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We all have good and bad days. Sometimes we live with the feeling that we “stand on the wrong foot”, the whole world seems gray and dull, and disturbing thoughts come into our heads. Of course, on such days it can be difficult to focus on work. But how much do these mood swings affect our performance?
“On days when we are in a bad mood, we often feel that work or school is harder than usual. However, science still doesn’t know exactly how much mood actually affects our performance,” says psychologist Sophie von Stumm from Goldsmiths University London.
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To learn more about this relationship, von Stumm conducted a study with 98 people, mostly students (24 men and 74 women, mean age 24). Participants were required to take a daily set of tests for 5 days (Monday to Friday) that tested their short-term memory, working memory, and processing speed. They also had to rate their mood and emotional state on a daily basis using the PANAS scale (for this, they were required to indicate how intensely they experienced each of 10 positive and 10 negative emotions on a five-point scale).
The results showed that both mental performance and the mood of the subjects could change markedly on different days. However, there was no clear connection between these changes – reduced mood was not directly related to low performance. However, those participants who, on average, had the best mood during all five days, performed better in tests than the rest. Von Stumm suggests that a tendency to a stable and good mood and high mental performance may have a common genetic nature, and low mood begins to affect work productivity only in more severe cases.
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“Scientists know brain regions and neurotransmitters that are associated with mood, but we know very little about the genetic causes of mood swings. At the same time, mood is usually subject to stronger changes than our personality traits, but these personality traits determine exactly how and in what direction our mood usually changes. For example, a personality trait such as neuroticism – that is, a tendency to depressive and anxious emotional states – usually leads to more frequent mood swings, ”says Sophie von Stumm.
The study was conducted over a limited period of time and the results can only be considered preliminary. To get more data on the connection between mood and performance, von Stumm and her colleagues developed a special application for Apple devices called moo-Q, which allows volunteers to take tests that test their mental productivity, answer questions about their mood and share this information. information with researchers while maintaining anonymity. Already in the first two weeks, the application was downloaded by more than 11 users.
Подробнее см. S. Von Stumm «Is day-to-day variability in cognitive function coupled with day-to-day variability in affect?», Intelligence, vol. 55, March-April 2016.