Mood contagion - Mass psychology and collective behaviour sociology in the Internet age. English (The Hague: Eleven/ Boom Lemma, 149 p. with illustrations and notes, glossary, lit., register, ISBN 978 94 62 360853 - not 12 008 2); and Dutch (below). The book looks at the latest findings on the many ways in which our moods contaminate others, in concentric circles.

It thus begins with the ‘mirror neurons’ and other recent discoveries about the brains of individuals. It then moves to the effects of ‘team spirit’ on small groups, and to emotional contagion in large performance audiences. Next, it looks at mobilization through early social movements, and at the role of morale within formal organizations. It then proceeds to social networks and mass media, to markets and public opinion. Where people may never meet in person, but still ‘contaminate’ each other with thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It ends with a discussion of the new technique of ‘sentiment analysis’, where all kinds of personal expressions are harvested from the world wide web, run through automated computer programs, resulting in an instant appraisal of rapidly shifting moods.

Dutch version: Het enthousiasme virus – Hoe gevoelens zich explosief verspreiden nu iedereen online is (Amsterdam: Business Contact 2012, 208 p. with illustr.,  notes, lit., register. ISBN 978-90-470-0485-1). Dutch edition: Sold out/ Out of print > Pdf's