A
mood is a relatively long lasting, affective or emotional state. Moods differ from simple
emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event.
[1] Moods generally have either a positive or negative
valence. In other words, people typically speak of being in a
good mood or a
bad mood. Unlike acute, emotional feelings like
fear and
surprise, moods often last for hours or days. Mood also differs from
temperament or
personality traits which are even longer lasting. Nevertheless, personality traits such as
optimism and
neuroticism predispose certain types of moods. Long term disturbances of mood such as
depression and
bipolar disorder are considered
mood disorders. Mood is an internal, subjective state, but it often can be inferred from posture and other behaviors.
Etymologically, mood derives from the Old English mod which denoted military courage, but could also refer to a person's humour, temper, or disposition at a particular time. The cognate Gothic mods translates to both ??µ?? "mood, spiritedness" and ???? "anger".
According to psychologist Robert Thayer, mood is a product of two dimensions energy and tension.[2] A person can be energetic or tired while also being tense or calm. According to Thayer, people feel best when they are in a calm-energy mood. They feel worse when in a tense-tired state. People often use food to regulate mood. Thayer identifies a fundamental food-mood connection[3] , and advises against the reliance on food as a mood regulator. The low energy arousal coupled with tension, as experienced in a bad mood, can be counteracted by walking. Thayer suggests walking as a means to enhanced happiness.
A recent meta-analysis found that, contrary to the stereotype of the suffering artist, creativity is enhanced most by positive moods that are activating and associated with approach motivation (e.g. happiness), rather than those that are deactivating and associated with avoidance motivation (e.g. relaxation). Negative, deactivating moods with an approach motivation (e.g. sadness) were not associated with creativity, but negative, activating moods with avoidance motivation (e.g. fear, anxiety) were associated with lower levels of creativity.[4]
