Difference between Mood and Affect
Introduction:
Psychology is the study of mental health that helps us understand the behavior of human beings related to certain things. Every person reacts differently depending upon their past experiences and connection with the event.
In psychology, when we learn about the mental health of human beings two main terms come forward. One is mood and the other is affected. Both of these terms are often mixed up by people. Some consider that the meaning of these terms is the same. However, this is not the case. These terms might look similar but there is a visible difference between mood and affect.
What is Mood?
According to Psychology, the mood is denoted as the emotional phase of a human being. It would be easy for one to get an idea about the superficial nature of mood. There are no reasons for changing mood. Additionally, it is very hard to predict the cause of mood changes.
In the daily life of a human being, mood plays a significant role. We often experience while hearing that he is has a bad mood today which is why he is shouting at everyone or he has a good mood today which is why he laughing so much.
The behavior, way of acting, and thinking depend upon the mood of the person. One can alter the mood to change the way of behaving. People who stay in good mood keep other happy as well. It not only has an impact on one’s personal life but also affects people around that person. A mood is an energy that reciprocates itself.
Having a good mood enables a person to work diligently. It increases the production of the work as well. On the flip side, a person with a bad mood not only spoils his work but also gives a reason to other people to change their behavior with that particular person.
The duration of a certain mood depends upon the personality of a person. The mood could be long-lasting. In this case, it could lead to psychological issues. A bad mood could cause bipolar disorder and depression if it occurs for a comparatively long time.
What is Affect?
Affect is an English language word that is we use frequently almost every day. It is used as “affects something”. It means the impact on someone related to emotions. According to psychology, affect is something that mainly states the mood of a particular human being. In simple words, it tells about the mood of an individual to some extent.
Psychology says that a person experiences emotions of different kinds every day, this experience is known as affect. We can also say that emotions that are visible to other people are a part of affect. The change in facial expressions, gestures, and attitudes upon certain circumstances can tell the ‘affect’ of a person which is also observable to other people.
Affect is the initial thing that a person experiences after encountering a feeling or a thought. Affect has always been a concern for psychologists as people debate upon the psychological and physiological causes and effects of ‘affect’ that is reflected through the behavior of an individual. According to experts, affect does not has any cognitive functions and it is not in control of human beings.
Whereas, some experts consider that human beings have some sort of control over it and require reasoning for its occurrence. While some experts think ‘affect’ is impulsive. Unlike mood, it does not occur depending upon some reason. It lasts for short time. The reaction of an ‘affect’ can be seen immediately.
Difference between Mood and Affect:
The difference between mood and affect is quite obvious. However, for the ease of the reader, we have enlisted the core difference between these two terms.
|
Factors of differentiation |
Mood |
Affect |
|
Definition |
It could either be positive or negative depending upon the situation. |
It could be due to psychological or physiological factors that make things get done. |
|
Cause |
It does not always have a reason behind it. |
It is done due to specific reasons. |
|
Duration |
It occurs sometimes for a long period of time. |
It occurs for a comparatively short period of time. |
|
Results |
It could change the behavior or thoughts of a person. |
It is behind the mood of a person. |
|
Example |
An example of mood is that a person can have a good, bad, and sad mood. |
An example of mood is that a person could experience anger, euphoria, or sadness. |
Conclusion:
From the above discussion, we conclude that mood and affect are two distinct things in psychology. Before examining a person, one should realize the difference between mood and affect. A mood is a long-lasting thing that could depend upon the nature of a person. It could also alter the behavior of other people. On the other hand, an ‘affect’ is a physiological and psychological element of one's mind.
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