How to Avoid Catching Bad Moods From Others

Generally, people don't mind getting swept up in another person's excitement or good cheer -- they're happy to go along for the ride. The challenge arises when you start frequently soaking up other people's unpleasant moods, at which point a desire for self-preservation may kick in.

"The goal is not to catch inappropriate emotions," says John T. Cacioppo, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, "or to lose ourselves in other people." Here's how to guard against that:

Trace the emotion to its source. "If you understand that you're not an island but an actor in a social stage, you can ask yourself, 'Am I feeling crummy because of me or because I've been around people who are feeling crummy?' " Cacioppo says. Recognizing whom the emotion rightfully belongs to can help short-circuit its transmission.

Control your body language. If you're with someone who's angry or sad and you don't want to end up feeling that way, "try to identify less with that individual," Cacioppo says. It can also help to try to counter that person's facial expressions and physical posture -- by keeping a more neutral expression on your face and a relaxed posture to offset your companion's frowning face and clenched fists.

Recognize your limits. When you sense that you're absorbing more negativity than you can handle, "you need to give yourself permission to say, 'Enough is enough,' " says Elaine Hatfield, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii. The idea isn't to emotionally abandon your companion but to take a break -- even just to visit the restroom -- so that you can regroup emotionally.

-- Stacey Colino