Instrument |
Authors |
N |
Age of Population for Intended Use |
Concept of Happiness |
Number of Items |
Scaling methods |
Scoring interpretation |
Pemberton Hapiness Index |
Hervás and Vásquez[25] |
4.407 |
16-60 |
Meausre of integrative well-being that includes remembered and experienced well-being |
23 items |
Scale from 0 (total disagreement) to 10 (total agreement) |
PHI index is the sum of positive experiences and the sum of the absence of negative experiences (each item counted as “1”). The total sum is then divided by 12. |
Happiness-Enhancing Activities and Positive Practices (HAPPI) |
Henricksen and Stephens [12] |
2.313 |
Older subjects 55-73 |
Measure the importance and engagement of various happiness-enhancing activities |
22 items |
Five point scale from “not important at all” to “extremely important”. |
Higher scores represent the higher importance and engagement ratings for the corresponding activity. |
The Oxford Happiness Inventory
(Italian version) |
Meleddu, Guicciardi, Scalas and Fadda[29] |
782 |
Adolescents
14-19 years |
Measures positive psychological functioning: SWB and PWB: an eudaimonic model of well-being; a five-factor model |
29 items |
Four incremental levels of happiness: from 0 (I do not feel happy) to 3 (I am incredibly happy) |
The higher the scores,
the greater the
happiness. |
Happiness Subscale
of the short version of the Adolescent General Well-Being
(AGWB) scale |
Mahon and Yarcheski[43] |
127
early adolescents |
12-14
years |
Assesses adolescents´ personal experience of happiness |
9 items |
5- point Likert scale |
Higher scores reflecti perceived happiness. |
The Oxford Happiness Inventory
(has been used in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, United States, Australia, and Canada) |
Hills and Argyle [21] |
257 subjects |
18-82 years |
Three components: (1) the frequency and intensity of positive affect; (2) the average level of satisfaction; (3) the absence of negative feelings |
29 items |
Four incretal levels of happiness: from 0 (I do not feel happy) to 3 (I am incredibly happy) |
Higher scores reflect greater happiness. |
The Oxford Happiness Inventory
Hebrew translation for Israel |
Francis and
Katz [44] |
|
Adults |
Happiness made up of four components: the frequency and intensity of positive affect, the average level of satisfaction, the absence of negative feelings, and the feeling of self-fulfillment |
|
Four incremental levels of happiness, from 0 (I do not feel happy), to 3 (I am incredibly happy) |
Higher scores reflect
greater
happiness. |
The Subjective Happiness Scale |
Lyubomirsky and Lepper[26] |
|
14-94 years
(14 samples collected at different times and locations) |
A global subjective assessment
of whether one is happy or unhappy |
4 items |
Six-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not a very happy person) to 7 (a very happy person) |
Higher scores reflect greater happiness. |
Chinese
Happiness
Questionnaire (CHI) |
Lu and Shih [45] |
|
Undergraduate
students (mean age:
20.44 to 21.49 years) |
Measures subjective experiences pertaining to a variety of life domains |
48 items |
Each item has four
statements and each
statement represents
a different level of
subjective experience
of happiness which is
then coded as 0, 1, 2, 3. |
Higher scores, reflect greater
happiness.. |
The Depression–
Happiness Scale |
McGreal and Joseph [46] |
|
Undergraduate
students
17–35 years |
This scale represents depression
and happiness as opposite ends of a single continuum |
25 items |
Four-point scale
ranging from 0 (never)
to 3 (often) |
The higher the scores, the greater the feelings
of happiness and the lower the scores, the greater the feelings of
depression. |
The Happiness
Subscale of the
short version of
the Adolescent
General Wellbeing (AGWB) |
Columbo |
|
Adolescents 14-18 |
|
9 items |
Four-point Likert scale. |
Higher scores reflect
higher perceived
happiness. |
The Memorial
University of
Newfoundland
Scale of Happiness (MUNSH) |
Kosma and Stones
[42] |
|
Younger and older
adults |
Measures both short and long-term
aspects of well-being. |
24 items |
Yes/no |
The scale is scored by subtracting the negative items from positive items. |
The Mood Survey |
Underwood and Froming[47] |
|
Undergraduate students |
Measures three dimensions of mood:
the average level, the intensity, and the frequency of mood experiences |
18 items |
Six-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree |
Higher scores reflect greater happiness. |
Marital
Happiness
Scale |
Azrin, Naster&Jones, [48] |
|
Used primarily
for couples aged
23–56 years |
Measure of reported marital happiness in each of 10 areas of marital interaction |
10 items
represent
10 categories |
Each of the 10 categories was scored on a point continuum of self-reported happiness that ranged from 1 completely unhappy”
to 10 “completely happy”. |
Higher scores reflect greater happiness. |
The Bradburn Affect Balance
Scale (ABS) |
Bradburn
and Caplovitz[49] |
|
The young and the
middle-aged. It was not standardized on older subjects, but has been validated on
them several times |
Happiness is the difference between positive and negative affective states
and measure psychological well-being |
10 items |
Yes/no |
The scale is scored by subtracting the negative items from the positive items, plus a constant 5 to avoid negative values. |