Mood and Temperament

“Provides a comprehensive review and synthesis of the scientific literature on subjective mood, its structure and measurement and its association with such important qualities as temperament, personality, psychopathology, and health. Graduate students and professionals in diverse mental health fields will find this a highly readable and informative overview of an increasingly significant area in the biobehavioral sciences.”

—Richard J. Davidson, PhD, William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Director, Wisconsin Center for Affective Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison


“For most of his career, David Watson has been the world's leading authority on positive and negative moods. His contributions have influenced many of the fundamental questions in social, personality, and clinical psychology. Mood and Temperament integrates Watson's impressive research with exciting new theories and approaches in psychology. This should be one of the most highly cited books in psychology for years to come.”

—James W. Pennebaker, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin


“Watson's numerous studies on mood, daily emotion, and temperament are like pieces of a mosaic. In this book, he steps back from his active research program to present the whole mosaic, such that the 'big picture' clearly emerges. The book summarizes the major advances that have occurred in our understanding of daily mood in the last 20 years. It is the most thorough coverage I have seen of the dispositional nature of mood, and should appeal to personality and social psychologists, clinical psychologists, and anyone else with an interest in the stream of affect we call day-to-day life.”

—Randy J. Larsen, PhD, Department of Psychology, Washington University