Emotions Don’t Think – Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil
We live in a time when 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 2020-21 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 and 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. EMOTIONS DON’T THINK.
About Author: Bruce Hutchison
Tina Crossfield –
Interview in The Miramichi Reader
https://miramichireader.ca/2021/09/the-bruce-hutchison-interview/
Tina Crossfield –
“Bruce Hutchison draws on fifty years as a clinical psychologist to help us understand the relationship between our emotions and our decision making. He provides us a psychosocial education – an understanding of how emotions can stir and vibrate in our bodies in response to others, and how we are susceptible to absorbing and incorporating others’ emotions into our world and our life. He helps us see that better understanding emotional reactions can decrease turmoil in ourselves and in our society. This book is a guide to help us think more clearly and with more wisdom before we vote. Perhaps if more people listen to the words of Bruce Hutchison, we can elect better governments.“
Jon Gerrard
MLA-River Heights
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Tina Crossfield –
“Emotions are recognized to be a powerful force in politics, affecting perceptions, reasoning and behaviour. In recent decades, populist political leaders have been successful at expressing and amplifying the emotions, particularly the negative emotions of their followers. In this valuable book Bruce Hutchison uses his background of study and practice in the field of clinical psychology to investigate the origins, nature and behaviours that give expression to underlying feelings of anger, fear, disappointment, loss and hostility that are on vivid display daily in these turbulent times. Written in an accessible style, the book will provide informative and provocative reading for concerned citizens.”
Dr. Paul G. Thomas, Professor Emeritus of Political Studies, University of Manitoba. Dr. Thomas has received the Order of Manitoba and the Vanier Medal for Excellence in Public Administration.
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Tina Crossfield –
“Few topics are more critical nor timely than those so well covered in Bruce Hutchison’s book Emotions Don’t Think. Discovering what he reveals in this book allows us to appreciate contagious negative emotions like hate, fear and their related disinformation, and also contagious positive emotions like love and gratitude. Drawing on his experience as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Hutchison shows us why understanding emotional contagion is a valuable addition to any best life toolkit. Awareness is freedom!”
Donald R. Officer
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Tina Crossfield –
Our world is in chaos, with the pandemic, lockdowns, conflicts and wars all over the world – it all starts with emotions. I was referred by a friend to read this book and I have to say the author does an amazing job showing the causality of emotional contagion in this world on a macroscopic and breaking it down to a microscopic, personal level – one that we all can relate to. Don’t let emotions contaminate your actions and choices. Emotions don’t think!
Jaren Jackson
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Tina Crossfield –
“Bruce Hutchison draws on fifty years as a clinical psychologist to help us understand the relationship between our emotions and our decision making. He provides us a psychosocial education – an understanding of how emotions can stir and vibrate in our bodies in response to others, and how we are susceptible to absorbing and incorporating others’ emotions into our world and our life. He helps us see that better understanding emotional reactions can decrease turmoil in ourselves and in our society. This book is a guide to help us think more clearly and with more wisdom before we vote. Perhaps if more people listen to the words of Bruce Hutchison, we can elect better governments.“
Jon Gerrard
MLA-River Heights
Dr. Gerrard is very well-known, being a long-time politician, formerly an MP, and being a long-time MLA in Manitoba, including many years as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party. He is also a physician and pediatrician and former professor of medicine. His Wikipedia page is informative. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Gerrard.
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