Although we don't want to obsess on definitions, before we can proceed with our
analysis, we need to clarify three terms that are closely intertwined. These are af-
fect, emotions, and moods.
      Affect is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings that people ex-
perience. It's an umbrella concept that encompasses both emotions and moods.⁴⁷
Emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something.⁴⁸ Fi-
nally, moods are feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions and that
lack a contextual stimulus.⁴⁹
      Emotions are reactions to an object, not a trait. They're object specific. You
show your emotions when you're "happy about something, angry at someone,
afraid of something."⁵⁰ Moods, on the other hand, aren't directed at an object.
Emotions can turn into moods when you lose focus on the contextual object. So
when a work colleague criticizes you for the way you spoke to a client, you might
become angry at him. That is, you show emotion (anger) toward a specific object
(your colleague). But later in the day, you might find yourself just generally
dispirited. You can't attribute this feeling to any single event; you're just not
your normal, upbeat self. This affective state describes a mood.
      A related term that is gaining increasing importance in organizational be-
havior is emotional labor. Every employee expends physical and mental labor
when they put their bodies and cognitive capabilities, respectively, into their
job. But most jobs also require emotional labor. This is when an employee
expresses organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions.⁵¹
The concept of emotional labor originally developed in relation to service jobs.
Airline flight attendants, for instance, are expected to be cheerful, funeral coun-
selors sad, and doctors emotionally neutral. But today the concept of emotional
labor seems relevant to almost every job. You're expected, for example, to be
courteous and not hostile in interactions with co-workers. And leaders are ex-
pected to draw on emotional labor to "charge the troops." Almost every great
speech, for instance, contains a strong emotional component that stirs feelings
in others. As we proceed in this section, you'll see that it's because of the in-
creasing importance of emotional labor as a key component of effective job per-
formance that an understanding of emotion has gained heightened relevance
within the field of OB.

FELT VERSUS DISPLAYED EMOTIONS

Emotional labor creates dilemmas for employees when their job requires
them to exhibit emotions that are incongruous with their actual feelings.
Not surprisingly, this is a frequent occurrence. There are people at work
with whom you find it very difficult to be friendly. Maybe you consider
their personality abrasive. Maybe you know they've said negative things
about you behind your back. Regardless, your job requires you to interact
with these people on a regular basis. So you're forced to feign friendliness.
It can help you to better understand emotions if you separate them
into felt versus displayed.⁵² Felt emotions are an individual's actual
emotions. In contrast, displayed emotions are those that are organiza-
tionally required and considered appropriate in a given job. They're not
innate; they're learned. "The ritual look of delight on the face of the first
runner-up as the new Miss America is announced is a product of the dis-
play rule that losers should mask their sadness with an expression of joy
for the winner."⁵³ Similarly, most of us know that we're expected to act