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"Mood contagion is a real neurological phenomenon, but not all emotions spread with the same ease," concluded the Harvard Business Review article "Smile and the World Smiles with You."

"A 1999 study conducted by Sigal Barsade at the Yale School of Management showed that, among working groups, cheerfulness and warmth spread easily, while irritability caught on less so, and depression least of all.  It should come as no surprise that laughter is the most contagious of all emotions.  Hearing laughter, we find it almost impossible not to laugh or smile.  That's because some of our brain's open-loop circuits are designed to detect smiles and laughter, making us respond in kind.  Scientists theorize that this dynamic was hardwired into our brains ages ago because smiles and laughter had a way of cementing alliances, thus helping species survive.

"The main implication here for leaders undertaking the primal task of managing their moods and the moods of others is this: Humor hastens the spread of an upbeat climate.  But like the leader's mood in general, humor must resonate with the organization's culture and its reality.  Smiles and laughter we could posit, are contagious only when they're genuine."

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