Afternoon Drive withJoanne Joseph

Your mood has a severe impact on the decisions you make on a daily basis.

Behavioural psychologist Dr Helgo Schomer explains that emotions and moods can influence a person's behaviour.

He advises that there are certain conditions, surroundings and environments that set the mood which people feel.

If people are able to influence those variables, they are able to control their mood.

It is important to be able to control one's mood, because emotions can cloud a person's judgment and have the ability to affect logical reasoning.

A bad mood shuts down the brain's activity and we stop listening.

— Dr Helgo Schomer, behavioural psychologist

Therefore, it is important to facilitate an environment for a positive mood everyday.

Dr Schomer advises that people need to be emotionally aware and consider their thoughts carefully.

He says being in a negative psychological state causes people not to function at their best.

Frustration, anger, sadness, fear and worry are some of the main emotions and moods that should be avoided.

Meanwhile, positive emotions have the ability to mobilise the mind and body to fiction at its optimum.

Joy, love, empathy and pride are some of the emotions and moods to strive for.

Dr Schomer says people must identify the things that induce positive and more desirable emotions, in order to help influence their mood.

Listeners shared their experiences with emotions and moods:

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Why your mood is important (and how you can control it)