Recent research at the University of Hawaii show that stress can be as contagious as the common cold. We pick up the negative attitudes-and even the negative body language of stressed-out friends, family members, and colleagues. “Pay careful attention to the emotions you experience in another’s company,”says psychology professor Elaine Hatfield, the study’s lead author. “If they’re negative, don’t take on too much. And if they’re positive, seek out that person’s company.”