Free Oxford Happiness Test
The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
Your score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire reflects your current happiness level, which will vary depending on what you DO and how you THINK (40% of your happiness is dependent on your intentional activities!). It’s a great test to re-take regularly in order to track your progress on becoming a happier person. Your score will be different from your happiness set point, your genetically determined starting point.
Instructions
Below are a number of statements about happiness. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement by entering a number in the blank after each of them. Use the following scale:
1 = strongly disagree
2 = moderately disagree
3 = slightly disagree
4 = slightly agree
5 = moderately agree
6 = strongly agree
Please read the statements carefully, because some are phrased positively and others negatively. There are no right or wrong answers and no trick questions. Just answer what comes to your mind first.
The Questionnaire
1. I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am. (X) _____
2. I am intensely interested in other people. _____
3. I feel that life is very rewarding. _____
4. I have very warm feelings towards almost everyone. _____
5. I rarely wake up feeling rested. (X) _____
6. I am not particularly optimistic about the future. (X) _____
7. I find most things amusing. _____
8. I am always committed and involved. _____
9. Life is good. _____
10. I don’t think that the world is a good place. (X) _____
11. I laugh a lot. _____
12. I am well satisfied with everything in my life. _____
13. I don’t think I look attractive. (X) _____
14. There is a gap between what I would like to do and what I have done. (X) _____
15. I am very happy. _____
16. I find beauty in some things. _____
17. I always have a cheerful effect on others. _____
18. I can find time for everything I want to do. _____
19. I feel that I am not especially in control of my life. (X) _____
20. I feel able to take anything on. _____
21. I feel fully mentally alert. _____
22. I often experience joy and elation. _____
23. I don’t find it easy to make decisions. (X) _____
24. I don’t have a particular sense of meaning and purpose in my life. (X) _____
25. I feel I have a great deal of energy. _____
26. I usually have a positive influence on events. _____
27. I don’t have fun with other people. (X) _____
28. I don’t feel particularly healthy. (X) _____
29. I don’t have particularly happy memories of the past. (X) _____
How to calculate your score
Step 1. 12 items have been marked with an (X). These should be “reverse-scored” as follows:
If you gave yourself a “1,” cross it out and change it to a “6.”
Change “2″ to a “5″
Change “3″ to a “4″
Change “4″ to a “3″
Change “5″ to a “2″
Change “6″ to a “1″
Step 2. Using the changed scores for those 12 items, now add your scores for ALL the 29 items.
Step 3. Your happiness score = the total (from step 2) divided by 29.
The lowest possible score is obviously 1 and the highest possible score is 6. The average is around 4.3. Your own score will have most meaning by comparing it to a future score of yours (say in 3 months) to see whether you are making progress in becoming a happier person (before you re-take the test, you should work on something that is scientifically proven to boost your happiness such as counting your blessings every night, i.e. finding 3 things that you are grateful for – or anything else of course).
Reference
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: a compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.
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September 15th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
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