Keep Calm and Be Mindful of your Emotions: The Consequences of Trauma, Emotional Contagion & Polarized Thinking with Dr. Bruce Hutchison

In this episode, I have the pleasure to talk with Dr. Bruce Hutchison for a second time on a topic that is very timely and relevant and resonates with many people, namely emotional contagion and its ramifications and consequences. Dr. Hutchison is a clinical psychologist with various decades of experience, and he is the author of the magnificent book “Emotions Don’t Think: Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil”.

Although we briefly touch upon emotional voting and the fallacy of voting for someone we perceive as pleasant at the expense of policy as well as the dangers of voting against as opposed to for someone, we delve deeper into the pitfalls of black-and-white thinking and of jumping and rushing to conclusions.

It is, however, best to avoid fast thinking, to slow down our instinctive responses and emotional reactions, and often overreactions but to evaluate the situation in a calm, reasonable, and mindful manner.

Furthermore, we want to not overlook the human element in all of this and realize that behind uniforms, job titles, and positions as well as situational contexts and factors, there is a human being at work and at play. Whether we are dealing with police officers, inmates, or politicians, we want to look at the bigger and more colorful picture and not be led astray, misguided, or held hostage by our emotions only.