Motivation and emotion/Book/2026/Moodiness

Moodiness:
What is moodiness, why does it occur, and how can it be managed?

Overview

Imagine this ...

You wake up after several nights of poor sleep and immediately feel irritable and unmotivated. Nothing particularly bad has happened, yet this feeling follows you throughout the day. On your way to work, a minor delay in traffic feels unusually frustrating. At work, tasks that would normally seem manageable suddenly feel difficult and unrewarding. When a colleague gives you brief feedback, you interpret their comment more negatively than you normally would. By lunchtime, you avoid joining your coworkers because you do not feel like socialising. Later, a friend sends you a message asking if everything is okay, but you cannot identify a specific reason for feeling this way—you are simply "in a bad mood."

The following day, after getting a good night's sleep and having an enjoyable conversation with a friend, the same workplace and responsibilities seem much easier to manage. You are more willing to talk to colleagues, everyday problems seem less frustrating, and activities feel more worthwhile.

Experiences like this demonstrate why mood is an important part of everyday life. Unlike an emotion that may be directed towards a specific event or person, a mood can persist across different situations and influence how we experience our surroundings. Why can the same workplace, people, and everyday challenges seem manageable one day but overwhelming the next? And how might our mood influence the way we think, behave, interact with others, and interpret what happens around us?

Mood is a long-lasting emotional stat that influences how a person experiences and responds to the world around them. Not to be confused with emotion which is directed towards a particular event or object. Mood affects emotions, thoughts and behaviours at the same time (Couch et al., 2005). Couch et al., 2005 also argues that there have been several attempts to explain the nature of mood and the best explanation for it is the Higher Order Functional State Theory. The theory argues that mood is a broader functional stat that influences emotional responses and behaviour, however, it is likely that that it may not completely capture subjective feeling of experiencing a mood (Couch et al., 2005)

Mood plays a crucial role in how a person experience, understand and interact with the world around them. Mood is not described as a feeling that lasts temporarily, such as happiness and sadness. Individuals are constantly experiencing a type of mood, even at a subconscious level. Mood plays an important role in how an individual find themselves situated within the world and how they experience their surroundings (Ratcliffe et al., 2013).

The importance of mood is that it helps influence the feelings of something meaningful or significant in life. Different people experience same environment differently based on their mood. Mood helps us establish a range of ways within which things are able to matter to us. This shows that mood does more than making an experience positive or negative, it creates possibilities that people recognise in their environment (Ratcliffe et al., 2013).

Mood disorders such as depression heavily affects how a person experiences the meaning of their surroundings. Activities that a person once participated in would suddenly seem less important or lose significance, and the person would no longer be able to experience emotional connect with others. In potential cases, some significances, such as feelings of threat, become overwhelming and influence many aspect of experience (Ratcliffe et al., 2013).

Focus questions

What is Moodiness?
What causes Moodiness?
How can you manage Moodiness?

What is Moodiness?

Mood is described as a long-lasting emotional state, which is developed by positive or negative experiences for an individual and how the individual will responds to similar experiences in the future. Instead of being a temporary emotional reaching, mood affect an individual’s sensitivity to potential rewards, punishment and threats across different situations and periods of time (Nettle et al., 2012).

The ability of mood can be experienced by many species like animals, this is due to the biological mechanisms involved in mood are similar across diverse animals (Nettle et al., 2012). Nettle et al., 2012 Argues that the ability of mood has been conserved through evolution and provides a key adaptive advantage.

Nettle et al., 2012 Explains that mood can be split into a two-dimensional framework. One of the dimensions explains a person’s sensitivity to punishment and threats, while the other dimension explains the sensitivity to reward.

Mood, instead of reacting to an event, influences the expectations of how certain of uncertain an experience is likely to be (Clark et al., 2018). An example of this is when you believe that your mood is affected by your bodily sensations, surrounding and potentially the consequence of your action. Mood disorders such as depression could be a causation of these predictions and uncertainty systems not functioning normally. (Clark et al., 2018). Clark et al., 2012 suggests that mood can be described as a background setting in the brain that influences how an individual interprets emotions, uncertainty and experiences.

Mood at a social level

A social understanding of mood can be described as something that influences how an individual interacts and behaves in a society. Social mood differs from emotion as it explains a larger reason for a what shapes an individual’s judgement, attitude and behaviours across different social situations (Squazzoni et al., 2017).

Squazzone et al., 2017 finds that mood can influence many areas of social life, such as relationships, consumer decisions, economic behaviour and voting preferences. Many times a decision that a person makes under the influence of their mood can seem irrational. Behavioural and evolutionary research implicates that mood can serve meaningful functions in guiding how an individual reacts to their social environment.

Overall, mood does not only work at an individual level. Shared and collective moods can have influence in social relationships and patterns of behaviours within groups and societies. It can be implied that mood playes an important role in shaping how an individual or a group perceive others, make decisions, form relationships and respond to wider social and political environments ( Squazzne et al., 2017)

Mood at a psychological level

Within psychology, mood can be described as a recurring emotional state which influences a person’s thinking, feelings, evaluation of situations and behaviour. It differs from emotions which is more of an immediate response to a situation, mood can be highly subjective, where how a person experiences and describes their mood can be based on their own perceptions and personal experiences (Donnet et al., 1993).

Mood has been long researched within the history of philosophy and medicine. Earlier examples were based off of the four humours – blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, where mood would depend on balance between these bodily fluids. However, in modern psychology uses many other different approaches such as cognitive, phenomenological, psychoanalytic and ethological (Donnet et al., 1993).

To simplify things further, moods are like a lens we use to experience everyday life. For example, when a person is in a happy mood, everything in their surroundings and their interactions will appear to be more enjoyable and meaningful. In contrast, when someone is in a negative mood, the same situation all of a sudden will start to feel less appealing or significant (Freeman et al., 2014). Freeman et al., 2014 also argues that using psychology can be heavily beneficial to understand mood as not only something someone feels internally, but it can help shape how someone perceives, interprets and engages with their environment.

Mood at a biological level

From the perspective of biology, mood can be influenced by body’s internal biological rhythms, mainly the circadian rhythm, which is in charge of controlling the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. This particular biological clock is managed mostly by the specific “clock” genes and is influenced by environmental signals, know as zeitgebers, such as exposure to light (Justice et al., 2006).

Mood disorders generally occur due to disruptions in these biological rhythms. An example of this is when changes in daylight occur due to seasonal change which affects mode and contributes to winter depression. The relationship between light, biological rhythms, and mood is supported by the effectiveness of light therapy, which helps in treating seasonal depression and potentially other forms of depression (Justice et al., 2006).

Hormone known as melatonin assists in regulating the circadian system and sleep, further demonstrating the connection between biological processes and mood (Justice et al., 2006). Any changes in the melatonin secretion and disrupted biological rhythms has been observed in people experiencing mood disorders (Mongeau et al., 2013). Research also suggests that genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors can disrupt the alignment between a person’s internal body clock and external schedules, potentially increasing vulnerability to mood problems (Mongeau et al., 2013). It can be said in biological approach that mood is partly influenced by interactions with brain, hormones, sleep, genetics and the body’s internal clock. Any disruptions in these systems can result in changes in mood (Justice et al.,2006).

What Causes Moodiness?

Changes in mood can be described as a combination of internal psychological processes, personality differences, and the situations that a person experiences. People are naturally able to regulate their moods by comparing how they currently vs how they would like to feel. The difference in actual vs preferred mood, caused people to use mood-regulation techniques to improve, maintain or on occasions worsen their mood (Wesniewska et al., 2017).

The changes in mood can be caused by controlled or automatic process. In the controlled process, a person tries to consciously change how they feel, in comparison, in automatic process a person’s feelings change involuntarily. And example of this could be a person will automatically direct their attention towards an information that helps alter their current mood (Wesniewska et al., 2017).

Another huge factor in mood changes is a person’s personality. People that are extraverted are associated with having a positive affect while people with neuroticism are associated with having a negative affect. However, these can change based on the situation (Wesniewska et al., 2017).

Overall, changes in mood can be a result of interactions between personality, situations, cognitive process, and the strategies people use to regulate how they feel (Wesniewska et al., 2017)

Social Contributions to Moodiness

Social media and smartphones communication also play a big part in changes of mood in adolescents. Li et al., 2023 completed a study involving 83 adolescents over 90 days, analysing about 354,000 messages across social communication apps with participants providing ratings of their mood daily.

Li et al., 2023 found that the emotional tone of communications between adolescents were used as predictor of how they felt the following day. For example, adolescents that were involved in more positive language in their messages experienced more positive mood the next day, despite having a lower mood score the prior day. Larger used in positive language also caused reductions in levels of anhedonia, which is referred to as reduced pleasure or interest in activities. Alternatively greater use of negative language in communications resulted in increased dysphoria, or felling of emotional distress and unhappiness.

Li et al., 2023 also found that higher usage of socially engaging words such as words relating to friends and affiliation, predicted positive changes in mood. Frequent uses of emojis, specifically the heart emoji also associated with improved mood.

It can be argued that the findings find that there is a strong relationship in between social media communication and mood fluctuations. However the research primarily shows that online language is a good predictor for changes in mood fluctuations, instead of proving that social media communication causes mood changes (Li et al., 2023).

How does childhood affect Moodiness

Childhood trauma can also play a major role in person developing mood disorders, some of which include depression and bipolar disorder. Trauma includes experiences such as physical, sexual or emotion abuse, neglect, parental loss or prolonged separation during childhood. Research shows that people with mood disorders are likely to share these experiences in comparison to the general population (Andryszewska et al., 2018).

One of the explanations could be that early trauma can have an affect on the developing brain. Stress during childhood years can release stress-related chemicals and neurotransmitters which can interfere with the developing brain cells and networks. This interference can have lasting affects on areas in charge of memory and emotional regulation, in particular the hippocampus and amygdala, potentially leading into having an affect on how an individual processes emotion and responds to stress later in life (Andrysweska et al., 2018).

Childhood trauma can also interact with genetic and epigenetic factors, potentially having an effect on how vulnerable a person is to future mood problems. HPA stress-response system and inflammation has also been associated with trauma which can have a further impact on mood disorders (Andrysweska et al., 2018).

It can be argued that childhood trauma does not necessarily cause mood disorder by itself. Instead, the research suggest that it can interact with brain development, stress systems, genetics, and epigenetic processes, which can all increase the risk and potentially the severity of mood disorders later in life (Andrysweska et al., 2018).

How Can You Manage Moodiness?

Mood management plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy and prosperous live, managing and trying to actively maintain positive mood reduces negative mood throughout a person’s everyday behaviours and activities (Hess et al., 2010). Hess et al., argues that using the principle of homeostasis, where a person adjusts their behaviour to respond to a change in mood in order maintain a relatively stable emotional state.

An example of this can be an individual seeking out an activity/hobby that helps them calm or raise positive mood when they might be experiencing a negative mood. Seeking these methods to maintain positive mood can result encouraging behaviours that assist in maintain that emotional state. Research found strong results for the mood management process, with positive mood typically lasting several hours (Hess et al., 2010)

Forgas et al., 2023 ran three experiments examining how people naturally regulate positive and negative moods over time. The participants first underwent mood inductions, which placed them either in a positive or negative mood. They were then asked to complete a sequence of tasks to observe if their responses reflected their initial mood or if it changed. It was found that people in positive mood responded positively while those in negative responded negatively. However, over time the responses moved away from their mood, which may be due to people trying to adjust their mood from to positive or negative. The experiment suggests that mood is not statice and people may use their cognitive process to move themselves into a balanced mood over time.

Overall, the process of mood management can be described as an ongoing process of regulating mood through behaviour. It is empirical that people seek activities/hobbies that influence their emotional state as it allows them to respond to changes in mood and maintain greater emotional stability in everyday life (Hess et al., 2010).

Participation in physical activity and its effect on mood

Physical activity plays a vital role in maintaining a positive effect on moon and mental well-being, specially for those that might be experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Research has found that exercising regularly can help in reducing depressive symptoms. It can be argued that just one single session of exercise can temporarily improve depression and anxiety symptoms for up to several houre and in many cases, up to a day. People that participate in regular exercise report improvements in self-esteem, vitality, general well-being and satisfaction with their physical appearance (Peluso et al., 2005).

Frequently participating in both aerobic exercise such as walking, running or cycling and anaerobic exercise, like resistance training have been associated with reduction in depressive symptoms. However, it is found that the relationship between exercise and improved mood varies from individual to individual, specially in those without existing mental health symptoms (peluso et al., 2005).

There are many reasons for exercising improving mood, from a psychological perspective it could be distraction from negative thoughts or stressful situation while exercising. Self-efficacy which involves joys of completing a tedious physical activity resulting in confidence and feelings of achievement and social interactions where exercising with other provider social connection and support (Peluso et al., 2005).

Biological reasons could also result in positive moods where brain chemicals known as monoamines are involved in mood regulation. Exercising also increases the release of endorphins which contributes to feeling of calmness and improved mood after physical activity. However, research does not implicate the use of one biological mechanism as the sole explanation (Peluso et al., 2005)

Overall, research does suggest that participating in physical activity does have a positive effect on a person’s mood through a combination of psychological, social and biological processes. Exercise can help with reduction of negative feelings, assist with providing social connections and distraction, increase confidence and produce biological changes which are associated with improved emotional well-being (Peluso et al., 2005).

Effect of music on mood

Suvi et al., 2007 researched the importance of music and how it helps adolescents manage and regulate moods in everyday life. Across three studies the researcher found that much plays an important role in emotional well being and adolescent development. It was very important for understanding, expressing, maintaining and changing moods also with supporting identity, independence and social relationships.

Suvi et al., 2007 found two main goals for using music to regulate mood: mood improvement and mood control. Mood improvement was described as a method to use music to create or strengthen positive feelings while mood control was described as using music to manage unwanted or difficult emotional states. Adolescents used seven different strategies to achieve these goals. Entertainment to help create and maintain positive moods, revival involved using music to increase energy and feel refreshed. Strong sensation which helped adolescents experience powerful emotions through music and Diversion which was used as a distraction from stress, negative thoughts and unwanted feelings.

Discharge was another strategy used which involved using music to let out anger and frustration, Mental work which was the use of music as a reflection and understanding personal feelings and experiences. Lastly, Solace which involved music as a comfort and emotional support during difficult situations (Suvi et al., 2007).

Suvi et al., 2007 developed a Music in Mood Regulation (MMR) scale which assisted in understanding how each adolescent used each strategy to manage moods. The results showed that girls relied a lot more on these strategies than boys while older adolescents used it more frequently than younger adolescents. It was also found that MMR was related to musical preferences, musical background and general mood-regulation abilities.

Overall, it was concluded that music can be a very valuable too in order to manage everyday mood. It can help with improving positive mood, help coping with negative moods, process feeling, find comfort and maintain control over emotional experiences.

Use of online gaming to manage mood

Russoneillo et al.,2009 investigated the use of casual video games and if it can help manage people’s mood and stress. Casual video games are games that can be described as fun, easy to learn, quickly accessible and suitable for short periods of play. The test was a randomised controlled study in which the participants played one of three games: Bejewelled 2, bookworm adventures and peggle, for 20 minutes or completed and internet search task as a controlled condition. Mood was measured using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), while EEG and heart-rate variability were also used to examine physiological changes.

The results found that playing casual video game helped provide an effective way of regulating negative moods and encouraging more positive emotional states. In between all three games, all participants showcased significant reductions in tension, with the games collectively reducing tension compared to the control condition. After playing all three games the participants too reported lower depressive mood. There were large reduction in depressive score for participants playing video games in comparison to those in the control group which was identified through the effect size analysis (Russoneillo et al., 2009).

Research also found that gaming also had reductions in anger, fatigue and confusion. However, the results did vary based on which game was played. The EEG supported the self-reported positive mood with brain activity associated with improved mood, greater engagement and emotional stability. Heart rate measure also suggested that certain game, particularly Bejeweled 2 produced physiological changes consistent with reduced physical stress (Russoneillo et al., 2009).

In summary, the study suggests that playing casual video games for short periods of time can have a positive effect on managing mood by reducing negative feelings such as tension, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion while promoting relaxation and positive engagement. However, it has been noted that the research did have methodological limitations and that further research is recommended before considering casual gaming as an established therapeutic intervention (Russoneillo et al., 2009).

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Conclusion

Mood is a complex and important psychological phenomenon that influences how individuals think, feel, behave, interpret their surroundings, and interact with other people. Rather than being a brief emotional reaction to a particular event, mood can persist across situations and influence sensitivity to rewards, threats, and future experiences (Nettle et al., 2012). Mood can therefore be viewed as a background state or “lens” through which people experience their everyday lives, affecting what appears meaningful, enjoyable, threatening, or worth pursuing (Ratcliffe et al., 2013; Freeman et al., 2014).

Importantly, no single explanation can fully account for why moods develop and change. From a biological perspective, circadian rhythms, sleep, melatonin, genetics, and other biological processes contribute to mood regulation, while disruptions to these systems have been associated with mood disorders (Justice et al., 2006; Mongeau et al., 2013). From a social perspective, mood can influence relationships, decision-making, social behaviour, and even wider economic and political preferences (Squazzoni et al., 2017). Individual differences are also important, as personality, cognitive processes, environmental situations, and automatic or controlled mood-regulation strategies can contribute to changes in mood (Wesniewska et al., 2017).

Understanding mood is particularly important because people can actively engage in behaviours that help manage and regulate their emotional states. Research suggests that music can help individuals improve, control, express, and process their moods (Suvi et al., 2007), while physical activity can improve mood through psychological, social, and biological mechanisms (Peluso et al., 2005). Casual video games may similarly reduce tension, anger, fatigue, confusion, and depressive mood while promoting relaxation and positive engagement (Russoniello et al., 2009).

Finally, understanding factors associated with negative mood is essential for mental health. Childhood trauma can interact with brain development, stress-response systems, genetic factors, and epigenetic processes, increasing vulnerability to later mood disorders (Andryszewska et al., 2018). Social communication may also provide insight into mood fluctuations, with positive online language predicting more positive subsequent mood among adolescents (Li et al., 2023). Overall, mood should be understood as the result of interacting biological, psychological, social, and environmental influences. Recognising these influences and developing healthy mood-management strategies may support emotional well-being and provide greater understanding of how everyday mood fluctuations can influence people's lives.

References

Nettle, D., & Bateson, M. (2012). The Evolutionary Origins of Mood and Its Disorders. Current Biology, 22(17), R712–R721. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.06.020

Clark, J. E., Watson, S., & Friston, K. J. (2018). What is mood? A computational perspective. Psychological Medicine, 48(14), 2277–2284. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718000430

Prescott-Couch, A. (2005). What is a Mood? The Yale Philosophy Review, 1, 42–58. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5840/ypr200513
Europe PMC. (2019). Europe PMC. Europepmc.Org. doi: https://europepmc.org/article/med/8275897

Freeman, L. (2014). Toward a Phenomenology of Mood. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 52(4), 445–476. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12089

Wirz-Justice, A. (2006). Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 21, S11-S15. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.yic.0000195660.37267.cf

Lanfumey, L., Mongeau, R., & Hamon, M. (2013). Biological rhythms and melatonin in mood disorders and their treatments. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 138(2), 176–184. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2013.01.005

Doan, L. (2012). A Social Model of Persistent Mood States. Social Psychology Quarterly, 75(3), 198–218. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272512451157

Hess, J. D., Kacen, J. J. and Kim, J. (2006). Mood-management dynamics: The interrelationship between moods and behaviours. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 59, 347–378. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1348/000711005X81133

Forgas, J. P., & Ciarrochi, J. V. (2002). On Managing Moods: Evidence for the Role of Homeostatic Cognitive Strategies in Affect Regulation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(3), 336–345. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202286005

Peluso, M. A. M., & Andrade, L. H. S. G. de. (2005). Physical activity and mental health: The association between exercise and mood. Clinics, 60(1), 61–70. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322005000100012

Marszał-Wiśniewska, M., & Nowicka, M. (2017). Individual Differences in Mood Changes. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(5), 1415–1438. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9879-5

Jaworska-Andryszewska, P., & Rybakowski, J. K. (2018). Childhood trauma in mood disorders: neurobiological mechanisms and implications for treatment. Pharmacological Reports, 71(1). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2018.10.004
Saarikallio, S. (2017). Music as mood regulation in adolescence. Jyväskylä Studies in Humanities, 67. Doi: https://doi.org/978-951-39-2731-8

Li, L. Y., Trivedi, E., Helgren, F., Allison, G. O., Zhang, E., Buchanan, S. N., Pagliaccio, D., Durham, K., Allen, N. B., Auerbach, R. P., & Shankman, S. A. (2023). Capturing mood dynamics through adolescent smartphone social communication. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132(8), 1072–1084. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000855

Russoneillo, C., O’Brian, K., & Parks, J. (2009). The effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress (pp. 53–65). Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation.

External links

[Use bullet points as shown in Tutorial 2]

10 Tips to help manage low moods | A doctor's guide (Youtube)

Managing mood swings & emotional instability with Chrissy Court MSW, RSW (Spotify)

Positive and negative emotions: Do we need both? (Positive psychology.com)

Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress (Mayo clinic)

	Mood acts like a background state that can influence how people interpret experiences, rewards, threats, and social situations.
	Mood is entirely determined by a person’s circadian rhythm.
	Mood only affects a person’s emotions and has no influence on behaviour or decision-making.
	Mood is a brief emotional reaction that disappears immediately after an event.

	Mood changes are caused only by personality.
	Mood changes are caused only by social interactions.
	Mood changes can result from interactions between personality, situations, cognitive processes, and mood-regulation strategies.
	Mood changes occur randomly and cannot be regulated.

	Physical activity.
	Listening to music.
	Playing casual video games.
	All of the above.

	True
	False

	True
	False

	True
	False