How your Perception of the World is Affected by your Mood

Our mood or state of mind has a serious effect on not only how we interpret a scene, but also what elements of that scene we actually pay attention to and 'notice' in the first place. (There are piles of empirical evidence for this in the annals of psych research.) 

It is also clear that the effect is to re-enforce and justify the mood we are currently experiencing.  It's like our mind is looking to match the feeling we have with events in the world. In essence, finding proof that our mood is justified.

Driving home one day feeling grumpy about the world I notice some things...
I had to stop at every traffic light on the way home; so frustrating
Some grandpa was driving so slow it almost caused an accident, they should be tested again at that age
A stupid teenager was using his phone whilst driving, no respect for other people's safety
I notice some kids with skateboards - no doubt up to no good - probably going to vandalise something
When I arrived home I noticed the bins hadn't been brought in - again
My wife was in a grumpy mood.

Driving home the next day - feeling pretty good about my day
Listening to some great music on the drive home, took my time and didn't notice the lights at all
Some old duck is driving a bit slow - better give her some room, no hurry, good to see you're still out and active
Kids out with skateboards - such a good thing they're not at home in front of a computer. It's great to see kids out and about
Ah the bins, I'll just bring them in
Wife seems brighter today, I wonder what was bugging her yesterday?

What is happening?
Our mood or state of mind has a serious effect on not only how we interpret a scene, but also what elements of that scene we actually pay attention to and 'notice' in the first place. (There are piles of empirical evidence for this in the annals of psych research.) 

It is also clear that the effect is to re-enforce and justify the mood we are currently experiencing.  It's like our mind is looking to match the feeling we have with events in the world. In essence, finding proof that our mood is justified.

Limited attention + Mass of possible information = Highly selective perception

We can only pay attention to (i.e. notice) one thing at a time.  We can hold several pieces of information in our minds at once but really we can attend to only one thing.  There are millions of things which we could attend to in any given moment.  Just stop now and look around at all the things you could be looking at or attending to - - - -  ok switch back to me now - focus!  

So the thoughts that bubble up into consciousness are the ones that the bio mechanics of your brain allow to surface. These are influenced by a large number of factors, one of the most influential of which is your emotional state.

How to fix it 
Step 1: notice what you notice (why did I notice that?)
Step 2: re-frame what you notice to remove the big four: blame, guilt, judgement and fear
Step 3: choose a more empathetic and constructive interpretation (what would it be like to be in their shoes? How could you help?)
Step 4: take action - choose to attend to something more positive and constructive of a good mood.

Which would you prefer? 

Learn how to see the world in a way that builds your happiness.  

All the observations in both of the trips above have no meaning beyond the state of mind of the driver.  Why not choose to observe the world in a way that is constructive for your happiness and stress?

Do you have examples of your mood affecting your perception? 

Did you misinterpret something simply because of the way you were feeling?

If you would like to learn to Think Well then my online course can help.

The next one starts on 27 March 2017 and you can find out more and book here; otherwise, sign up for my email newsletter and you'll hear about the next set of dates in due course.