Measuring positive emotions

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Citation:

Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., & Larsen, R. J. (2003). Measuring positive emotions. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures (pp. 201-218). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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Abstract:

The authors discuss some of the issues surrounding the measurement of positive emotions. The first section briefly discusses approaches to understanding the nature of emotional experience and the resulting models. The next section reviews the different methods that have been used to assess positive emotions, and discusses the promises and problems of using these methods. The simplest and most flexible measurement techniques are self-reports of emotions, which should be complemented with a broad array of non-self-report measures including informant reports, facial coding, and psychophysiological measures in order to attain a complete understanding of emotional experience. The Intensity and Time Affect Survey (ITAS) and the Satisfaction with Life scale are appended. 

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