What are Emotions and Moods?

In our analysis of the role of emotions and moods in the workplace, we need three terms that are closely intertwined: affect, emotions, and moods. Affect is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings, including both emotions and moods.1 Emotions are intense feelings directed at someone or something.2 Moods are less intense feelings than emotions and often arise without a specific event acting as a stimulus.3 Exhibit 4-1 shows the relationships among affect, emotions, and moods.

An exhibit depicts the relationship between Affect, Emotions and Moods.

Exhibit 4-1

Affect, Emotions, and Moods

Get Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 14/e now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.