Today's Tuesday • 7 mins read
— By Dr. Sandip Roy.
The Satisfaction with Life (SWLS) Scale measures a person’s satisfaction with their life as a whole.
It measures the cognitive component of Subjective Well-Being (SWB), and provides an integrated judgment of how a person’s life is going.
Positive psychologists refer to happiness as subjective well-being (SWB); we discuss its five components later in this post.
How Satisfied You Are In Life: Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)
The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) measures global life satisfaction. It has been used in hundreds of studies and has already shown good predictive properties.
Take the test below:
Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)
Courtesy: Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larson, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment.
INSTRUCTIONS: Below are five statements with which you may agree or disagree. Using the 1-7 scale below, indicate your agreement with each item by placing the appropriate number on the line preceding that item.
Scale:
- 7 = Strongly Agree
- 6 = Agree
- 5 = Slightly Agree
- 4 = Neither Agree nor Disagree
- 3 = Slightly Disagree
- 2 = Disagree
- 1 = Strongly Disagree
Your Score: /35
Score Interpretation:
- 30-35: Highly Satisfied
You are highly satisfied with your life. Individuals who score in this range love their lives and feel that things are going very well. Their lives are not perfect, but they enjoy the challenges that they face. For most people in this range, life is enjoyable, and the major domains of life are going well – work or school, family, friends, leisure, and personal development. - 25-29: Quite Satisfied
You are quite satisfied with your life. Individuals who score in this range like their lives and feel that things are going very well. Their lives are not perfect, but they may draw motivation from the areas of life that they are dissatisfied with. - 20-24: Average Satisfaction
Your score is within the range of average life satisfaction of individuals in economically developed nations. Individuals in this range are generally satisfied, but have some areas where they would like some improvement. This is normal as most individuals typically seek to improve their life circumstances. - 15-19: Slightly Dissatisfied
You are likely to be experiencing significant problems in several areas of your life, or substantial problems in one particular area. If this is due to recent events, your satisfaction level will likely improve over time. However, if you have been feeling this sense of dissatisfaction with your life over a long period of time, this is a sign that some changes are in order. This may be a good time to seek the help of others, such as a friend or family member, or a professional counselor. - 5-14: Quite Dissatisfied
You are quite dissatisfied with your life. If this is in response to the occurrence of recent events, your satisfaction level will likely improve over time. However, if you have been feeling this sense of dissatisfaction with your life over a long period of time, this is a sign that significant life changes are in order. Certain areas in your life may not be working out well, such as in your work or in your relationship. This may be a good time to seek the help of others, such as a friend or family member, or a professional counselor.
Interpreting Your SWLS Score
- 30 and Above: Highly satisfied with life. You love your life and feel things are going very well, even if not perfect. Counted for most people in this range, your life is enjoyable. And the major domains of your life are going well – work or school, family, friends, leisure, and personal development.
- 25 to 29: Quite satisfied with life. You like your life and feel things are going well, but there might be some areas for improvement. If you score in this range, you might want to focus on the areas of your life you are dissatisfied with.
- 20 to 24: Average life satisfaction. You are generally satisfied with your life, but may have some areas you could improve. This is normal, as most people are generally satisfied with their lives while wishing to improve some of their life circumstances.
- 15 to 19: Low life satisfaction. You may be experiencing noteworthy problems in one or several areas of your life. You may need to seek help from others. If this is due to recent events, your satisfaction level will likely improve over time.
- 14 and Below: Very low life satisfaction. Quite dissatisfied with life. Significant life changes may be needed, and seeking help from a professional is recommended. If you have been feeling this sense of dissatisfaction with your life over a long period of time, this is a sign that significant life changes are needed.
What To Do Next
- 30 and Above: Keep up the great work! Focus on maintaining the positive aspects of your life, and continue to find ways to grow and challenge yourself.
- 25 to 29: Turn to see the areas of your life that you are dissatisfied with. Reflect on what's working well and consider small, manageable steps to address the areas you'd like to improve.
- 20 to 24: You may seek to improve your life circumstances and/or habits. Identify the specific areas you'd like to focus on and create a plan to make positive changes, one step at a time.
- 15 to 19: You may need to seek help from others. If this is due to recent events, your satisfaction level will likely improve over time. Consider reaching out to trusted friends, family, or a professional counselor to help you go through your challenging period and develop coping strategies.
- 14 and Below: Don't hesitate to seek professional counsel, especially if you have been feeling this sense of dissatisfaction with your life over a long period.
Subjective Well-Being (SWB)
Subjective Well-Being is not just about how fit or happy you are now, or how many material possessions you have. It is about how you look at and evaluate your whole life, including your emotions, relationships, and sense of purpose in life.
5 Parts of Subjective Well-Being
- Cognitive Component: This is the logical, rational measure of your life satisfaction. It finds out how content and fulfilled you feel with your lot (circumstances) in life as a whole. Measured by Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).
- Positive Affect: This measures your positive emotions — joy, enthusiasm, and contentment. Feeling positive feelings is a must-have part of overall well-being. Measured by Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS).
- Negative Affect: This considers the presence of negative emotions like sadness, anxiety, and anger. A key part of one's subjective well-being is reducing unpleasant feelings in life. Measured by Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
- Eudaimonic Well-Being: This is a deeper aspect — it focuses on Meaning and Growth. It measures how well you have fulfilled your human potential. It involves recognizing that your life has purpose and that you are becoming the best version of yourself. Measured by Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being and Flourishing Scale (FS).
- Social Well-Being: This is about having good connections with family and friends. It is about how you feel like you belong to a community and that people care about you. This sense of belonging and feeling like you fit in with your community is important for your overall well-being. Measured by Social Well-Being Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale.
Final Words
The Satisfaction With Life Scale remains a key tool in positive psychology research and practice for measuring overall life satisfaction and understanding how it affects well-being.
Its simplicity and clarity make it suitable for both clinical settings and research purposes.
√ Also Read: Why You Feel Bored With Life: Measure Your Boredom Proneness
√ Please spread the word if you found this helpful.
