The “Big Two” and socially induced emotions: Agency and communion jointly influence emotional contagion and emotional mimicry

Abstract Three studies investigated the effects of two fundamental dimensions social perception on emotional contagion (i.e., transfer emotions between people). Rooting our hypotheses in Dual Perspective Model Agency and Communion (Abele Wojciszke Adv Exp Soc Psychol 50:198–255, 10.1016/B978-0-12-800284-1.00004-7 , 2014), we predicted that agency would strengthen communion mimicry (a process often considered a key mechanism behind contagion). To test this hypothesis, exposed participants to happy, sad, angry senders characterized by low vs. high agency. Our results demonstrated that, as expected, socially induced were interactive. The strength direction these effects, however, consistent with predictions only when expressed happiness. When sadness, found no or participants’ responses, whereas for anger mixed pattern emerged. Overall, align notion are modulated not senders’ traits but also meaning emotion.