Snacks. Sex. Shopping. Whether we realize it or not, all of us have strategies for self-medicating ourselves when we feel threatened or overwhelmed by tension or tiredness. But why do people respond to pressure in such different ways? And what really helps most to reduce tension and increase energy, a brisk ten-minute walk, twenty minutes of meditation, or two hours of watching TV?

In this fascinating book, now new in paperback, Robert E. Thayer serves as an expert guide through the latest scientific research into moods and mood management, revealing which behaviours energise and empower us, and which sabotage our best interests. (Just five or ten minutes of walking, for example, can enhance mood for an hour or more, while sugar snacking, Thayer shows, causes more tension that it reduces.) Far from a shallow quick fix book, The Origin of Everyday Moods brings readers to a new understanding of the underlying biology of their daily cycles of energy and tension, and offers powerful recommendations for breaking self-destructive habits and leading a richer, more enjoyable life.