Be it your housemate, your kid, your husband/wife or closest friend, it's always annoying to have somebody near to you be in a sour mood. When it happens, most people tend to try one of these things which just make things worse.

Ask them about it

There are certainly times when people need to vent. If somebody appears upset, ask them what the problem is. They probably just want someone to vent to. But, allowing someone to indulge in their bad mood only makes it worse and if you ask them if they'd like to talk about it, that's exactly what you're doing. They could actually lash out at you if you make any sort of remark on the story they share with you. Don't ask them about it. Let them throw a quiet tantrum. They will feel silly later when they realize they were stomping around, slamming drawers and you just had to endure it. My friend who teaches little kids how to sing deals with moody little kids all the time. Regardless of what a brat they are acting like, she never gives in and asks them what the problem is. She recognizes the potential for a full-blown fit. Little did she know going into her profession that being a voice coach meant doubling as a child psychologist!

Try to fix it

When someone is in a bad mood, they are not in fixing mode. They want to be angry and you trying to fix their problems irritates them because solutions take them further away from being what they want to be, which is angry. If you try to offer up solutions, they will come up with reasons why your solutions won't work. If they're in a seriously bad place they could just start spewing venom at your and making you feel dumb for so much as recommending solutions.

Joke about it

If you're the type that has a sense of humor about everything, you may find yourself wanting to make jokes to get someone out of their bad mood. You could even try to tease them a bit to try and get them to find the humor in things. This rarely works. They'll think you just see them as somebody who is silly and whose feelings and issues in life are all a big joke.

The smartest thing to do when somebody's having a mood swing is to just steer clear of them. You could have to put up with some harsh words, some doors being slammed and some sharp looks. However, if you just reaming quiet and put up with it, they will most likely feel guilty and ashamed later when they realize what a baby they were acting like and in the end, they'll be paying you an apology. However, if you attempt to intervene, you'll pay for it. Consider a bad mood like a subway moving with lots of momentum. You just gotta allow it to run its course.