A Quote by Daniel Goleman on emotional entrainment, influence, charisma, and power

Setting the emotional tone of an interaction is, in a sense, a sign of dominance at a deep and intimate level:  it means driving the emotional state of the other person.  This power to determine emotion is akin to what is called in biology a zeitgeher (literally, “time grabber”), process (such as the day-night cycle of the monthly phases of the moon) that entrains biological rhythms.  For a couple dancing, the music is a bodily zeitgeber.  When it comes to personal encounters, the person who has the more forceful expressivity – or the most power – is typically the one whose emotions entrain the other.   Dominant partners talk more, while the subordinate partner watches the others face more – a setup for the transmissions effect.  By the same token, the forcefulness of a good speaker – a politician or an evangelist, say – works to entrain the emotions of the audience.  That is what we mean by, “He had them in the palm of his hand.”  Emotional entrainment is the heart of influence.