The 'this' Keyword

The value of this depends on how a function is called — not where it's defined. In the global scope, this refers to window (or global in Node).

console.log(this === window);

function showThis() {
  return this;
}
console.log(showThis());

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Object Method Context

When a function is called as a method of an object, this refers to that object.

const person = {
  name: "Alice",
  greet() {
    console.log("Hello, I'm " + this.name);
  }
};

person.greet();

const greetFn = person.greet;
greetFn();

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Arrow Functions & this

Arrow functions don't have their own this — they inherit it from the enclosing lexical scope.

const counter = {
  count: 0,
  start() {
    setInterval(() => {
      this.count++;
      console.log(this.count);
    }, 1000);
  }
};

counter.start();

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🧪 Quick Quiz

What does 'this' refer to in a regular function called in the global context?

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