Emotion Science Simplified: How Emotion Regulation Contagion Reduces Negative Intergroup Emotions

emotions science simplified.

Welcome back to Emotions Science Simplified, where we take emotion science research and demystify it, making it simple and easy to understand.

This time, we’re diving into a fascinating study by Michael Pinus, Yajun Cao, Eran Halperin, Alin Coman, James J. Gross, and Amit Goldenberg on how emotion regulation contagion can help reduce negative emotions in intergroup conflicts. The research explores how training some individuals to regulate their emotions can lead to emotional change in an entire group. Even among those who didn’t receive the training!

The Big Idea: What Is Emotion Regulation Contagion?

Emotion regulation contagion occurs when emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, spread from individuals who were trained to use the strategy to others who weren’t. Cognitive reappraisal involves reinterpreting negative situations to reduce emotional responses.

In this study, researchers tested how teaching reappraisal to 40% of group members in small groups could reduce negative emotions across the entire group—without needing to train everyone.

The Context: Intergroup Conflict

The research took place in the highly charged context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Researchers used conflict-related images to evoke negative emotions in participants and tested whether cognitive reappraisal training for some group members could reduce these negative emotions in the entire group.

Key Findings

Emotion regulation spreads like wildfire: When 40% or more of a group was trained in cognitive reappraisal, non-treated participants also showed reduced negative emotions.
Social learning and social appraisal drive contagion: Non-treated participants learned how to reappraise situations by observing how treated participants expressed their emotions, adopting similar language and emotional responses.
Exponential reduction in negative emotions: The reduction in negative emotions became significantly larger as the proportion of treated participants increased, especially after the 40% threshold.
Real emotional change, not just compliance: The study found that non-treated participants genuinely changed how they felt, rather than simply conforming to group norms.
Language matters: Semantic analysis showed that the texts written by non-treated participants increasingly resembled reappraisal language used by treated participants.

Practical Takeaways for Leaders & Facilitators

Small interventions can have a big impact: You don’t need to reach everyone in a group—targeting a key 40% can create a ripple effect.
Model the behaviour you want to see: Just like emotions, emotion regulation strategies are contagious. Leaders and influencers within teams can set the tone for how others respond to challenges.
Focus on language: How we describe our emotions matters. Encourage positive reinterpretations of challenging situations to promote healthier emotional responses in groups.
Monitor group dynamics: Emotion contagion can work both ways. Positive strategies like reappraisal can spread, but so can negative emotional patterns.

A Key Quote from the Research

“Treating above 40% of participants resulted in reliable group emotional change, highlighting the potential of emotion regulation contagion for scalable interventions.”

Want to Dive Deeper?

You can read the full research article here: Emotion Regulation Contagion Drives Reduction in Negative Intergroup Emotions.