Key Difference – Mood vs Emotion
Mood and emotion are two words that can often be very confusing although there is a key difference between these two words. First, let us define mood and emotion. A mood refers to an emotional state. On the contrary, emotion refers to a psychological state. Unlike a mood an emotion is usually a result of an external stimulus. One of thekey differencesbetween moods and emotions is thatmoods last for a longer period of time, unlike emotions that only last for a short period of time.
What is Mood?
According to psychologists, a mood can simply be understood as an emotional state. This emotional state can last for a short period of time or a longer period of time. Sometimes a person can be settled into a particular mood for several weeks. Moods have a direct impact on how we behave. For example, imagine if you were in a抑郁的牛叫声d, the way you react to things, interact with others, carry on your daily tasks would be completely different to that of a cheerful mood. This is why it is important to have a profound understanding of your mood as it can directly influence your perspective and behavior.
According to studies, there is a relationship between moods andpersonalities. A person who has a veryoptimisticpersonality tends to be in a happy mood most of the time. On the other hand, a person who is verypessimisticusually is in a depressed mood. Other than our personality there are many factors that affect our moods. Some of these factors are lack of sleep, medication, and lifestyle.
Inabnormal psychology, psychologists point out various disorders that are connected to moods. They highlight that people who have difficult in regulating their moods can suffer from major depression, dysthymia,bipolar disorderand also postpartum depression.
What is Emotion?
Emotion refers to a psychological state. This should not be confused with a mood because unlike moods; emotions are usually caused by something. For example, for your birthday, you receive a beautiful gift from a friend. This makes you feel very happy. This is an emotion. It only lasts for a short period of time and is a reaction to an externalstimulus.
In the year 1972, a psychologist named Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions that are universal. They are happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear and disgust. Later on, in 1999 other emotions such assatisfaction,pride, contempt,shame, embarrassment, amusement, and excitement were added to the list.
An emotion involves three main components. They are thesubjectiveexperience, a physiological response and a behavioral or expressive response. The subjective experience refers to how the individual experiences it. This focuses on how each emotion differs from one individual to another although it falls into a universal category such as happiness or sadness. Secondly, the physiological reaction refers to how the person feels it physiologically. This includes racing heartbeat, sweating, rapid breathing, etc. The final component of behavioral or expressive response focuses on how the individual actually expresses it.
What is the difference between Mood and Emotion?
Definitions of Mood and Emotion:
Mood:A mood refers to an emotional state.
Emotion:Emotion refers to a psychological state.
情绪和情感的特点:
Duration of time:
Mood:A mood lasts for a longer period of time.
Emotion:An emotion lasts only for a short duration of time.
Intensity:
Mood:Moods are mild.
Emotion:情绪非常激烈。
Image Courtesy:
1.MoodsBy John Rudolph – Own work, [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
2.Emotions 3ByToddatkins, [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
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