Moods

Moods are diffuse, long-lasting affective states that are not tied to a specific stimulus or event. Unlike brief emotions, moods can persist for hours or days and can influence attention, memory, judgment, and motivation. They color the way people perceive ambiguous information and may set a general tone for behavior over extended periods.

Moods are distinguished from emotions and from affect as a whole. Emotions are short-lived, often highly intense responses to particular stimuli or goals, whereas moods are more pervasive and less linked to identifiable causes. Affect is the umbrella term for observable expression and experience of feelings, including both mood and emotion.

Moods vary in valence (positive to negative) and arousal (low to high) and can fluctuate over the day. They are measured mainly through self-report scales or ecological momentary assessment, and researchers distinguish transient moods from clinically significant mood episodes. A neutral mood is also possible, marked by relatively balanced processing.

A range of factors influences mood, including sleep, circadian rhythms, hormonal fluctuations, medications, substances, environment, and social context. Moods can be adaptive, helping people maintain focus on long-term goals or regulate social interactions, but persistent negative moods can interfere with functioning and lie at the core of mood disorders.

In psychology and psychiatry, mood disorders refer to sustained, pathological shifts in mood, such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Cultural norms shape how moods are named, described, and experienced, and variation exists across populations in the typical duration and acceptable expression of mood states.