Satisfaction with Life Scale
What It Measures
The Satisfaction with Life Scale asks a person to judge their life as a whole. Not how they feel today, and not how satisfied they are with work or relationships specifically — whether, overall, life is going the way they want it to.
Five statements are rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree on a seven-point scale: "In most ways my life is close to my ideal," "The conditions of my life are excellent," "I am satisfied with my life," "So far I have gotten the important things I want in life," and "If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing." Totals run 5 to 35. The judgement is against the person's own standard, not an external one.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The SWLS is in the public domain and not copyrighted. It may be used without permission or charge by researchers and practitioners, provided credit is given to the authors: Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen, and Sharon Griffin (1985).
Learn More: The SWLS measures the cognitive component of subjective wellbeing, deliberately separate from mood. That is why it pairs naturally with an affect measure such as the PANAS.