Emotions are contagious and can be caught and absorbed by others. This is emotional contagion. It applies not only to openly expressed emotion, but also to implicit emotions, when emotions are experienced within us and not expressed to others openly. They can still be spread to others, subtly or indirectly in voice tone, gestures, and posture when people speak about something which is important and meaningful to them.
In my book Emotions Don’t Think, I talk about how facial mimicry is an important mechanism for emotional contagion to occur. The effects of emotional contagion come via automatic mimicry of subtle synchronization of movements of an adjoining person’s body, occurring at a microscopic level in the muscle fibres of the face and body. Different movements of parts of the eyebrows or the lips correspond to various emotions. They are activated in milliseconds as you interact with another person. Emotions expressed on video will also arouse emotion in the viewer, because of emotional contagion. Although it is weaker than when contagious emotions are passed on to adjoining people close by in physical proximity, contagious emotions can still be transferred via video or television.
There is no doubt that matters of public interest and political matters are important and meaningful for many people. This is true especially when matters of sexual indiscretion, such as sexual harassment are suspected of officials in the public limelight. We also know that many people are cynical about matters pertaining to politicians, who people are often suspicious and cynical of pertaining to their motivations to stay in power. As the case of the present Governor of the State of New York, who is accused of sexual harassment of a number of women, becomes well-known, many people become suspicious of him and his actions. In times when “hot topics”, such as this one, circulate in society, people can easily pick up contagious emotions of suspicion, strengthening or drawing from previous emotion-laden beliefs of cynicism about politicians. We have to be careful that this contagion doesn’t seep into the minds of people who are pre-judging his actions and are calling for him to resign.
My comments are not meant as support for the governor or for others who are suspected of sexual indiscretions on the job or in life. I am not taking his side. Any women or men who are victims of such actions have likely been damaged emotionally for life. Their trust will have been reduced, naturally, as it would be for anyone who were victims of sexual indiscretions. It is very sad. It is natural for this description to arouse emotions of anger toward the perpetrator in cases like this.
But we also have to remember that some people, including some women, will frame those in power and falsely accuse them of indiscretions which did not happen. Again, I am not saying that this happened in this case, since The New York attorney general’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations found that the governor sexually harassed multiple women. It is unlikely that such framing happened in this case. But the governor should not automatically be the victim of rampant emotional contagion which would find him guilty based only on these news reports and the case against him, without there being an objective investigation in a proper court proceeding.
His resignation at this time would be premature. In a democracy such as the U.S., he is due his day in court to contest these charges. A person is presumed innocent until they are found guilty. The public does not have the power to find someone guilty, and part of the reason that provision exists is because of the emotional and social contagion that can unfairly color a case prematurely. Criminal charges need to be pressed so it can go to court. It would be prudent for the governor then to step aside temporarily from his duties of governing, so that the State of New York can be run by an acting governor while his case would be before the courts. The State needs to be governed properly and it is probable that this would not happen if the governor were to go to court under such suspicion, and remained governor, just because of human nature. Then, if he is found guilty, it would be pertinent for him to resign (or to be removed from office), or, if he is found not guilty, he would then be able to return to his position of governor.