of "liking," morphing it into a commercialized social currency and compromising their sense of autonomy.

Sharing genuine emotions online can lead to unwanted scrutiny from concerned others, causing self-censorship online due to fears of others' perceptions, the pressure to explain oneself or even the fear of emotionally affecting others with one's posts.

The theory of emotional contagion also highlights how others' emotions shared online can affect our own. For instance, research shows that during the Covid-19 pandemic, many felt immense panic due to the widespread sharing of negative information. Conversely, positive content can also lead to feelings of inspiration and joy.

When one decides to avoid emotional contagion or "emotionally strays" from social media by engaging less or shifting to sharing with close friends offline, it may lead to a cycle of "withdrawal" and a fear of missing out on social updates, which they must either endure or forfeit to. Researchers suggest it is possible to exit this cycle and emphasize the importance of taking back emotional control over one's online world.

To wisely navigate social media's emotional impact, cultivate awareness of your emotional triggers. Take digital breaks and practice emotional regulation techniques to manage your feelings independent of online influence. By employing discernment and occasional detachment, it is possible to curate your feed and harness social media positively for a healthier online experience.

Does social media control your moods too often? Take the Highly Sensitive Person Questionnaire to learn more.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.