Anxiety is a part of us and our surroundings and whether or not we acknowledge it, most of us have experienced it without even realizing. You walk into a room where someone is visibly tense, and within minutes your own heartbeat is racing.

Or a colleague’s constant panic before a deadline leaves you feeling unsettled too. It almost feels like stress and anxiety can jump from one person to another. But is that really possible?

Scientists and psychologists are beginning to agree that anxiety is not only personal. It can ripple through relationships, workplaces, and even online spaces, much like secondhand smoke affects those who never lit a cigarette themselves.

The Science Behind “Emotional Contagion”

Human brains are wired for connection. Mirror neurons, first discovered in the 1990s,

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