Are Your Emotions Contagious?

We're known to mimic each other's facial expressions and posture, but they aren't the only things we can subconsciously "catch" from others.
SUBSCRIBE to BrainCraft! Click here: ow.ly/rt5IE Talking psychology, neuroscience & why we act the way we do.
BrainCraft is written and hosted by Vanessa Hill ( / nessyhill ) for PBS Digital Studios
Sound design: Joel Werner (joelwerner.com)
Research: Rachelle Oldmixon ( / rachelleishere )
And thanks to Jake for a rare smile ( / vsauce3 )
Keep in touch!
Twitter / nessyhill
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Last week on BrainCraft:
Do Dogs Really Miss Us? • Do Dogs Really Miss Us?
References:
Di Pellegrino, G., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., Gallese, V., & Rizzolatti, G. (1992). Understanding motor events: A neurophysiological study. Experimental Brain Research, 91, 176180. www.uni-muenst...
Dimberg, U., Thunberg, M., & Elmehed, K. (2000). Unconscious facial reactions to emotional facial expressions. Psychological science, 11(1), 86-89. pss.sagepub.com...
Oberman, L. M., Winkielman, P., & Ramachandran, V. S. (2007). Face to face: Blocking facial mimicry can selectively impair recognition of emotional expressions. Social neuroscience, 2(3-4), 167-178. pages.ucsd.edu/...
Cooper, E. A., Garlick, J., Featherstone, E., Voon, V., Singer, T., Critchley, H. D., & Harrison, N. A. (2014). You Turn Me Cold: Evidence for Temperature Contagion. PloS one, 9(12), e116126. www.plosone.org...

[@NTeamEN]

I almost smiled when I saw Jake, then I remembered that being a Vulcan, I'm not supposed to show emotions.
Ok maybe I'm not a Vulcan but I did supress the beginning of a smile on my face, your mind control doesn't work on me Vanessa :D

[@jakerawr]

Grate episode! UnBrie-lievable!

[@annimagzombies]

You've got a really cute smile, you know that? ;)

[@OLBICHL]

0:15 no, don't go... come back Jake. I'm smiling because of your charm, don't listen to her! ^...^

[@OLBICHL]

Why is it that people sense when others are watching them from behind? I realized that I can feel people watching me while using public transportation. Every time I have that feeling and I look back at them, they quickly look away. Then they play the eye roller coaster game!

[@edkozak9925]

They should should do an episode on this next!

[@chichi-nm8kn]

You gotta find the angels from the demons. Angels are warm people but, they're awfully hard to figure out. They are blissfully clever. Just help them get to heaven brother.

[@YaBoiKeith]

As always, great episode.

[@WiredforThought]

It's unbelivable how much our environment impacts our unconcious mind.

[@thomasarnett9986]

Oh, Jake, you always make me smile. :) BTW Great episode Brie! Keep up the good work!

[@laughingoctopus8556]

I started smiling when Bradley Cooper guest stared on the tonight show and both started laughing for 10 minutes straight for something that wasn't remotely funny to me, I felt so happy afterwards, long after I watched that, I guess you're right. 😊

[@miloradvlaovic]

The video made me mimic shoryuken flying kick... yeah it did not turn out quite well tho. Neither for my foot, nor my wardrobe doors. :)

[@AngrryX]

Nice job with your videos :D.

[@Eric345]

When I yawn, other people next to me do it to.

[@edkozak9925]

Dear Braincraft you're amazing.

[@Antifadiva]

Fill your life with smiling, empathetic people!!

[@fatih4274]

Ken and ryu explained a lot to me. Hadouken !

[@gabrielgomesbrito]

Interesting, I wonder how different mirror neurons are from the other neuron types. Can they take the form of any neuron cell, such as pyramidal and such, or maybe just specific ones used for certain tasks. Are they chemically the same or is it just like Carl Sagan said and the beauty of this cell mechanism would come from the way its parts are put together?
There is so much to search and research on this, I'm gonna have my hands full! Wish you guys could make a video on these interesting details! :D

[@backgrrroundguy]

To make a long story short, yes.

[@Ristro44]

I really wish my dad would recognize this. Whenever I go to the kitchen and he's around he'll decide he wants something to eat too, even if he's just eaten. We also keep cashew nuts on the bench so if I'm eating he'll start munching even if he's trying to talk to me. bleh

[@Drudenfusz]

Wouldn't that temperature effect not then mean we should start feeling cold when we watch movies in an winter environment (especially when we see the actors freezing?) or that we should start sweating when watching a film that plays in a desert?

[@edkozak9925]

It was probably just a few degrees of difference but, There is a good study of burn victims and winter video game that made the burning feeling go away.

[@DavidCruickshank]

Jake is so cute :D

[@mmaking1716]

TH-cam John gotti mma check him out!

[@amaryllis4345]

Great video

[@BinkieMcFartnuggets]

If by emotions you mean oral herpes, then yes.

[@annimagzombies]

Great video! :D That must have been a lot of work. I'm impressed O_O

[@mescalinemonkey8183]

we do this because we are a mirror a receptical.

[@FecundusEducation]

?

[@starlightbright7814]

But I'm more observant when I chew gum...

[@internettraveller22]

It's jake from vsauce3

[@miniBMXman]

You wanna cookie?

[@mescalinemonkey8183]

yes yes yes😂😁😀😁😂 BE HAPPY DON'T WORRY

[@Nexumorphic]

/o/

[@caddymorton1121]

I disagrees, some studies should be done on people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds to accurate.

[@eaglesx10able]

First!

[@meanyperson-1996]

But then people are still dying of Lukemia :) happy end to all this.