What is the Difference Between Mood and Emotion

The main difference between mood and emotion is that an emotion may last only minutes, whereas a mood tends to last longer.  

Mood and emotions are two words that describe our mental state. When you are in a good mood, you feel happy and relaxed; when you are in a bad mood, you may feel grumpy and angry. Therefore, it’s clear that emotions are connected to your mood. However, they are not the same. In fact, a mood is a mix of emotions and feelings.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Mood 
    – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
2. What is Emotion
     – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
3. What is the Difference Between Mood and Emotion
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Emotion, Feelings, Mood

What is Mood

A mood is a mental, physical, and emotional state that may last for several hours or days. It is a mix of feelings and emotions. Moods are not usually related to a specific circumstance or incidence, but a collection of feelings and emotions. Several factors such as environment (people around us, weather, etc.), physiology (what we eat, our health, etc.) emotions and feelings affect our last. For example, when we are with people we like, eating our favourite food, we feel happy and joyful. This creates a good mood. This mood may last for several hours or even days. However, this is a temporary state of mind.

What is an Emotion

An emotion is a strong feeling originating from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. It is a conscious mentality, usually directed toward a specific object. Emotions typically accompany physiological and behavioural changes in the body. Joy, sorrow, fear, hate, anger, love, etc. are some examples of emotions we experience. Moreover, it is important to note that emotions are not long-lasting, meaning they can change within a few minutes. It’s also possible to feel a mixture of emotions at once. For example, when you are in an unknown place, you may feel a range of emotions such as curiosity and fear.

Furthermore, emotions are intense and are caused by immediate circumstances. For instance, something someone said, some memories you remembered, something you just saw, etc.

Relationship Between Mood and Emotion

Mood and emotions are inherently related. In fact, a mood is a mixture of emotions and feelings. For example, when you are in a good mood, you feel happy and relaxed; when you are in a bad mood, you may feel grumpy and angry.

Difference Between Mood and Emotion

Definition

The mood is a state or quality of feeling at a particular time, but an emotion is a strong feeling originating from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

Duration

Emotions are very brief in duration,  usually seconds or minutes, but moods can last for days.

Cause

Moods are not usually caused by specific events, but emotions are caused by specific events. In other words, it is not easy to identify what triggers a mood, whereas it is easy to identify what triggers an emotion.

Types

Moods are general; there are two basic moods as good mood and bad mood. In contrast, there are a variety of emotions; for example, anger, hate, fear, happiness, surprise, disgust, sadness, etc.

Intensity

Moods are relatively less intense than emotions.

Onset

Besides, mood has a gradual onset, whereas emotions are sudden.

Conclusion

A mood is a state or quality of feeling at a particular time, but an emotion is a strong feeling originating from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. The main difference between mood and emotion is that emotion may last only minutes, but a mood tends to last longer.  

Reference:

1. “Mood (Psychology).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Feb. 2020, Available here.
2. “What Are Moods?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “36365” (CC0) via Pixabay