To improve emotional wellbeing we must first be able to monitor it. Measurement can provide a broad snapshot of emotional wellbeing to inform interventions, identify individuals who might benefit from early support, evaluate the impact of targeted interventions and empower individuals to become aware of, manage, and act on their own moods (Public Health England, 2015). As such, monitoring mood presents a crucial opportunity and first step to improve psychological flexibility and wellbeing outcomes.

Technology now affords opportunities to capture real time and longitudinal profiles of mood and context. This novel data makes it possible to understand relationships between mood and contexts that subsequently lead to personalised and powerful mood insights. Smart phone technology is emerging as a promising and innovative way of supporting emotional wellbeing (Rodriguez-Villa et al 2021). Incorporating mood monitoring into a smartphone app enhances the integrity of the information, as the user can complete the mood-input quickly and confidentially with minimal disruption to their daily activities, and using a device with which they are very familiar (Rodriguez-Villa et al 2021). Therefore, App based mood monitoring has the potential to harness the popularity of mobile technology to develop a sustainable and engaging way of monitoring and providing real-time feedback on mood and emotional wellbeing.