<P> Emotional contagion is the phenomenon of having one person's emotions and related behaviors directly trigger similar emotions and behaviors in other people . One view developed by Elaine Hatfield et al. is that this can be done through automatic mimicry and synchronization of one's expressions, vocalizations, postures and movements with those of another person . When people unconsciously mirror their companions' expressions of emotion, they come to feel reflections of those companions' emotions . Emotions can be shared across individuals in many different ways both implicitly or explicitly . For instance, conscious reasoning, analysis and imagination have all been found to contribute to the phenomenon . Emotional contagion is important to personal relationships because it fosters emotional synchrony between individuals . A broader definition of the phenomenon suggested by Schoenewolf is "a process in which a person or group influences the emotions or behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotion states and behavioral attitudes". The behaviour has been found in humans, primates and dogs . </P> <P> The phrase "emotional contagion" embodies the idea that humans synchronize their own emotions with the emotions expressed by those around them, whether consciously or unconsciously . Psychologists Hatfield, Cacioppo and Rapson, define it as "the tendency to automatically mimic and synchronize expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements with those of another person's and, consequently, to converge emotionally (p. 96)." </P>

A situation in which one person's emotions influence another person's emotions is known as