We live in a time where the world is facing an invisible enemy. The pandemic surges, and social relations are fraught with turmoil. Emotions are on edge, and people fear for their lives. We face turmoil, but turmoil does not come without emotions. Little has been written about the power of emotions and emotional contagion in this time of global turmoil—until now.

Dr. Bruce Hutchison describes emotional contagion as one of the most powerful forces at play in society and in politics in the last few decades, building to the 2020-2021 crescendo. We need to learn about how to handle it to help us adapt to today’s stress. Dr. Hutchison’s book helps us learn how to do that.

Emotions are contagious, infectious, and often spread from one person to another, so you can get infected by emotions when you are around people. This affects people during troubled times. Emotions don’t think, and yet so many people base their decisions on emotions, including their votes.

Dangerous, infectious emotions spread like a virus and infect others. Pessimism, cynicism, depression, fear, hate, panic, anxiety, disgust, and suspicion are all contagious. So are violence and conspiracies. These emotions spread and put people into turmoil. People use these emotions to think, but emotions can only feel.

Everyone who has worked on this book, or has listened to this book, has been helped significantly. There is much to be gained from Dr. Bruce Hutchison's careful gathering of wisdom and of sharing. He writes with clarity and focus. This book has been prepared for audio, in the same spirit and intent, to help people lead healthier lives.