undefined
HomeAll templatespsychometric scalessubjective happiness scale

Subjective Happiness Scale

The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), developed by Sonja Lyubomirsky and Heidi Lepper (1999), is a 4-item questionnaire designed to measure a person's overall subjective sense of happiness for research or self-reflection.

2 minutes to complete

Eligibility

The Subjective Happiness Scale is a universal tool, so there are no specific eligibility criteria required to complete it. It can be used by anyone who is able to understand and respond to the questions, usually those above 13 years of age, irrespective of nationality, gender, or socioeconomic status.

Questions for Subjective Happiness Scale

Quick Navigation

Questions

1.

I consider myself:

For each of the following statements/questions, please select the point on the scale that best describes you

The answer should be a rating.
2.

Compared with most of my peers, I consider myself:

The answer should be a rating.
3.

Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you?

The answer should be a rating.
4.

Some people are generally not very happy. Although they are not depressed, they never seem as happy as they might be. To what extent does this characterization describe you?

The answer should be a rating.

Scoring

Scale Score
Not a very happy person 1
A very happy person 7

Interpretation

Score Range Interpretation
4 or higher You feel as happy as most people, or even happier.
less than 4 You feel less happy than most people.

Scales Similar to Subjective Happiness Scale

  • "The Personal Contentment Measurement Scale"
  • "Individual Satisfaction Index"
  • "The Subjective Joy Rating System"
  • "Personal Euphoria Evaluation Scale"
  • "The Self-Reported Blissfulness Index"
  • "Individual Perception of Happiness Scale"

Here are some FAQs and additional information
on Subjective Happiness Scale

What does the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) measure?

The SHS is a brief, four-question survey that measures your overall sense of happiness. It asks how happy you feel in general, compared to others, and how much you identify with descriptions of happy and unhappy people.

How is my happiness score calculated?

Your score is the average of your answers to the four questions. For the last question, your answer is reversed before averaging (for example, a 7 becomes a 1). The final score ranges from 1 (least happy) to 7 (most happy), with higher scores meaning greater happiness.

What does my score mean?

Most people score between 4.5 and 5.5. If your score is 4 or higher, you feel as happy as or happier than most people. If your score is below 4, you may feel less happy than average. Remember, this is just a snapshot of how you feel right now, and your happiness can change over time.

Want to use this template?

Testimonials

G2 BadgesG2 BadgesG2 BadgesG2 BadgesG2 Badges

What's next? Try out templates like
Subjective Happiness Scale

1000+ Templates, 50+ Categories

Explore more
Brief Histrionic Personality Scale
The Brief Histrionic Personality Scale (BHPS), developed by Ferguson & Negy, is an 11-item self-report tool designed to quickly screen for histrionic personality traits. It is used in research and preliminary clinical assessments to identify individuals who may exhibit attention-seeking and dramatic behaviors characteristic of histrionic personality disorder.
Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory
The Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory (PCI), developed by Stainton, Lay, and Flett (2000), measures how often individuals experience negative, procrastination-related thoughts. It is widely used in research and clinical settings to assess cognitive vulnerability to procrastinatory behavior.
Patient Health Questionnaire
The PHQ-9, developed by Dr. Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, is a brief, self-administered questionnaire used to screen for, diagnose, and monitor the severity of depression in clinical and research settings. It is widely used by healthcare professionals to guide treatment decisions and track patient progress over time.
Romantic Jealousy
The Short Form Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (SF-MJS) by Elphinston, Feeney, and Noller measures cognitive, emotional, and behavioral jealousy in romantic relationships. Instantly understand your jealousy profile with this validated assessment.
Trust Scale
The Trust Scale by Rempel, Holmes, and Zanna (1985) measures trust in close relationships across predictability, dependability, and faith. Higher scores indicate stronger trust in a partner.
Pathological Internet Use
The Pathological Internet Use (PIU) questionnaire, developed by Dr. Kimberly S. Young, is a brief screening tool used to identify individuals at risk of problematic Internet use and its impact on daily functioning.
Bullshit Frequency Scale
The Bullshitting Frequency Scale (BFS), developed by Shane Littrell and colleagues (2020), measures how often individuals engage in persuasive or evasive bullshitting in everyday situations. It is used in psychological research to assess individual differences in the tendency to stretch the truth to impress, persuade, or avoid discomfort.
Impulsivity Scale for Children
The Impulsivity Scale for Children (ISC), developed by Tsukayama, Duckworth, and Kim (2013), is an 8-item questionnaire used to assess impulsivity in school-aged children across academic and social domains. It is commonly used in educational and psychological research to identify and quantify impulsive behaviors.
Child Adolescent Bullying Scale
The Child Adolescent Bullying Scale (CABS), developed by Strout et al. (2018), is a 20-item self-report tool designed to assess the frequency and severity of bullying experiences in children and adolescents. It is used for screening and identifying at-risk youth in clinical, educational, and research settings.
Game Addiction Scale
The Game Addiction Scale (GAS), developed by Lemmens et al., is a 7-item questionnaire used to assess problematic video game use in adolescents and adults. It is widely applied in research and clinical settings to screen for gaming addiction symptoms.
Teacher Burnout Scale
The Teacher Burnout Scale is a 20-item self-report questionnaire used to assess the level of burnout experienced by teachers. It is commonly applied in educational settings to identify and measure symptoms of burnout among educators, with reference from Campbell, L.P. (1983), "Teacher burnout: Description and prescription."
Sensation Seeking AISS
Developed by Jeffrey Arnett, the AISS measures individual differences in preference for novel and intense experiences. Use this template to interpret sensation seeking scores for research, education, or personal insight.
CAGE AID Questionnaire
The CAGE scale is a brief, four-question screening tool for identifying potential alcohol or substance use disorders, commonly used in clinical settings. It was developed by Dr. John Ewing in 1984.
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Postnatal depression, as described by Elliott (2000), is depression occurring within the first year after childbirth, affecting up to 30% of mothers with symptoms like sadness, fatigue, and difficulty bonding with the baby.
Belonging Engagement and Self Confidence
The BES (Belonging, Engagement, Self-Confidence) scale, developed by Yorke (2016), measures university students’ perceptions of their sense of belonging, academic engagement, and self-confidence. It is commonly used in educational research and student support services to identify areas where students may need additional support or intervention.
Healthy Selfishness
The Healthy Selfishness (HS) scale, developed by Barry Kaufmann and Emanuel Jauk, measures an individual’s capacity for self-care and setting healthy boundaries. It is used to assess adaptive self-focus that supports psychological well-being.
Critical Social Justice Scale
The Critical Social Justice Attitude Scale (CSJAS), developed by Oskari Lahtinen in 2024, is a validated seven-item measure of “wokeness” or critical social justice attitudes. It is used to assess agreement with key tenets of critical social justice theory in research and population studies.
Mental Health Continuum
Explore the Mental Health Continuum webpage, offering comprehensive insights into various stages of mental health, from healthy and reactive stages to injury and illness. Understand the smooth transition between these stages, along with effective coping mechanisms, treatments, and prevention strategies. Empower yourself to promote mental well-being within your community.
Appearance Anxiety Inventory
The Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI) is designed to measure cognitive and behavioral aspects of body image anxiety, particularly in individuals with visible differences or body dysmorphic concerns. Developed by Alex Clarke and colleagues in 2013, it assesses preoccupation with appearance, avoidance behaviors, and safety-seeking behaviors. The AAI is widely used in clinical psychology and cosmetic surgery settings to evaluate body image distress.
Nurturant Fathering Scale
The Nurturant Fathering Scale, developed by Finley and Schwartz (2004), measures perceived emotional support and involvement from one’s father. It is used in research and clinical settings to assess the quality of father-child relationships.
State Self Esteem Scale
The State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES), developed by Heatherton and Polivy (1991), is a 20-item questionnaire used to measure an individual's momentary self-esteem across performance, social, and appearance domains. It is widely used in research and clinical settings to assess temporary changes in self-worth.
Rumination Response Scale
The Rumination Response Scale (RRS), developed by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, is a self-report questionnaire used to assess the tendency to engage in repetitive, passive focus on distress and its possible causes and consequences. It is widely used in psychological research to measure rumination in both clinical and non-clinical populations.
Groningen Sleep Quality Scale
The Groningen Sleep Quality Scale (GSQS), developed by Meijman et al. (1988), is a brief questionnaire used to assess subjective sleep quality for the previous night. It is widely used in research and clinical settings to quickly identify poor sleep patterns.
Advertisement Skepticism
The SKEP scale, developed by Obermiller and Spangenberg (1998), is a 9-item Likert questionnaire designed to measure consumer skepticism toward advertising.
Lying in Everyday Situations Scale
The Lying in Everyday Situations Scale (LiES), developed by Hart, Jones, Terrizzi Jr., and Curtis (2019), is a 14-item questionnaire that measures an individual's tendency to lie in daily life using a 7-point agreement scale.
Scrupulosity PIOS
The Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity (PIOS), developed by Jonathan S. Abramowitz and colleagues in 2002, is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess religious and moral obsessions and compulsions, especially in the context of OCD.
Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire
The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ), developed by Demetrovics, Szeredi, and Rózsa, is an 18-item tool used to assess the severity and patterns of problematic internet use across three domains: obsession, neglect, and control disorder.
Caffeine Use Disorder Questionnaire
The Caffeine Use Disorder Questionnaire (CUDQ), developed by Ágoston et al., assesses the severity of caffeine use disorder symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria. Its purpose is to screen and quantify problematic caffeine use in adults.
Obsessive Compulsive Inventory
Developed by Foa et al., the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire designed to help identify and measure the severity of OCD symptoms for informational and screening purposes.
Positive Mindset Index
The Positive Mindset Index (PMI) was developed to measure an individual's momentary mental positivity or well-being through a quick and user-friendly survey. John A. Barry, Annie Folkard, and William Ayliffe originally published it in 2014.
Social Media Use Questionnaire
This questionnaire helps you reflect on your social media habits and their impact on your daily life. Use your responses to gain insights and make informed choices about your social media use.
Brief Resilient Coping Scale
The Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), developed by Sinclair and Wallston (2004), is a 4-item self-report measure designed to assess how well individuals cope with stress in a resilient and adaptive manner.
Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale
Developed by Dr. Morris Rosenberg, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is a widely used tool for measuring self-esteem. Your score reflects your current self-esteem level based on your responses to the scale.
WHO Well Being Index
Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO-5 is a validated tool for assessing subjective well-being.
Grit Scale
The GRIT-S, developed by Dr. Angela Duckworth and Patrick Quinn, is an 8-item scale designed to measure perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Its purpose is to assess an individual's ability to sustain effort and interest over time.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
The AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption), developed by the World Health Organization, is a validated, three-question screening tool for identifying hazardous drinking and potential alcohol use disorders. It is widely used in primary care and clinical settings for rapid assessment of alcohol consumption patterns.
Supernatural Belief Scale
The Supernatural Belief Scale (SBS) is used to measure an individual's tendency to believe in supernatural entities, places, and events, capturing the cognitive aspect of religiosity. It was developed by Jonathan Jong, Matthias Bluemke, and Jamin Halberstadt in 2013. The scale is widely used in cross-cultural research to assess supernatural beliefs across diverse religious backgrounds
The Gratitude Scale
The Gratitude Scale- Six Item Form (GQ-6) is a widely used self-report tool designed to assess an individual's tendency to experience gratitude in daily life. Developed by McCullough, Emmons, and Tsang (2002).
Brief Irritability Test
The Brief Irritability Test (BITe), developed by Susan Holtzman, Brian P. O’Connor, Paula C. Barata, and Donna E. Stewart, is a quick, 5-item self-report scale designed to reliably measure irritability in adults.
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire is a 29-item self-assessment that measures key aspects of psychological well-being, such as positive emotions, life satisfaction, and personal fulfillment. It was created by psychologists Peter Hills and Michael Argyle at Oxford University.
Satisfaction with Life Scale
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a brief, 5-item self-report instrument designed to measure global cognitive judgments of one’s satisfaction with life as a whole. It was developed by Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen, and Sharon Griffin, and first published in 1985 in the Journal of Personality Assessment.
Social Media Disorder Scale
The Social Media Disorder (SMD) Scale, developed by R.J.J.M. van den Eijnden, J.S. Lemmens, and P.M. Valkenburg, is a validated nine-item tool designed to assess problematic social media use. Introduced in 2016, the SMD Scale provides a reliable measure to distinguish between disordered and high-engaging non-disordered users.
Social Skills Test
Discover your social skills strengths and areas for improvement with our Social Skills Test. This unique online tool assesses your interpersonal abilities in various situations, providing valuable insights and actionable feedback. Enhance your communication, empathy, and interaction with our comprehensive test. Start your journey to improved social skills today!
Social Media Use Questionnaire
The Social Media Use Questionnaire asks about how often and in what ways people use social media, including habits and feelings related to their online activities. It helps researchers or educators understand patterns and potential problems in social media behavior.
Scale of Positive and Negative Experience
The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), developed by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener, is designed to measure an individual’s general emotional experiences - both positive and negative - over a recent period, providing a comprehensive overview of subjective well-being.
Subjective Happiness Scale
The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), developed by Sonja Lyubomirsky and Heidi Lepper (1999), is a 4-item questionnaire designed to measure a person's overall subjective sense of happiness for research or self-reflection.

Want to create secure online forms and surveys?

Join BlockSurvey.

About Us

BlockSurvey is a privacy-focused platform for collecting data through forms, surveys, assessments, and quizzes. The data collection is end-to-end encrypted, and it ensures complete privacy of your audience from Big Tech. With an array of ready to use templates, it is tailored for the needs of businesses and individuals from Web 3, HR, Mental Health, Sexual Health, Activism and many sensitive areas where data collection needs protection.

SHARE