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to produce a change in someone or something
The weather can affect your mood.
Weather conditions can influence how you feel emotionally.
Often used to describe indirect influence or impact.
to pretend to feel something (often used in psychology)
Some people learn to affect emotions they don't actually feel.
Certain individuals practice displaying emotions they don't genuinely experience.
In psychology, this refers to the outward display of emotions that may not match internal feelings.
'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence, while 'effect' is usually a noun meaning result. Remember: 'A' for action (affect) and 'E' for end result (effect).
In everyday language, 'affect' is most commonly used to describe how one thing influences another.
From Middle English 'affecten', from Latin 'affectare' meaning 'to aim at, try to reach, strive after'.
In psychology, 'affect' can also be a noun referring to emotional experience. As a verb, it is often confused with 'effect', which means to bring about or cause.