General Happiness Scale

The General Happiness Questionnaire was originally developed by Lyubomirsky & Lepper (1999) and an offically-published version can be found on the UPenn website here. We offer it here for your convenience, but highly recommend visiting the official Authentic Happiness website and discovering ALL of the great, science-backed questionnaires. You can create an account for free.

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The General Happiness Questionnaire

For each of the following statements and/or questions, please read each one and then select the point on the scale that you feel is most appropriate in describing you.

  1. In general, I consider myself: Score yourself a 1-7, with 1 being "Not a very happy person" and 7 being "A very happy person."
  2. Compared to most of my peers, I consider myself: Score yourself a 1-7, with 1 being "Less happy" and 7 being "More happy."
  3. Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you? Score yourself a 1-7, with 1 being "Not at all" and 7 being "A great deal."
  4. Some people are generally not very happy. Although they are not depressed, they never seem as happy as they might be. To what extent does this characterization describe you? Score yourself a 1-7, with 1 being "A great deal" and 7 being "Not at all."

Once complete, average your four scores together to arrive at a general happiness score.

Score Interpretation


Score Range Description Interpretation (Aligned with Seligman’s Framework)
6.0–7.0 Very High Happiness Indicates flourishing. Likely experiencing positive emotion, engagement, and meaning—all core components of Seligman’s PERMA model. You're functioning at a high psychological and emotional level.
5.0–5.9 High Happiness Generally happy and emotionally healthy. May still benefit from deepening purpose or enhancing daily engagement. You're doing well on positive emotion, possibly building toward achievement or relationships.
4.0–4.9 Moderate / Average Happiness The most common range. Reflects a balance of positive and negative experiences. You may be functioning but not flourishing. Could benefit from working on meaning or cultivating gratitude and strengths, per Seligman.
3.0–3.9 Low-Mid Happiness May be experiencing dissatisfaction or emotional stagnation. Indicates opportunity for intentional change. Could suggest low scores on engagement, accomplishment, or relationships.
1.0–2.9 Low Happiness Suggests emotional distress or disengagement from life. May benefit from structured interventions—like practicing gratitude, identifying signature strengths, or seeking positive psychotherapy.