A neuroscientist has lifted the lid on why you might 'instantly' feel drained after walking into a room.
If you've had a poor sleep the night before, then you'll probably feel drained whatever room you're walking in to, but there are other reasons why you might feel this way.
I'm not sure about you, but if my colleagues at work are stressed, I'll often feel it too.
Arguably there's nothing worse than walking into the office and that wave of tension hits you like a bad smell. But there's a medical term for people who take on other people's emotions, and that's something called emotional contagion.
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As per Psychology Today, this is defined as 'the phenomenon in which a person unconsciously mirrors or mimics the emotions of those around them'.
Explaining this in more detail, neuroscientist Dr Wendy Suzuki said in a video shared to Instagram: "Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt drained? You might be absorbing stress that's not even yours."
Dr Suzuki went on: "It's called emotional contagion and it's thought to be due, at least in part, to mirror neurons.
"Your brain's mechanism of sinking up with the emotions of those around you. When someone's anxious, frustrated or stressed, your brain can automatically mirror those feelings, making you feel the same way."
But there are ways to tackle this problem, says Dr Suzuki, who is also the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at New York University.
She urged people to try the method 'observe, don't absorb'.
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To do this, the first step is to pause and ask if the stress or whatever negative emotion you're mimicking is yours.
"Step 2, shift from reacting to observing," the neuroscientists continued. "Picture emotions as passing clouds, not something you have to carry."
For the final step, Dr Suzuki says to 'breathe and reset' by doing something like stepping outside, listening to music, or to focus on something grounding.
"Your energy is yours to protect," she added.
The healthcare expert boasts 144,000 followers on Instagram and often used the social media platform to share tips with people when it comes to psychology.
Dr Suzuki also has a book called Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better.
Topics: Mental Health, News, Psychology, Science, Life, Instagram
Niamh Shackleton