Moods are generally considered to be similar to acute emotions but characterized by lower excitatory intensity, longer experiential duration, and greater diffuseness in terms of both causal circumstances and motivational implications. Nico Frijda (1993) considers the motivational nonspecificity of moods to be their primary defining property. Acute emotions, such as fear or anger, tend to be attributed to inducing conditions and are typically associated with specific behavioral objectives. Moods, in contrast, need not be connected to particular causes and are marked by the absence of impulsion toward specific courses of action.

There appears to be little consensus, however, on whether or not the experience of mood requires conscious awareness. William Morris (1989), for example, suggests that moods may be consciously experienced or may manifest themselves without awareness. The stipulation that individuals need be neither conscious of their moods, nor cognizant of potential...