This is a free excerpt from one of Shortform’s Articles. We give you all the important information you need to know about current events and more.
Don't miss out on the whole story. Sign up for a free trial here .
Do your holiday gatherings often turn stressful? What can you do to prevent or mitigate group tension?
In a year of heightened political tensions and financial strain, finding peace during the holidays can be challenging. If you learn how to prevent or interrupt negative group emotions, you can have a peaceful holiday season.
Here’s how to ensure your holiday gathering doesn’t turn into a long-term rift.
Holiday Gatherings Can Be Stressful
As families gather for the holidays, many Americans are trying to find peace during one of the most emotionally charged holiday seasons in recent memory. Recent polls show nearly 60% of Americans fear political discussions will disrupt their holiday gatherings.
Political tensions aren’t the only challenge. Financial strain is another significant stressor, with nearly one-third of Americans reporting concerns about inflation at a time of year when gift-giving and celebrations can already strain wallets and relationships.
Research also reveals that half of all Americans experience periods of family estrangement during the holidays, with 40% of families saying they have open disputes when they come together—one-third of which turn into long-term family rifts.
How Group Emotions Work
To have a peaceful holiday, it helps to understand how emotions spread through groups.
Social psychology research reveals that emotions are contagious, passing from person to person like a virus. When people observe others’ emotional states, their bodies automatically start matching physiological responses.
While both positive and negative emotions can spread this way, research shows negative emotions tend to travel more quickly and strongly through groups. This helps explain why one person’s negative political comment or criticism can rapidly transform a peaceful holiday dinner into a tense situation.
Just as negative emotions can spread, positive ones can too. Studies show that positive social interactions can buffer against tension, with supportive relationships reducing stress responses in group settings. This “social buffering” effect is especially powerful when a secure, trusting relationship exists between the people involved.
How to Interrupt Negative Emotions
Research shows several effective ways to interrupt negative emotions before they spread:
- Adopt an analytical rather than emotional perspective. Viewing tense situations from an intellectual distance, like a social scientist observing behavior, reduces the automatic tendency to absorb others’ emotions.
- Stay calm and slow your breathing pattern. Maintaining your composure and slowing your breath can have a ripple effect on others, since people naturally synchronize their breathing. When one person maintains steady breaths, others tend to match that rhythm.
- Create distance. Taking a brief break from tense situations isn’t just about catching your breath—it’s about breaking the chain of emotional contagion. This could mean stepping away for a moment or mentally shifting to consider what might be causing others’ distress.
Preventing Emotional Contagion
Understanding how emotions spread through groups reveals several practical ways to create more peaceful holiday gatherings:
- Stay alert to emotional shifts. Learning to recognize when you’re starting to absorb others’ negative moods makes it easier to address the situation before it escalates.
- Actively cultivate positive energy. Keeping a cheerful voice and genuine smile can protect against negative moods, as others may start to mirror your positive body language.
- Manage expectations about group dynamics. Recognizing that gatherings may include emotional ups and downs helps reduce the likelihood of being disappointed if or when things don’t go perfectly.
Want to fast-track your learning? With Shortform, you’ll gain insights you won't find anywhere else .
Here's what you’ll get when you sign up for Shortform :
- Complicated ideas explained in simple and concise ways
- Smart analysis that connects what you’re reading to other key concepts
- Writing with zero fluff because we know how important your time is
