What Affects Your Mood?

[Kilala]

This was just something I was thinking of recently. What exactly can affect your mood? Why does it?
So I thought it may be a fun as well as a good idea to begin thread on it. I’m not sure if the location of this thread is appropriate and I apologize if I’m in the wrong.

There can be many factors which affect our moods. I’ll go through the ones that I could think of now – but I’m more than sure there ones that I have not yet thought about yet. So bear with me.

Factors which may indeed contribute to our moods:

Weather.
Light.
Food.
Colour.
Exercise.

:: Weather ::

I heard of this before, weather being one of the contributors to our moods. It tends to be you get cranky in severe heat. Depressed in cold and rainy weather. So rather fittingly the two polar opposites give us two completely different moods.
So the question is… can weather actually really affect our mood? I personally find this to be a rather intriguing topic – many a time have I actually mulled over this question in my head. Apparently I was not the only one to have done so (what a surprise!), as scientists as well as sociologists have been studying this theory.
Speaking from personal experience… when out side and the temperatures rise above a ‘comfortable’ level I do begin to get irritable. I grumble, I moan and all I can think of is getting cooler again. That being said, I also have to say when its cold, wet and dreary I don’t necessarily feel depressed or down. Why is that? However I can get a it melancholy… but I admittedly never put it down to the ‘weather’.
So basically the question is, is there any substantial evidence to connecting our moods to the weather.
There are actually studies which can link that weather with particularly long periods of high temperatures may result in… an increase in crime. Now that I wasn’t expecting, but apparently studies have shown this! It is believed that with the unusual heat we the people get more irritable and hostile.
Several law enforcement agencies hold statistics that can show a correlation between the two. For me I guess it is slightly plausible – for I know in the hot heat I do get more irritable.
Not only this, but there is a medically recognized illness related to weather. Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD. SAD is a condition characterized by depression during those long winter months when… there is a decrease in sunlight.
This leads me onto the next contributor to moods.

:: Light ::

Moving on from weather to light! It is known that light can also affect the mood you are in. It is said that the lighting in the room you are in is a ‘type of sensory stimulation’ that in turn influences your performance AND mood.
It is able to increase as well as decrease productive mental activity. Perhaps I should blame the lighting in my room to my procrastination… ^~
According to a Doctor Howard “Light affects mood and alertness by shutting down the production of melatonin, the sleep inducer. Because alertness is important for safety and productivity, the work environment should be well lit.”
Darkness or low lighting releases ‘Melatonin’. This basically is something to increase your feeling of sleepiness! (And the question to why we switch off our lights at night is answered!)
Artificial lighting isn’t the only thing that can affect moods. Sunlight can too. Sunlight is actually a mood enhancer – it can increase both your creativity and productivity! As I mentioned in ‘Weather’, in the winter months some people can suffer from the illness known as SAD – which is from the decrease in natural sunlight and can cause depression.

:: Food ::

The next one on the list is food. We all know about comfort foods – and more often than not they are incredibly bad for us! That being said, more often than not they do help how we feel. In a word. Chocolate. ^~.
Meanwhile, scientists are in fact proving that what’s in the foods we eat can affect the chemical composition of our brain. This in turn means, the food we eat can affect our mood and many others things as a matter of fact.
For example, if you would desire to boost your alertness, the consumption of proteins is recommended. Protein food is broken into their amino acid components (yay science!) during the process of digestion. Science moment incoming:
One amino acid, known as Tyrosine, is able to increase the production of Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Epinephrine. These particular neurotransmitters are used for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy! Hence protein drinks for exercise.
Another example would be if you would prefer to be in a mood for relaxation and no stress (perfect for exam time!) then you should eat good old carbohydrates!
By eating carbohydrates this in turn triggers a release of insulin. Not only can carbs relax us but it is said that they can have the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite and make you sleepy! Research that has been carried out has shown that people on diets become ‘depressed’ around two weeks into the diet due to the fact that they have reduced the carbohydrate intake. Happy food = Carbs ^~. Of course many people assume carbs to be stuff like pasta and potato, fruits too are a carb if you’re looking for a happy boost.

:: Colour ::
Colours can also contribute to what mood we are in. Isn’t it true that more often than not you put on the colour clothes that you ‘feel’. Apparently colours do indeed help us in a mood. Different colours have proven to give different results. I’ll use a couple as examples!
Black: Black is the colour of power and authourity! I guess you could say this colour is abused. Not many people wear it because it’s the colour they ‘feel’ but to appear thinner. This colour can be overpowering and for this reason, it is why many villains wear the colour black! (Sephiroth, Dracula… you know xD)
Red: This is known to be the most emotionally intense colour. Red is able to stimulate a faster heartbeat and faster breathing. It can otherwise be known as… the colour of love! So this a rather energetic mood inducing colour I guess you could say.
Blue: The colour blue causes the opposite mood to red. It’s the olour of the sky… the ocean… If you take a peaceful, tranquil blue it can cause the body to release calming chemicals. But, it can make you feel cold and depressed if the wrong shade is used! Research has also shown us that people tend to be more productive in blue rooms… not only that but other studies have shown us that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms! How about that xD.
Yellow: Last colour I’ll use I promise! If a cheerful sunny yellow is used it can be a great attention grabber! While it is considered to be a more positive colour it has some other results… People tend to lose their temper more often in yellow rooms and it causes babies to cry more! Despite the cons, it can also aid concentration and is can speed up metabolism. Bring on the yellow!

:: Exercise ::

First off… it has been shown that exercise can boost your mood. So how does it do this? How indeed! I shall go into it.
When exercising a process of ‘aerobic exercise’ will take place thus prompting a release of mood-lifting hormones! These hormones can relieve stress and also give you a sense of well-being. There are also certain sports such as Yoga that allow you to unwind and combat those negative emotions. Pew pew!
It is also said that exercise can help to ward off depression AND also be an effective treatment for some cases of depression too. A previous studies have concluded that regular exercise can actually improve people’s mood with depression.
So not only does exercise keep us fit, but it also keeps us happy.

I will stop here. But there are areas I haven’t covered… Hormones, Music… the list goes on!
So discuss here your thoughts on the matter. Do you believe that things can affect your mood or not?

[Sinister]

• I don't like bright light or direct sunlight.
• I HATE heat.
• I love cold.
• I like high Humidity.
• I hate droughts or dryness.
• And since green is my favorite color, I like spring and summer.
• I love rain, pools and water and can't get enough.
• I like storms.
• I like spicy hot foods and cool bland foods.
• I don't like anything too sour or sweet.
• I dislike being the center of attention in a conversation or in a room.
• I don't like being forced to talk.

I admit that any of these things slightly affects my moods.

-Sin

[Fearless]

My mood is almost entirely dependant on the people around me.
If someone is nice to me, it puts me in a good mood.
If someone makes me laugh, I'm usually hyper for the rest of the day.
If someone disrespects me, I usually rage about it for the rest of the day.
And etc...

Also, I'm in a bad mood if I don't get my computer time X3

Also, this doesn't neccisarily have to do with my mood, but I wear black all the time. *insert One Winged Angel here*
And I love the rain.
Does this make me emo?

[Chez Daja]

I know that this is supposed to be an ID thread, but it'll attract short posts, so I'm going to have to move it to GC. Sorry for any inconvience!

[Moved!]

[Meigumi]

I am affected by coffee and music. 8D
Hooray for hyper teens xD

[Lithium]

I am a very complicated person to figure out. I have figured myself out, but others have a hard time.
So that is why most people cannot figure out why my mood is as is on a certain day.

The factors that effect my mood are as follows

Time of day
Music I am listening to (If any at all)
The weather conditions
People associating with me
Colours I am wearing (More as a visual aid to my mood for people)

Time of day effects my mood in different ways
If it is the morning I am generally a cranky bastard
If it is night I am a happy fellow
If it is noon, (depending on that days events) I can be yay or blah.

Music is pretty self explainitory

Weather conditions are a big part of my mood. If it is a gloomy day, raining, thunder/lightening, hail, any storms I am in a good mood.
If the day is sunny, clear, hot, or anything good, I tend to be pissy.

People is pretty self explainitory

And colours are a big one too.
For me to be in a good mood, I wear birhgt colours as most people do. But that is very rare. The only other colour I am seen in is purple (aside from black) but that is usually an indicator to GO AWAY!
Black is my main colour of choice. If I am wearing it most people don't know what to expect. I could be happy or sad. Either one.

So in general I am very complicated.
Yay for complications! . . . To peoples mood!

[RamesesII]

Then main factor that effects my mood would have to be my exhaustion level and of course kids haha.
Firstly the time of day can alter my mood for example i am quite grumpy in the morning because it takes me a while to wake up fully, although i may be grumpy i am still calm especially when i go to work i have to stay calm because of the traffic, the weather generally doesn't effect my mood unless of course the hot weather makes me exhausted and if i am exhausted or tired then like most people i am introverted and grumpy other than that the kids make me stressed or happy and mad and sad so the kids are also one of my main mood changers if that makes sense haha.

[IceColdPillow]

To be honest, my actual enviroment doesn't affect my mood much [i.e weather, lighting etc...], it's really in how i look [if i look terrible it just ruins the day] what i eat, if I eat some chocolate cake, I always get fussy throughout the day. And who I talk too, i tend to unintentionally label people and if I hear them talking I either get extra happy or just frustrated by their voice HA

[_Cloud_]

many things affect me
-the people around me
-the environment
-the weather
-my dreams
-remembering the past

[Violet]

-Running out of milk and food.
-Wanting something I can't obtain due to lack of money.
-When people treat me like an outcast.
-Being unemployed.
-Plans that are made then can't be fulfilled due to some petty reason/excuse.
-Other people's shitty moods.
-Bad news of someone dieing.

Things like when my stomache hurts also effects my mood.. the pain gets worse by just looking/listening at/to something I dislike.

[Furore]

I think the biggest thing that effects me is my interactions with other people.
But I also find alcohol is also a big thing. If there's no alcohol or my alcohol is shit, I will be depressed. If I have a few six packs of Coronas, a few pottles of fine pinot and some nice rum, I'll be happy regardless of whatever else is going down.

Also I get really stressed out when trying to juggle several things. It don't let me remind myself to stay chilled out no more. Alcohol can also fix this one thankfully.
Tis a wonderdrug.

[Xanatos]

Well many reasons affect my mood.
College (Exams)
Weather
Music
Environment
Bad or good news
Behavior of other people towards me
and much more

[Pete]

My mood stays pretty balanced for the most part, regardless of my environment. Some things do work to alter it, but it's usually temporarily.

Bad drivers- Depending on how bad the offense, and how much it affected me, I'll either laugh at them or scream at them. Sometimes, if I almost die, I'll punch the shit out of my steering wheel. Give it a few minutes, and I'm usually back to normal.

The weather- Give me a nice 75 and sunny day, and I'm set. I'll lay out in the sun, bronze for a bit and be happy as a clam. I've gotten far too used to the rain, cold and snow, from 4 years upstate, so when the weather sucks down in Queens really doesn't bother me, since it's never as bad as Bing.

Other people- I tend to get annoyed when I don't get responses back from people in a timely fashion. If I get a call or a text, and I can respond to it, I'll do it as quickly as possible. I can understand that people get busy and forget, but it still annoys me. It doesn't really bring me down though, unless I get blown off completely. That doesn't happen often, but unless there's a good, legit reason, I'll get pissed.

Alcohol- Depending on how much, and what I drink, I get various stages of ridiculous. Beer makes me super fun and people love to hang out with me. If I'm pounding whiskey, I'll wind up also being super fun, but a lot more obnoxious and rambunctious (me, intensified, haha). You won't want to piss me off either, cause I'll throw a punch. That's all I really drink. Vodka and rum make me just a chill drunk, and tequila will make me out of my ****ing mind, and then booting all over.

My sports performance also affects my mood, and vice versa. When I'm taking it easy and just screwing around with my friends and keeping the mood light, I play a lot better and smarter. When I'm having an off day, I'll dwell on it during the game, and try to overcompensate. I'll usually wind up digging myself a deeper hole until I take a positive step, and then I'll break out of my funk. Like, if I make an error playing baseball, I'll probably also strike out 2 or 3 times in the same game, until I make a good play or get a hit. When I'm pissed, I'll also play a LOT more aggressively. I'll slide into bases hard to try and break plays up, with disregard if I take the other teams players out with me. I can be a **** haha. After the game though, I'm back to normal.

Sinus infections also screw with my mood. I had one, and it put me out of commission for the better part of a month. It was like I was constantly trippin balls, and I couldn't control it. I would forget things and just not really pay attention or care what other people had to say. My friends even noticed I was really off, and it didn't dawn on me until last week what it was.

[SilkAngel]

I would have to say weather, music, and the people I am around affect me. I really like it when it rains, I love my japanese music, and I really like it when people laugh and make me laugh ^.^

[Rocky]

The weather plays a big part in my mood, especially during the summertime, when I actually have time to enjoy the scenery for a change. So far, it's been kinda sucky around here; hardly a day goes by where the day doesn't become very cloudy and rain appears, which kinda sucks.

My job directly influences my mood, since it is my job to make sure that kids aren't freaking out and beating each other up, lol. Even when things get hairy, usually something happens where I have to turn away and sneak a chuckle. Even when kids get mad, they can be quite humorous.

Since I am a very competitive person, how I'm doing performance-wise in anything, from sports to work to video games, can influence my mood. Trying to keep my highs and break out of my lows is something that I have been slowly but surely mastering. Whenever I get in a low spot, it's best just to break away for a moment, catch my breath, and go in with a new perspective. That alone can cause a complete change in performance.

alcohol for the most part puts me in a happy/chill mood. I'm one of those drunks that laughs and makes light of every situation. I like to be around people that are completely different from me though, like for example, a good drinking buddy of mine gets very mean when he drinks, so I always try to egg him on because there is nothing better then watching a drunken brawl between two guys while I'm sitting on the couch, lol.

An interesting fact that I like to point out that I've learned is that children with autism are very much influenced by basic things such as color and weather that it can keep them on euphoric or traumatic phases for extended periods of time. For example, whenever I'm on the computer with a certain client of mine, he could watch me play Wheel of Fortune for hours at a time just because of how excited he gets whenever I spin the wheel. For some reason this causes his brain to release feel-good chemicals which causes him to become excited and happy. Another example is air pressure. I was skeptical at first, but after doing a report on autism and it's effects for college, I did an interview on a parent of a client I work with frequently, and she noted that whenever the air pressure was up, her son would generally act normal, have few meltdowns/outbursts, had a pleasant personality, but when the air pressure was on a decrease, her son became more aggressive, would result to more violent measures in a quicker manner, used inappropriate language, and so on. Just some food for thought.

[ekimeinna]

my mood mostly affects on some people that is so irritable like doing nonsense stuff and those that are so critical on things that you can even understand what they want in their life... man I hate that!

i try not to get upset though.... when everytime i encounter these kinds of people, i just going somewhere alone and let my impatience go through until i'm ok again...

[Rikkuffx]

As most of you guys know I can be pretty moody. I've been better lately. But what affects my mood? a whole ton of stuff. If I don't get enough sleep I can be pretty moody in the morning,even if I have my coffee,I usually take a nap and feel better.

Music- I tend to listen to whatever music fits my mood,if im feeling upset or mad I listen to my angry music,if im feeling bouncy and happy i usually listen to my ubeat music and dance around.

People- If my mom is upset(which she has been lately due the deployment) i get upset too,or if someone in my family or that i'm really close to is hurting I tend to get worried and upset too.

PMS-yea thats prob TMI but its true. I have PMDD which is actually the symptoms of pms but they hit me more intense and i'm anemic so im moody alot during this time.

Stress-like anyone else stress will deffinately affect someones mood,if i've had a bad day at work or if i feel like i haven't been out and about or out of the house enough.

Weather-I read somewhere a long time ago that weather has been proven to alter moods. I think its a true fact. It's been rainy here for weeks and i've been feeling cooped up or tired/lazy with all this rain. When it's sunny i wanna always be out doing something and having fun and im mroe cheerful.


all in all though if you think about it you're really the only person/thing that can affect your mood. How does that saying go? If you wanna feel that way you will? Ive been thinking about that alot lately and thats part of what gets me through when i'm feeling down.

[winterborn86]

I get loooooads of moods, any teeny thing will make one of my moods kick off. It's my me and my partner clash and fall out so much, my moods can go on from a couple of hours to a week, depending on what puts me in the mood

[Fate]

Well, weather for sure. Whenever the weather gets to be gloomy, I find myself so sleepy, because it's dark and there's nothing to really do that'll keep my mind off of it. And when it's rainy, I usually just stare out the window, and that helps me relax. But I hate thunderstorms the most. It's like my house is dependent on electricity that whenever there is one, my whole family complains and gets bored so easily. And what's worse it that we may be expecting a few more days of it soon.

[Darkdragoon]

Well... Someone talking about me behind my back make's me mad, with affect's my mod.
My cat, he is so cute and make's me cuddly ^^
And... Well Idk

[Dean Winchester]

A number of things, but I won't go into detail by detail because if i type up a long post i would have to rest my fingers since they get sore fairly easily.

Like if theres something upcoming that i have planned before i get anxious and a bit scared because i know i'm gonna look back on how that event went and regret it. Depending on what it was though, i get short bursts of joy when i exercise i have absolutely no idea why though xD. But lately i haven't been doing it as much as i should because well i don't weigh much and...well thats pretty much it really.


Weather only affects my mood slightly, like if it rains for days on end i get a bit pissed because i like going outside. Even though, i don't go out much really. I'd go into why i stay inside but i don't think anyone wants to read a rant about me blaming it all on one person. Had it not been for that i think i'd be more likeable and social.

[smithhanson]

- I hate being around several people.

- I love the rain.

- I love my solitude.

- I hate conflict.

There are things that affect my mood, and I think that it happens to everyone.

[Meigumi]

-More things that effect my mood-

-Music, usually pop or foreign helps my mood alot.

-Loud noises, especially thunderstorms or rain in the night hours. Can't....sleep....

-Lazy people who can't even STICK THEIR HEADS UP AND PAY ATTENTION during school.
Really, clean the ears and listen- Seeing my teacher telling my mates to pay attention all the time is so tiring...and it's the first week. It makes me sad and angry.

-Jokes and random greetings......I'm not fond of people saying 'HI THAR' to me all the time, and I don't like jokes. I take them too seriously. *is a logic girl in a nutshell*

-Pineapple....They lift my mood to the 9th cloud. I will look up to ANYONE who gives me pineapple- yes, I look up at myself too, with a mirror.

[Cheesevixen]

Food: The hungrier I get; the angrier I get. If I have to eat something I would rather not; I get sad. Food is very important to me, and good food is priority one. I don't think you have to buy good food.....I can very well cook it, but there have been times that good food was very hard to find.

Activity: I like to get out of the house. However, being with family now I have to do pretty much that majority of the family is doing. So even though I am forced to stay home during the week; I usually have to do it on the weekends as well because no one wants to get up and get out until about 12, and if we do get out by then it's usually just to get some food or browse a store for 30 minutes and then we head back home. I frustrates me a lot. Can't wait until I can start driving myself places again !!!!

Music; If I am sad and I listen to sad music I get sadder. If I am happy and I listen to happy music I feel rather confident. Music makes me feel things in abundance. :-)

Intimacy; If I can't have it at least once every 2-3 days I get angry. ><

[Momo Mastermind]

Like zomg, I haven't posted or even been on in forever, but this is a fun topic.

1) If I go too long without smoking I get really moody. Not angry really, some temperamental.

2) Dreams. Sometimes I have a dream where someone I know in RL has pissed me off, and the mood carries over from the realm of dreams... lol, I know you've done it too.

3) Thirst. When I'm thirsty I'm angry, for some reason.

Hrmmn... I guess I'm just a very angry person... O_o