The word “contagious” has been wielded by writers in a variety of both literal and metaphorical contexts, evolving in its application from the physical transmission of disease to the spread of emotions, behaviors, and even magical ideas. In some texts it clearly denotes a literal illness—such as a “contagious fever” ([1]) or a disease that leaves individuals “nearly blind” ([2])—while in others it aptly characterizes the rapid ripple effects of human sentiment, where joy, enthusiasm, or fear sweep through groups, infecting hearts and minds ([3], [4], [5]). Moreover, literary works have extended the notion to the realm of magic and ritual; authors discuss “contagious magic” as a kind of sympathetic link born of physical contact or proximity ([6], [7], [8]), thereby underscoring the enduring cultural fascination with how influences, whether corporeal or abstract, spread among people and communities ([9], [10]).