Types of Moods

How has your mood been lately? Before answering that question, remember that I asked you about your mood, not your current emotional state. Confused? Are you wondering what the difference is? You will understand that moods and emotions are quite different when you get to know their characteristics. We will focus on moods, and you will learn about their different types and their influences as you read along. Let's dive deep into the types of moods together.

Moods and emotions are usually used interchangeably. We often say, "I'm not in the mood to go out.", or "I'm in the mood for some pizza." Whenever we feel sad or uninterested over extended periods, we often say we are feeling emotional. It is technically wrong. Moods and emotions differ in nature. Emotions are short-lived, while moods prevail longer. They are very intense and are triggered by a specific event. Emotions last for a very brief period and prompt the individual to act a certain way.

The universal emotions are anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness. Emotions also signal a persona's morality - it indicates how emotional a person gets in moral situations.

When we look at feelings in specific - excitement, happiness, contentment, calmness, fatigue, boredom, nervousness, and others - they are known as emotions. But when mapped on a broader spectrum to analyze if they affect an individual positively or negatively, they are known as moods. It is because the emotions are from a general perspective. They are not looked at individually. Figure 1 shows feelings as emotions and moods.

Different Types of Moods

Our moods are not as simple as we think they are. They are not just temporary feelings that come and go. They are longer-lived and affect our day-to-day functioning. Moods are affected without a specific external cause or stimuli.

Different factors can cause your change in mood. The different types of moods can be categorized into four, depending on how they affect the individual. A mood can have a:

• High positive affect,

• Low positive affect,

• High negative affect, and

• Low negative affect.

Feeling excited or elated positively affects an individual, whereas nervousness or stress affects them negatively. Examples of low negative affect moods include feeling relaxed or calm. Fatigue and boredom are low positive affect moods. Moods influence every individual differently. Some people experience it more intensely than others.

Types of Moods Causes

Different factors can influence our moods. A mood can last for many hours or days. Some of the primary influencers of mood include:

• personality,

• time of day,

• day of the week,

• weather,

• stress,

• social activities,

• sleep,

• exercise, and

• age.

Personality - individuals experience the same mood in different ways. While some people are deeply affected by their moods, others are not. The difference in intensity with which individuals experience their moods can make them very emotional or not.

Time of day - we experience different moods depending on the time of the day. Our moods are most positively affected around 10 a.m. until noon, after which it gradually begins to drop. An individual's highest negative affect can be seen during the late evenings.

Day of the week - the best way to describe how a day of the week can affect our mood can be explained by two simple words - Monday blues. People are happiest on weekends and feel their lowest on Mondays. The positive effect on mood gradually increases during the week, from Monday to Sunday. It starts to decline on Sunday. The positive mood is lower than it was on Saturday but higher than it will be on Monday.²

Weather - many people believe that the weather affects their mood. This is an example of illusory correlation, as weather can not scientifically affect an individual's mood.

Stress - being continuously stressed can affect their mood negatively. It will either reduce or increase productivity, but continued or increased stress levels will negatively affect the individual.

Social activities - surrounding ourselves with people we love and spending time doing things that make us happy, our moods are positively affected. It works both ways. Activities we enjoy can uplift our mood, and being in a mood can make us want to do things we enjoy.

Sleep - quality sleep is essential to feel positive and productive the following day. Sleep patterns can affect an individual's mood and decision-making abilities.

Exercise - exercising helps individuals in uplifting their mood. People feel energized and positive after exercising. It results from the release of endorphins and serotonin, which help improve our mood. It also helps reduce stress and anxiety.³

Age - the older population focuses more on positivity than the younger generation. This keeps them in a much better mood than the younger generation.

Types of Moods in the Workplace

People in the workplace mainly experience six types of moods, and they are:

• Positive moods,
• Negative moods,
• Strong moods,
• Weak moods,
• Intentional moods, and
• Inherent moods.

Positive mood - emotions such as elation and happiness put people in a positive mood. This leads to increased and better productivity. Experiencing a positive mood invokes creativity in people. They become more helpful and useful in the workplace.

Negative mood - nervousness and stress put people in a negative mood. They tend to feel unsatisfied with their jobs, affecting their productivity. Their approach will be less creative and more elemental. It becomes challenging to focus on the positive aspects of the job.

Strong mood - a sense of hard work is considered a strong mood. Employees work to achieve a certain goal when a strong mood is displayed among co-workers.

Weak mood - unsatisfied employees who are no longer working towards company goals can result from weak moods. In such cases, the company's productivity decreases, and the company's turnover increases.

Intentional mood - the company or team recognizing their goals and intentionally setting their mood accordingly to achieve the goal is known as intentional mood.

Inherent mood - the company's or a team's general mood or approach towards their goals and competition is known as their inherent mood.⁴

Types of Moods Disorders

Identifying and noticing mood disorders in the workplace is vital to ensure employee satisfaction and well-being. Depending on the nature of the work, employees experience different stress levels for varied periods. This can affect them both mentally and physically, leading to mood disorders. This is a serious workplace issue that should not be ignored.

The major mood disorders in the workplace seen among employees include Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Bipolar Disorder (BD), Depression, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It is important to identify and address mood disorders and ensure they receive the required help.

A co-worker or manager can help in spotting mood disorders in employees if they are educated about the disorders and know what to look out for. The symptoms vary among individuals and disorders. Some signs may be visible, while some may not be easy to spot. People suffering from mood disorders may display high-energy levels, apathy or sadness, and uneasiness. Their interactions with co-workers may be limited.

In addition to the toll it takes on the employees, mood disorders hinder employee creativity. Organizations might tend to overlook employees' problems as long as their tasks are completed and deadlines are met. But in the long run, this will result in unproductivity and company turnover.⁵