The upside to moods, good and not so good

We’re not talking screaming fits or crying to the point of hyperventilation; taken to extreme, anything is damaging.

But while moods certainly bias judgment and perception, a new scientific theory out of University College in London suggests even the negative ones may have an upside. An article in the Nov. 3 edition of the journal “Trends in Cognitive Science” concludes that moods help us more quickly adapt to changes in our environment. Things which affect moods for the better encourage us to seek out the same experiences; things resulting in bad moods inform us about what to avoid — like Pavlov’s poor electroshocked pups.

Feelings, even before consequences, inform life’s lessons.

Of course, moods are only useful to a point, when reason should take over. The researchers note that both positive and negative moods maximize their usefulness when expectations match changes in rewards. In other words, up to the point when negative outlook causes one to see things as worse than they really are — expecting the worst; or too Pollyanna, so we walk blissfully blinded into harm — assuming the best.

Thus mood’s healthy balance is like birthday cake and beer: we must learn when to say, “when.”

Returning to more of a middle ground is man’s natural state. Even lottery winners don’t retain that deliriously happy glow forever. We adapt and grow accustomed to almost anything. According to this theory, past moods can help us more quickly adapt to future changes.

As people learn from mood-colored experiences, expectations shift for the long run. We come to expect not just the immediately perceived good or bad effect, but note the change in its presence in our environment — our lives. We come to believe it is more, or less, available. So in this way mood can facilitate learning about the impacts of environmental factors. Those factors can be skills acquisition and effectiveness, resources, even relationships as people come in and out of our lives.

This view, say the authors, can lead to better understanding of mood disorders and certain mental illnesses. Better defining the potential functions of moods, as well as their relationship to learning processes, may help reveal predispositions to conditions such as bipolar disorder and depression.

Everyone has moods and is, at times, moody. Learn to harness them we can; but perhaps considering we also learn from them will help us embrace the rich experience it is to be human.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at [email protected].