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.