If ANYTHING determines your happiness and satisfaction,
it's MOOD LEVEL.
Where's yours? Where you would like it to be?
| MOOD LEVELS | INNER EMOTIONAL STATES | OUTER REWARDS AND PAYOFFS |
| MANIA | Overoptimistic, bombastic, grandiose, impulsive, overtalkative, meddlesome, insensitive, pushy. | No rewards. On this mood level you may endanger yourself and others. Just think of "I can fly!" or "I will save the world!" or "I must take you away with me!" You get the drift. |
| BOLDNESS | Self-confident, optimistic, high self-esteem,
courageous, leadership qualities, determination. This is the
inner state experienced naturally and automatically by 10 to
20 percent of people ("the fortunate few"). If you're among the other 80 percent you'll get to this optimal state of brain biochemistry rarely and usually by accident: You'll perform some amazingly bold action and exclaim afterwards: "I don't know what came over me!" |
High outer-world rewards. Statistically documented in impeccable research reports: Far higher incomes (average 5 to 8 times higher than timid individuals). Larger homes, larger and newer cars. Larger circle of friends, many more social contacts. Greater experience of aliveness, optimism, self-confidence and joy in life. |
| NEUTRAL MOOD | A mood level of "So what --- the blahs --- leaving me cold." Inertia may trap you at this mood level because it requires almost no energy to maintain it. | Few social and financial rewards. This mood level may have had survival value generations ago ("Don't rock the boat!") but is no longer useful nor rewarded in today's fast-paced world. |
| TIMIDITY | Also called dysthymia, meaning "low
in spirit." Defined as shy, brooding, gloomy, lethargic, self-denigrating, melancholy, mildly depressed. If you have trouble with promoting yourself, selling, cold-calling, presenting and generally moving your agenda forward, this is the state that is holding you back. |
Minimal rewards. Statistically lower income, smaller living area, older or no car, fewer friends, few social contacts. Stuck in unrewarding ruts, persisting in losing propositions. Rarely undertaking new projects or endeavors. Rarely or never operating at full steam or enjoying the feeling of being fully alive. |
| DEPRESSION | Serious inner state with some or all of the following: Fatigued, indecisive, low or lost sex drive, non-specific (=vague) anxiety and guilt, hopelessness, withdrawal from people, harboring suicidal thoughts. | No rewards. In DEPRESSION, like in MANIA at the other end of the scale, you may endanger yourself and others. Think of "What's the use?" and "I will jump!" |
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The Dark Side of Antidepressants | Five Popular Myths about Depression The Painful Link between Mood and Money | Scientific Backup Data Executive Summary | Table of Contents | Antidepressant Horror Stories Contact InnerNet Research |