The main difference between affect, emotions and moods is the amount of time they last. I mean that’s the obvious difference.
But to say that’s the only difference is to be carelessly ignorant!
Albert Einstein said “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
That’s why we need to speak about ALL the differences between affects, emotions, moods, even states of being.
I reveal everything in this video in a simple animated way, but not simpler, 😁
What is The Difference Between Affect, Emotions, Moods and State of Being:
What is an Affect?
When you walk and somebody honks behind you, the response you make, that’s an Affect.
Most likely you’ll get startled, you’ll shake or jump.
This is because you are Affected by the situation, that’s the Affect, the unconscious response you have.
What’s the difference:
It lasts really short. It happens mostly automatically and through the limbic network within the brain, the system responsible for primal emotional responses to external stimuli.
What is an Emotion?
Emotion is short for Energy in Motion. If you want to learn more about Emotions I would like to invite you to read this article.
After you get Affected, after you jump, you will most likely feel Angry toward the person honking at you.
What is the difference:
The emotion is the energetic communication your subconscious mind makes with you. It happens in the limbic or Mammalian Brain, but also other places in your brain, it includes more of the Rational Brain and uses a little of the conscious part of your mind. Also, it takes longer to occur and it lasts longer. It carries a deeper message about the situation and the event arising it. Anger, for example, might tell you that this person crossed your boundaries, it messed up your peaceful walking by its loud HONKING. Anger arises to signal you that you might need to defend your personal boundaries. Here is a bigger guide about what each emotion is trying to tell you.
What is Mood?
If you hold on to this Anger, your mind will create a certain relationship with this emotion and it will start to filter out your reality through this emotion.
You might go to work and pick up more on your colleague’s annoying questions, or your slow PC. And these things will reinforce the emotion of Anger you are holding on to. You will perceive these details because your mind filters everything through the emotion of Anger.
What is the difference:
Mood lasts longer than an Affect and an Emotion. It also takes a lot longer to be formed. It’s the result of an emotion taking hold of your mental perception and filtering the world around you through its colors.
What is State of Being?
In the example above, it might be that you hold on to Anger for days.
And every day, no matter what happens, no matter if you get happier, or sadder, bored, or excited, you will get back to being angry, to seeing what’s wrong with the world, and reinforcing this emotion.
That’s a state of being and it determines the reality you live in.
What is the difference:
State of being is your default emotion. This is the average emotion you feel every day. It’s your default emotion you get back to no matter what happens. It shapes and colors your reality and determines most of the details you will pick up from the world around you. That’s why a good Emotional Hygiene is crucial, so you ca clean your Emotional Debris and change your reality to be aligned with higher emotions. If you want to learn how to have good emotional hygiene check this out.
