HEDONIC TONE, PERCEIVED AROUSAL, AND ITEM DESIRABILITY - 3 COMPONENTSOF SELF-REPORTED MOOD

Self-reports of mood are the most frequently used measure of subjectiv e emotional experience in studies of human emotion. The present study evaluated the degree to which self-reports of mood reflect the social desirability of an affective state, rather than the hedonic tone and t he level of arousal. associated with such states. The study produced t hree main findings. First, the desirability of a mood and the hedonic quality of a mood are related, but not identical entities. Secondly, t he desirability of a mood is also related to the level of arousal the mood denotes. Thirdly, desirability components are related to the self -report ratings of mood, but the ratings also reflect the hedonic tone and level of arousal describing the internal state of the respondents . Social desirability does affect the self-report ratings that are oft en used in emotion research, but such ratings also reflect something a bout the internal state of the respondents.