How to avoid catching prickly emotions from other people
1,833,540 views | Jessica Garza • TED@PMI
Difficult emotions can get under your skin if you're not careful. Sport and performance consultant Jessica Garza calls this the "jumping cholla effect," inspired by a sneaky kind of cactus that detaches and burrows its spines into unsuspecting passersby. In this empowering talk, she shares four mood-regulating strategies to help you gain self-awareness of your feelings, avoid catching other people's emotions and perform at your peak -- whatever the prickly situation may be.
Difficult emotions can get under your skin if you're not careful. Sport and performance consultant Jessica Garza calls this the "jumping cholla effect," inspired by a sneaky kind of cactus that detaches and burrows its spines into unsuspecting passersby. In this empowering talk, she shares four mood-regulating strategies to help you gain self-awareness of your feelings, avoid catching other people's emotions and perform at your peak -- whatever the prickly situation may be.
This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with Project Management Institute. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Read more about the TED Institute.About the speaker
Dr. Jessica Garza is an accomplished global business, sport and transformational coach, speaker and author.
Caroline A. Bartel and Richard Saavedra | Administrative Science Quarterly, 2000 | Article
The Collective Construction of Work Group Moods"
This article reviews the science behind how one person’s mood can alter the mood of the whole group. The influence of mood convergence stems from the group’s stability, mood-regulated norms, experience in task and social interdependence.
J. A. C. J. Bastiaansen, M. Thioux and C. Keysers | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 2009 | Article
"Evidence for mirror systems in emotions"
This article describes how it is possible for us to understand and feel other people's emotions. Emotional contagion plays a key role in how the emotional state of one person comes to resemble that of the observed individual.
Daniel Goleman | Harvard Business Review Press, 2013 | Book
Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Have you ever passed by someone and without saying a word you could feel how annoyed or excited they are? And then maybe you felt annoyed or excited, too? This article discusses the part of the brain that processes emotion and memory and how our open loop system is influenced by any external factor.
Laurie Kelly McCorry | American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2007 | Article
"Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System"
This article is great because it discusses how our brains are hardwired to pick up subtle cues, like other people’s emotions, within our environment to protect us. It also addresses the physiologic effect when we perceive an event or situation a certain way!
Allison S. Troy et al. | Emotion, 2018 | Article
"Cognitive reappraisal and acceptance: Effects on emotion, physiology, and perceived cognitive costs"
This article provides emotion regulation strategies to help you learn how to reframe your interpretation of situations in order to stay in control of your emotions.
Coyote Peterson | Brave Wilderness, 2015 | Watch
"Ouch! Jumping Cactus Attack!"
This video shows the jumping cholla in action. This plant reminded me of how quickly we attach ourselves to the emotions of other people and how easily their emotions can burrow deep into our skin.
About TED Institute
Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.
This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with Project Management Institute. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Read more about the TED Institute.