The Way Mood Shapes Emotions: From Experiments to a Mood Assessment Application

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Claudia Rabaioli, Nicolò Dozio, Riccardo Giussani, Aurora Saibene, Daniele Romano, Francesco Ferrise, Francesca Gasparini

Published: 22 Oct 2025, Last Modified: 29 Jan 2026CrossrefEveryoneRevisionsCC BY-SA 4.0
Abstract: Although mood and emotion are often considered distinct concepts, their precise definitions remain a matter of debate within the scientific community. In this study, we propose to assess mood in a real-life environment using a combination of physiological measures and self-assessment questionnaires. We benefit from the insights gained from our pilot study in designing the experimental protocol. In particular, regarding the selection of stimuli, we hypothesise that mood will have a greater influence on the evaluation of neutral or low-polarised stimuli on the unpleasantness/pleasantness dimension of Russell's Circumplex Model of Affect. Furthermore, we have developed a smartphone application to serve as a more reliable platform for Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs). Our experiment will involve 90 university students over a period of two weeks.