Journals / Yaşar Üniversitesi E-Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 21 Sayı: 81

Emotional Contagion at Work: Exploring Its Impact on Job Stress and Satisfaction

İş Yerinde Duygusal Bulaşma: İş Stresi ve Tatmini Üzerindeki Etkilerinin İncelenmesi

Tuğba Çelik(SAKARYA UYGULAMALI BİLİMLER ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-9877-1887
Pages
63–81
Publication Date
2026-01-31
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings revealed that positive emotional contagion reduces job stress and increases job satisfaction, while negative emotional contagion increases job stress but has no significant effect on job satisfaction.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Emotions have been extensively studied in various contexts within the workplace in recent years.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The data were collected from 302 participants working in organizations operating in Turkey.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings revealed that positive emotional contagion reduces job stress and increases job satisfaction, while negative emotional contagion increases job stress but has no significant effect on job satisfaction.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Duygular · Duyguların Bulaşıcılığı · İş stresi

Abstract

Emotions have been extensively studied in various contexts within the workplace in recent years. However, emotional contagion, which refers to the spread of emotions, has been relatively underexplored in organizational settings. This study aims to investigate the effects of emotional contagion, encompassing both its positive and negative dimensions, on employees' job stress and job satisfaction. The data were collected from 302 participants working in organizations operating in Turkey. Descriptive statistics, internal consistency tests (Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability), independent samples t-tests, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that positive emotional contagion reduces job stress and increases job satisfaction, while negative emotional contagion increases job stress but has no significant effect on job satisfaction. Additionally, it was found that women experience higher levels of negative emotional contagion compared to men. Due to the contagious nature of emotions, identifying factors that trigger negative emotions and building a positive organizational climate are critical in the workplace.

Özet

Duygular, çalışma yaşamında son dönemlerde farklı konular bağlamında yoğun bir şekilde incelenmektedir. Duyguların yayılmasını ifade eden duygusal bulaşma ise çalışma yaşamında sınırlı bir şekilde araştırılmıştır. Bu çalışma, duygusal bulaşmanın hem pozitif hem de negatif boyutlarını kapsayarak çalışanların iş stresi ve iş tatmini üzerindeki etkilerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmanın verileri, Türkiye’de faaliyet gösteren örgütlerde çalışan 302 katılımcıdan toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, iç tutarlılık testleri (Cronbach alfa ve bileşik güvenirlik), bağımsız örneklem t-testi, korelasyon analizi ve hiyerarşik regresyon analizi kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgulara göre, pozitif duygusal bulaşma iş stresini azaltırken iş tatminini artırmıştır; negatif duygusal bulaşma ise iş stresini artırmış, ancak iş tatminini etkilememiştir. Kadınlarda negatif duygusal bulaşmanın erkeklere kıyasla daha yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Duyguların bulaşıcı olması nedeniyle, çalışma yaşamında negatif duyguları tetikleyen etmenlerin belirlenmesi ve pozitif bir örgüt iklimi inşa edilmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Çelik, T. (2026). Emotional Contagion at Work: Exploring Its Impact on Job Stress and Satisfaction. Yaşar Üniversitesi E-Dergisi, Cilt: 21 Sayı: 81, 63–81. https://doi.org/10.19168/jyasar.1752941

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (67)

  1. Abdelghani, A. A., Ahmed, H. A., Zamil, A. M., Elsawy, O., Fayyad, S., & Elshaer, I. A. (2025). Gossip gone toxic: The dual role of self-esteem and emotional contagion in counterproductive workplace behavior. Administrative Sciences, 15(9), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15090359
  2. Aboutaleb, M., Mohammad, A., & Fayyad, S. (2025). Emotional contagion in hotels: How psychological resilience shapes employees’ performance, satisfaction, and retention. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2025.2482770
  3. Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (1994). Social psychology: The heart and the mind. HarperCollins College Publishers.
  4. Ashkanasy, N. M., & Dasborough, M. T. (2003). Emotional awareness and emotional intelligence in leadership teaching. Journal of Education for Business, 79(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320309599082
  5. Ashkanasy, N. M., & Dorris, A. D. (2017). Emotions in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 67–90. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113231
  6. Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2000). Burnout contagion processes among teachers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30(11), 2289–2308. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02437.x
  7. Banerjee, P., & Srivastava, M. (2019). A review of emotional contagion: Research propositions. Journal of Management Research, 19(4), 250–266.
  8. Barger, P. B., & Grandey, A. A. (2006). Service with a smile and encounter satisfaction: Emotional contagion and appraisal mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 49(6), 1229–1238. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2006.23478695
  9. Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A. (1999). The structure of current affect: Controversies and emerging consensus. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8(1), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00003
  10. Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 644–675. https://doi.org/10.2307/3094912
  11. Barsade, S. G., Coutifaris, C. G., & Pillemer, J. (2018). Emotional contagion in organizational life. Research in Organizational Behavior, 38, 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.005
  12. Bibi, A., Khalid, M. A., Hussain, A., & Saleem, H. (2017). Emotional contagion and job satisfaction among teachers of children with learning disabilities in Pakistan. European Journal of Special Education Research, 3(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1069622Volume
  13. Chartrand, T. L., & Bargh, J. A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception–behavior link and social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(6), 893–910. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.6.893
  14. Christakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. (2009). Connected: The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. Little, Brown and Company.
  15. Coleman, B., & Dulewicz, V. (2025). The Dark Side of organisations, toxic cultures and how dark triad personalities contribute. In The Dark Triad: Psychopaths, Narcissists and Machiavellians in the Workplace (pp. 123-147). Emerald Publishing Limited.
  16. Cooper, C. L., Dewe, P. J., & O’Driscoll, M. P. (2001). Organizational Stress: A Review and Critique of Theory, Research, and Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  17. Demir, E. (2021). Duygular ve duygu durumlarının örgütsel davranış alanında kullanımı. Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(11), 180–195.
  18. Doherty, R. W. (1997). The emotional contagion scale: A measure of individual differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024956003661
  19. Dreer, B. (2024). Teachers’ well-being and job satisfaction: The important role of positive emotions in the workplace. Educational Studies, 50(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.1940872
  20. Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition & Emotion, 6(3–4), 169–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699939208411068
  21. Elshaer, I. A., Azazz, A. M. S., Alyahya, M., Mohammad, A. A. A., Fayyad, S., & Elsawy, O. (2025). Emotional contagion in the hospitality industry: Unraveling its impacts and mitigation strategies through a moderated mediated PLS-SEM approach. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010046
  22. Feng, Y., & Cui, J. (2024). Emotional exhaustion and emotional contagion: Navigating turnover intention of healthcare personnel. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 1731–1742. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S460088
  23. Fisher, C. D. (2019). Emotions in organizations. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University Press.
  24. Folkman, S. (2008). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701740457
  25. Fox, S. (2023). Tell me, do you feel it too? A meta-analysis of dyadic emotional contagion in the workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Portland State University).
  26. Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–26. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.56.3.218
  27. Frijda, N. H. (1993). Moods, emotion episodes, and emotions. In M. Lewis & I. M. Haviland (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 381–403). Guilford Press.
  28. Galanakis, M., Galanopoulou, F., & Stalikas, A. (2011). Do positive emotions help us cope with occupational stress? Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 7(2), 221–240. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v7i2.131
  29. Gault, B. A., & Sabini, J. (2000). The roles of empathy, anger, and gender in predicting attitudes toward punitive, reparative, and preventative public policies. Cognition and Emotion, 14(4), 495–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/026999300402772
  30. Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
  31. Grossman, M., & Wood, W. (1993). Sex differences in intensity of emotional experience: A social role interpretation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(5), 1010–1022. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.5.1010
  32. Hatfield, E., Bensman, L., Thornton, P. D., & Rapson, R. L. (2014). New perspectives on emotional contagion: A review of classic and recent research on facial mimicry and contagion. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 8(2), 159–179. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v8i2.162
  33. Hernandez Grande, A., Gavin, M., Farr-Wharton, B., Sharafizad, F., & Darcy, S. (2025). Catching on: Work stress, employee wellbeing, and the moderating role of team-level emotional contagion. Journal of Management & Organization, 31(3), 346–359. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.44
  34. Hofmann, V., Stokburger‐Sauer, N. E., & Wetzels, M. (2024). The role of a smile in customer–employee interactions: Primitive emotional contagion and its boundary conditions. Psychology & Marketing, 41(10), 2181–2196. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22047
  35. Junça-Silva, A., & Ferreira, N. (2025). Workplace micro-aggressions and affective consequences: The moderating role of emotional contagion. Current Psychology, 44, 17665–17680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07740-z
  36. Junça‐Silva, A., Pombeira, C., & Caetano, A. (2021). Testing the affective events theory: The mediating role of affect and the moderating role of mindfulness. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(4), 1075–1081. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3843
  37. Kim, S., Cho, S., & Chung, W. (2023). Benefits of leaders’ pleasurable recovery activities on follower performance via emotional contagion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(8), 1336–1351. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001076
  38. Koroglu, S., & Öksüz, E. (2024). How emotional contagion shapes spiritual care competence: Insights from a cross-sectional study on intensive care nurses. Nursing in Critical Care, 29(6), 1394–1404. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.13160
  39. Koubova, V., & Buchko, A. A. (2013). Life‐work balance: Emotional intelligence as a crucial component of achieving both personal life and work performance. Management Research Review, 36(7), 700–719. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2012-0115
  40. Lapointe, É., Morin, A., Courcy, F., Boilard, A., & Payette, D. (2012). Workplace affective commitment, emotional labor and burnout: A multiple mediator model. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n1p3
  41. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer.
  42. LeBreton, J. M., Shiverdecker, L. K., & Grimaldi, E. M. (2018). The dark triad and workplace behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 387–414. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104451
  43. Murden, F., Bailey, D., Mackenzie, F., Oeppen, R. S., & Brennan, P. A. (2018). The impact and effect of emotional resilience on performance: An overview for surgeons and other healthcare professionals. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 56(9), 786–790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2018.08.012
  44. Omdahl, B. L., & O'Donnell, C. (1999). Emotional contagion, empathic concern and communicative responsiveness as variables affecting nurses' stress and occupational commitment. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29(6), 1351–1359. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1999.01021.x
  45. Özsoy, E. (2015). Türkiye'de iş tatmini araştırmalarının genel görünümü. In K. Özen & R. Kutanis (Eds.), Türkiye'de örgütsel davranış çalışmaları 1 (pp. 103–123). Gazi Kitapevi.
  46. Özsoy, E., Griffiths, M. D., & Ak Şahinoğlu, Z. (2024). The Big Five and dark triad personality traits as predictors of emotional labour. Australian Journal of Psychology, 76(1), 2389842. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2024.2389842
  47. Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00505-6
  48. Pellegrini, E. K., & Scandura, T. A. (2008). Paternalistic leadership: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 34(3), 566–593. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308316063
  49. Petitta, L., & Jiang, L. (2020). How emotional contagion relates to burnout: A moderated mediation model of job insecurity and group member prototypicality. International Journal of Stress Management, 27(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000134
  50. Petitta, L., & Naughton, S. (2015). Mapping the association of emotional contagion to leaders, colleagues, and clients: Implications for leadership. Organization Management Journal, 12(3), 178–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/15416518.2015.1073577
  51. Petitta, L., Jiang, L., & Härtel, C. E. (2017). Emotional contagion and burnout among nurses and doctors: Do joy and anger from different sources of stakeholders matter? Stress and Health, 33(4), 358–369. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2724
  52. Petitta, L., Probst, T. M., Ghezzi, V., & Barbaranelli, C. (2019). Cognitive failures in response to emotional contagion: Their effects on workplace accidents. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 125, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2019.01.018
  53. Petitta, L., Probst, T. M., Ghezzi, V., & Barbaranelli, C. (2020). Economic stress, emotional contagion and safety outcomes: A cross-country study. Work, 66(2), 421–435. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203184
  54. Sahu, A., & Srivastava, K. B. L. (2017). Antecedents and consequences of positive emotions in the workplace. International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 8(2), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJWOE.2017.085534
  55. Schoenewolf, G. (1990). Emotional contagion: Behavioral induction in individuals and groups. Modern Psychoanalysis, 15(1), 49–61.
  56. Spector, P. E. (1997). Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes and Consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  57. Tee, E. Y. (2015). The emotional link: Leadership and the role of implicit and explicit emotional contagion processes across multiple organizational levels. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(4), 654–670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.05.009
  58. Tiwari, M., & Jha, R. (2022). Narcissism, toxic work culture and abusive supervision: A double-edged sword escalating organizational deviance. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(1), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2020-2187
  59. Totterdell, P., Kellett, S., Teuchmann, K., & Briner, R. B. (1998). Evidence of mood linkage in work groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1504–1515. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1504
  60. Toussaint, L., & Webb, J. R. (2005). Gender differences in the relationship between empathy and forgiveness. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(6), 673–685. https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.145.6.673-686
  61. Turan, A., Altıntaş, M., & Turan, F. (2025). The impact of emotional contagion susceptibility on burnout levels and job satisfaction among nurses caring for patients in the terminal phase. Asian Nursing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2025.08.006
  62. Uslu, O. (2017). Babacan liderlik algısı ve yöneticiye güven ilişkisinde kültürel değerlerin etkisi [Doctoral dissertation, Sakarya Üniversitesi]. YÖK Ulusal Tez Merkezi.
  63. Van Kleef, G. A., Heerdink, M. W., & Homan, A. C. (2017). Emotional influence in groups: The dynamic nexus of affect, cognition, and behavior. Current Opinion in Psychology, 17, 156–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.017
  64. Weisberg, Y. J., DeYoung, C. G., & Hirsh, J. B. (2011). Gender differences in personality across the ten aspects of the Big Five. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, Article 178. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00178
  65. Weiss, H. M., & Beal, D. J. (2005). Reflections on affective events theory. In The effect of affect in organizational settings (Vol. 1, pp. 1–21). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  66. Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory. Research in Organizational Behavior, 18(1), 1–74.
  67. Yun, M., & Beehr, T. (2024). Work engagement contagion from leader to follower through cognitive and affective mechanisms. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(1), 153–166. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-04-2023-0200