Chapter 4:

Emotions & Moods

 Emotions
Emotions are intense feelings directed at someone or
something.
• Emotions are reactions to a person (seeing a friend at
work may make you feel glad) or an event (dealing with a
rude client may make you feel frustrated).
• Emotions are chemicals released in response to our
interpretation of a specific trigger.  It takes our brains
about 1/4 second to identify the trigger, and about
another 1/4 second to produce the chemicals.  By the
way, emotion chemicals are released throughout our
bodies, not just in our brains, and they form a kind of
feedback loop between our brains and bodies. They last
for about six seconds.
 …Emotions
The Characteristics of Emotions:
1. Emotions can’t be neutral. Being neutral is being
non-emotional.
2. Emotions more clearly revealed by facial
expressions.
3. Emotions are numerous/different types in nature.
4. Emotions are action oriented in nature.
5. Emotions are caused by specific event.
6. Emotions are very short in duration.
7. Emotions are more fleeting than moods.
8. Emotions can turn into moods.
 Moods
Moods are less intense feelings than emotions and
often arise without a specific event acting as a
stimulus.
• Moods are more generalized.  They are not tied to a
specific incident, but a collection of inputs.  
• Mood is heavily influenced by several factors: the
environment (weather, lighting, people around us),
physiology (what we’ve been eating, how we’ve
been exercising, how healthy we are), and finally our
mental state (where we’re focusing attention
and our current emotions). 
• Moods can last minutes, hours, probably even days.
 …Moods
The Characteristics of Moods:
1. Moods can make a person more emotional in
response to an event.
2. Moods are not usually directed at a person or
an event.
3. Moods are not indicated by distinct expression.
4. Moods can be positive or negative.
5. The causes of moods are unclear.
6. Moods are long lasting than emotions.
7. Moods are cognitive in nature.
Affect, Emotions and Moods
 Emotions v. Moods
Emotions and moods are closely connected and
can influence each other.
• For example, getting your dream job may
generate the emotion of joy, which can put you
in a good mood for several days. Similarly, if
you’re in a good or bad mood, it might make you
experience a more intense positive or negative
emotion than otherwise. In a bad mood, you
might blow up in response to a co-worker’s
comment that would normally have generated
only a mild reaction.
 …The Basic Emotions
1. Happiness 10. Hate
2. Surprise 11. Hope
3. Fear 12. Jealousy
4. Sadness 13. Joy
5. Anger 14. Love
6. Disgust 15. Pride
7. Contempt 16. Frustration
8. Enthusiasm 17. Disappointment
9. Envy 18. Embarrassment
 Culture and Emotions
Emotional expressions are governed by the cultures, so
the way we experience an emotion isn’t always the same
as the way we show it.
• People in the United States recognize a smile as
indicating happiness, but in the Middle East a smile is
also more likely to be seen as a sign of sexual attraction,
so women have learned not to smile at men.
• In collectivist countries people are more likely to believe
another’s emotional displays have something to do with
the relationship between them, while people in
individualistic cultures don’t think others’ emotional
expressions are directed at them.
 The Basic Moods:
Positive and Negative Affect
• Positive moods: Positive affect is a mood
dimension consisting of positive emotions such as
excitement, self assurance and cheerfulness at
the high end and boredom, sluggishness and
tiredness at the low end.
• Negative moods: Negative affect is a mood
dimension consisting of nervousness, stress and
anxiety at the high end and relaxation, tranquility
and poise at the low end.
 Sources of Emotions and Moods
1. Personality
2. Day of the Week and Time of the Day
3. Weather
4. Stress
5. Social Activities
6. Sleep
7. Exercise
8. Age
9. Gender
 Emotional Labor
In addition to physical and mental labor, jobs
also require emotional labor.  
• Emotional Labor is a situation in which an
employee expresses organizationally desired
emotions during interpersonal transactions at
work.
• It means delivering smiles, high fives, making
eye contact, showing sincere interest and
engaging in friendly conversation with people
who are essentially strangers and who may or
may not ever be seen again.
 Emotional Dissonance
Emotional Dissonance is inconsistencies between the
emotions people feel and the emotions they project.
• Emotional Dissonance is a feeling of discomfort that
occurs when someone evaluates an emotional
experience as a threat to his or her identity.
• Example: Harry’s personal life was in disaster last
year when his wife left him one weekend morning. He
had to go to work on Monday morning and act
accordingly to be happy and polite to airline
customers. Inside, Harry was devastated and
depressed. He had a feeling of uneasiness as his real
emotion and his fake emotion were drastically at
odds with each other.
 Types of Emotions
1. Felt Emotions are an individual’s actual emotions.
2. Displayed Emotions are the emotions that are
organizationally required and considered appropriate in
a given job. They’re not innate, they’re learned. It can
be two types:
i. Surface Acting: It involves a “faking” process
through which outward expressions are altered, yet
internal feelings are left intact.
ii. Deep Acting: An effortful process through which
employees change their internal feelings to align
with organizational expectations, producing more
natural and genuine emotional displays.
 Affective Events Theory
Affective Events Theory is a model developed by organizational
psychologists Howard M. Weiss and Russell Cropanzano to
explain how emotions and moods influence job performance and
job satisfaction.
1. The theory begins by recognizing that emotions are a response
to an event in the work environment.
2. The work environment creates work events that can be hassles
(excessive time pressures), uplifting events (getting support from
a colleague), or both.
3. These work events trigger positive or negative emotional
reactions, to which employees’ personalities and moods
predispose them to respond with greater or lesser intensity.
4. Finally, emotions influence a number of performance and
satisfaction variables, such as organizational citizenship behavior,
organizational commitment, level of effort, intention to quit, and
workplace deviance.
…Affective Events Theory
 Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a person’s ability to identify
his own emotions and the emotions of others, understand
the meaning of these emotions, and use this information
to regulate one’s emotions.
• The arguments in favor of EI:
– EI helps to predict the emotional conditions of others.
– EI helps to identify the criteria that matter for business success.
– EI is biologically and genetically influenced.
• The arguments against EI:
– The concept of EI is not clear because researchers use different
definitions of it.
– EI can not be measured.
– The validity of EI is questionable.
 Emotion Regulation
Have you ever tried to cheer yourself up
when you’re feeling down, or calm yourself
when you’re feeling angry?
• Emotion Regulation is the identification and
modification of emotions.
• Strategies to change your emotions include-
thinking about more pleasant things,
suppressing negative thoughts, distracting
yourself, reappraising the situation, or
engaging in relaxation techniques.
 How Manager Can Influence Moods?
You can usually improve a friend’s mood by sharing a
funny video clip, giving the person a small bag of candy,
or even offering a pleasant beverage. But what can
companies do to improve employees’ moods?
1. Managers can use humor.
2. Giving employees small tokens of appreciation for work
well done.
3. When leaders themselves are in good moods, group
members are more positive, and as a result they
cooperate more.
4. Selecting positive team members because positive
moods transmit from team member to team member.