Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)

The SWLS is a short 5-item instrument designed to measure global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one’s life. The scale usually requires only about one minute of a respondent’s time.

If you would like to use SWLS on a 5-point scale, please refer to the following paper for norms:

Kobau, R., Sniezek, J., Zack, M. M., Lucas, R. E., & Burns, A. (2010). Well‐being assessment: An evaluation of well‐being scales for public health and population estimates of well‐being among US adults. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being, 2(3), 272-297. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1758- 0854.2010.01035.x

If you would like to use an abbreviated three-item form of the SWLS, please refer to the following paper:

Kjell, O. N., & Diener, E. (2021). Abbreviated three-item versions of the satisfaction with life scale
and the harmony in life scale yield as strong psychometric properties as the original scales. Journal
of Personality Assessment, 103(2), 183-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2020.1737093

Understanding SWLS Scores

If you would like to know more about SWLS and its related research, please read the following
papers, whose references are below:

Pavot, W., Diener, E. D., Colvin, C. R., & Sandvik, E. (1991). Further validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 57(1), 149-161. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5701_17

Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (1993). Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164-172.

Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(2), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760701756946