Mood

The past decade has been characterized by a dramatic increase in the study of affect in organizations. The affective realm consists of state and trait affect, and there are various types of each. Mood is a transitory affective state that is relatively mild and long lasting. Different from other transitory affective states (i.e., emotions), moods are not consciously associated with distinct triggering stimuli or specific objects. Rather, moods arise from low-intensity stimuli (e.g., weather, dreams) or as by-products of emotions once the emotions’ original stimuli dissipate. Furthermore, mood is always present in the background of our minds, so that we are never void of mood, although we are not always aware of its presence. This makes the impact of moods on our cognitions and behaviors ...