Anxious Leaders Influence Their Followers’ Anxiety, Even Online

Emily Manis had this information in PsyPost. Here is an excerpt:

With social media being such a prominent form of communication, it is often a way that employers and employees reach each other. A study published in PLOS One reveals that organizational leader’s tweets can influence the anxiety of their employees and that this effect is more prominent since the rise of COVID-19.

Humans are a social species, and we can be heavily influenced by each other’s moods and behaviors. Previous research has shown that leaders can sway their subordinate’s emotions both unconsciously and deliberately. Despite this knowledge, this relationship has never been tested in regard to computer-mediated communication. This study seeks to address this deficit by utilizing twitter.

“When we interact and communicate with others, we not only transfer information but also feelings and emotions,” said study author Jon Gruda, an assistant professor at Maynooth University School of Business. “We know that this emotional contagion is likely to occur from leaders to followers because leaders hold a lot of power, authority, and access to scarce resources.”

Read the full story here.