I disagree vehemently. Of course, I don't have any white lab coats to my name, and not a single pocket protector, but I do use reading glasses so I feel completely comfortable in pointing out that tacitly negative social interactions are not more powerful than tacitly positive ones. I use the tacit qualifier because if someone is explicitly negative (e.g. random stranger saying, "You're fat and your shirt is hideous.") that is obviously more of a lasting impression than someone telling you your haircut looks good. However, our average social interation is usually more subtle. A friend who is a "Debbie Downer" is less influential than a friend who's quick with a kind word. In my own interactions, I know that a positive attitude is returned far more often than a negative one.
The only sort of person who allows negativity to be "transmitted" to them is a negative sort of person in the first place.
Now, where's my research grant? And beer?
ahem....
I don't think loneliness is contagious....more an oxymoron.
However....I do think negativity is contagious...particularly among women. The negativity feeds depression.
Obviously women tend to bond with each other in a more emotional way than men do with men.
There are some that just feed off of each other's negativity and depression....and develop a pack mentality that each member must think the same, gossip the same, and have the same general miseries.
I do think women are much more susceptible to this type of behavior than men are....simply because of our common bonds of motherhood, juggling work/home/school etc. Women get together and talk about our lives and not much is sacred in a girl discussion.
Whereas a group of men get together and it's hey, how bout those Gators, or did you see the Steelers game, or I just bought this cool table saw....etc.
Guys don't get into "personal" discussions in a group like women will. Where a guy might make the comment "my wife/girlfriend was a witch last night....", not expecting any response, end of discussion, and then talk about something on ESPN.
A woman will say " hubby/SO was a jerk last night"....and it evolves into an hour discussion over why did he act that way, what did you say, you should have said this, ta-da ta-da ta-da....and it's dissected into minute by minute parts. Then goes on to some other type of gossip or misery.
Fortunately my runnin' buddy and I realized we were part of a group that was like this and separated ourselves from it....we're both much healthier for it and lots happier with our lives. Makes our spousal units much happier with us too.
