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Research Instrument Well-being // SWLS

Satisfaction With Life Scale

5-item scale measuring global cognitive judgments of one's life satisfaction.

Purpose Details Scientific Documentation Limitations Related

Purpose

Self-report research instrument, reproduced here under an open license for non-diagnostic educational, research, and self-reflection use.

Details

Administration
Self-Administered
Intended Use
Research

Scientific Documentation

Developer / Author
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S.
Development Year
1985

Theoretical framework: Measures global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one's life as a whole, as a component of subjective well-being.

Reliability: Original and subsequent studies consistently report high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha generally above .85).

Validity: One of the most widely used and validated measures of life satisfaction, correlating with other subjective well-being and mental health indicators across many populations.

References: Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75.

Limitations: Imported from the OpenScales open item-bank project. This specific digital implementation has not been independently clinically validated by PsiQ — scores are for self-reflection, research, and educational purposes only, and are not a diagnosis.

License: Public Domain. Citation: Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. This is not a diagnostic tool.

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