Do you think anxiety is contagious?

To those who are susceptible...anxiety is very contagious. When the noise level rises in a room, it can become very uncomfortable for everyone. It can even cause violence.

I definitely think stress is contangious! I try to stay away from people who are stressed out who can't handle this stress in a productive manner because I can't explain it but I really do feel like it's contangious and it just puts everyone a bad mood!

I agree with you on this one. Many behaviors are contagious. I used to work with little kids and saw it there as well. When your anxious person is even expected people will be building up tense feelings about the situation because they never know exactly what is in store. People who use loud voices cause others to be louder as well. Without saying a word this person also probably uses gestures and body language that provokes tension. Like clenching her hands.

I too think anxiety is contagious, as I suffer from it all the time. Even if it's somebody else going through an episode, I would often find myself going through the same thing. But for that instructor you mentioned, could it be that she just has that effect on people?

I do believe emotions are contagious. Sometimes one's anxiety can rub off on other people, just as someone's calmness can rub off. I think it depends on the situation and how impressionable or easily influenced the people are. For example, my sister is very boisterous, while my mother and myself aren't. Many times, the 2 of us will be at home maybe talking quietly. But as soon as my sister comes home, we get noticeably louder and more expressive when we talk. My mother often comments that when my sister walks into the house, things are much louder. At the same time, my sister's boyfriend is very quiet. More than me. She tells me when she's around him, she finds herself feeling calmer and quieter. So I do think emotions as well as points of view can be contagious.

Yes very much so. If there is a person like that near you, you can just feel it, and without you noticing it, you somehow start feeling like that too. However there are some people who are extremely laid back, those ones never get anxious, its just how they are.

I think it is because people that are anxious can reason why. They can give proof and all about why they have a reason to be anxious. I can be calm but then my daughter who can be uptight sometimes can come int he room all anxious and that sets me off. I try to remain calm but it just doesn't work for very long.

I think this is quite normal. It's similar to when there is some sort of widespread problem and people rush the supermarkets. Or when there is a fiscal problem, people rush the banks and when there is a looming fuel strike people rush to get fuel and if there is a hint of an epidemic, people rush the health facilities. In each case this sort of anxious reaction actually makes the situation much worse than it is...it all starts with just one person. I imagine that for some of those in your group they go home carrying this anxiety and so it becomes a part of their home life. It's one of those insidious things that people don't realise.

My boss is like that. I really hate it it makes the environment way to unpleasant and tense. Normally all of us are calm and if something wrong happens we calmly find a way to figure it out. But if stuff doesnt go her way she gets worked up, snaps at us, panics, etc. It brings down the mood of the office so bad that we kind of just want to go home cause it makes us all cranky and rude with eachother because of this one person. I dont think that everyone gets anxious, i just think one anxious person can make everyone so cranky that it makes the environment to tense. Its really unfortunate that people are like this in the work place without being spoken to about it. Makes it hard on every one else because they cant perform entirely at their best because of it

I would feel anxiety if he/she targeting me to do a presentation among the nurses. It will be very intense and I will not do it good either. It is contagious to someone like me. I am not sure everyone is the same.

Yes,I believe anxiety is contagious;it's enough for one anxious and angry person to come and spoil a good and peaceful atmosphere at work or anywhere else,that state of anxiety will certainly propagate and influence other people as well,and since living in modern society has become more and more stressful,this contagious attitude can spread very lucky and make life really miserable for us in certain situations.

I believe some people are more susceptible to this than others. I would imagine that nursing instructors are very empathetic and caring people and quickly pick up on any changes between their colleagues mood or behavior. Although there are also people that are very dense when it comes to social cues and picking up on these subtleties. Given the different environments anxiety can spread rapidly or it can be easily overlooked.

I really believed that anxiety is contagious. During our board exam, many students were anxious especially if there's only a little time left. It made me sick, because I become anxious too seeing them in panic. Well, that's really a problem. What the best thing to do is to stay away to that person, or else you will become anxious too and your day will be ruined.

Yes, i do believe that anxiety is contagious. I can still remember the time when i was to take this major exam before i can be a professional. Our reviewer always tells us that if the day of the exam draws nearer, anxiety in the environment becomes high. And almost all of the people becomes stressed and can't concentrate on the discussions during reviews. He told us that if nothings entering in the brain, just relax and do things that could divert your attention. Our reviewer also told us that on the day of the exam, we must keep away from the those people known to be anxious on such kind of big stuffs/events because it can cause you the exam.

I agree with that statement. It does seem that when one anxious person gets in the mix, it turns into a different atmosphere. I know someone like that. Whenever she comes around, it seems like everyone stiffens or is on edge.

I think feelings like anxiety can be contagious. When I worked at a hospital I had a co-worker who had a lot of mood swings. Some days she was happy and friendly and some days she was extremely irritable and nervous. When she had one of her bad days, the atmosphere changed the minute she showed up, and her mood affected the way the that rest of us worked. On the other hand I have also experienced the opposite situation. It happened some years later when I had left the hospital. I was in a situation were I was very anxious and a counselor sat down next to me. He didn't do and say anything to calm me down, but he was very, very calm and from one moment to the next he made me calm as well. He sat down next to me and that was the only thing he did, but that was enough, his calmness was simply removed my anxiety right way.

Hello crazynurse, It is possible to pass on anxiety, just like laughter is contagious being anxious can alters someone mood, for example if someone in my family is depressed I usually start feeling depressed as well because I feel so sorry about their situation.

i think it isn't contagious. If a person is not really anxious of something then he/she wouldn't be affected of what other person is feeling about. as what i've heard and noticed only yawning is severely contagious...