It’s a mystery that has baffled many parents for years, but now we may finally know why teenagers tend to be so grumpy.
Research has revealed that teenagers can actually catch moods from their friends.
And while both positive and negative moods are ‘contagious’, bad moods are more potent, according to the team.
The researchers hope the findings could be used to provide emotional support for young people, leading to improved mental health.
Research have revealed that teenagers can actually catch moods from their friends, with negative emotions more contagious than positive moods (stock image)
In the study, researchers from Oxford and Birmingham universities tried to tackle the mystery of why teens tend to be moody.
Dr Per Block of Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science said: ‘Our study shows conclusively that individuals are affected by how others around them are feeling.
‘Mood is contagious, and though both positive and negative moods are ‘caught’, bad moods are more potent.’
The results revealed that the teens’ moods became more similar to people they spent time with, with bad moods more infectious than good (stock image)
In the study, the team analysed 79 teens aged 15-19 on a short residential classical music tour.
Each participant recorded their daily moods and social interactions, allowing the researchers to assess how company may play a role in mood.
Dr Block said: ‘What makes our study special is that, by having people in a group with few external influences, experiencing the same environment and spending their time together, we could see who interacted with whom and how that made others feel.’
Good moods are contagious too, although negative emotions were found to be more infectious (stock image)
The results revealed that the teens’ moods became more similar to people they spent time with, with bad moods more infectious than good.
However, the study found no evidence that teens feeling low withdrew.
‘We saw, first, the interaction, and then how mood became more similar,’ Dr Block explained.
‘As mood changes frequently and is influenced by various environmental factors that differ between individuals, many studies find collecting comprehensive data difficult. But because our participants were living together, we overcame that challenge too.’
The researchers hope their findings could be used to provide better emotional support to teens.
Dr Block added: ‘We hope it is a step towards understanding why people fall into prolonged low states, the social factors that determine emotional wellbeing in adolescents, and, in the long run, how it may be possible to provide emotional support leading to improved mental health.’
