This blog post talks about the negative externalities of certain people when in a network. This blog proposes that negative people may be detrimental to the brains of other people. But in making this point, the author observes that of oftentimes, decisions are not made on a conscious level. Neuroscience has discovered that there humans have such things as “mirror neurons,” which account for the ability to empathize with others, and to learn from imitating others. And upon reflection, it’s easy to see that we do in fact imitate others unintentionally in our daily lives, letting our moods and actions be affected by those we are closely connected with.  

So perhaps when cascading occurs, it is not necessarily due to information, or even direct payoff effects. People simply like to act like the people they are around, or the people they see in positions in power. We like to imitate the people within our networks, whether the links are through friendships or through sought after relationships. For most people, being in the crowd is a good thing, and something we move toward possibly to advance our own social networks.

So how does emotional contagion play into larger network effects? The blog mentions that emotional contagion is a major driver in mob and group behavior. In class, we recently talked about how we are informed by our acquaintances, but moved to act by our friends. We are most closely surrounded by our friends, and most susceptible to the effects of their emotions and actions. So in watching the people we are connected to, we naturally want to feel and to do the same things. In not feeling the same things, people may feel like they are outside of the network. Sometimes, this may not be a bad thing, but as this is an unstable position, people tend to be absorbed into the group. The author points out that when we find ourselves in a room full of angry people, we feel the smile slide off our faces. When we listen to people complaining about work or gossiping, we feel compelled to join in.

The author observes that the negative emotions seem to be stronger impetus for cascading behavior and action, but shows that a happy person can be a great influence to move people. She mentions that happiness is associated with the left, or logical side of the brain, while negative feelings such as anger are associated with the right, or emotional side of the brain. So when we are thinking rationally, in gathering information from the actions of others, cascades happen. And when we are not thinking rationally, but emulate the emotions of those we interact with, cascades happen.