Psychology Commons^™

Distinctions Among Terms Used To Describe Emotions And Moods, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Emotion theorists continue to debate about differences between emotions and moods. Many agree that emotions are necessarily directed at objects, whereas moods are not. This, and other, alternative differences between mood and emotion terms were examined. Fifty undergraduate students were asked to rate a number of affect terms according to their object-directedness, duration, intensity, physiological impact, and psychological feeling states. The results were analyzed to illustrate possible differences between moods and emotions. Implications of the results are discussed.