About the test
Life satisfaction test
Five statements from the Satisfaction With Life Scale show how you judge your life as a whole, on a score from 5 to 35.
Questionnaire / instrument: Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)
The test at a glance
- Price
- Free, including results
- Registration
- No account required
- Length
- 5 statements
- Time
- About 1 minute
- Format
- Self-report · seven response options
- Your report
- Score from 5 to 35, your answers and tips
The six score ranges
Your total falls into one of six ranges, from Ed Diener's guide to the scores:
30–35: Very high satisfaction
You are very happy with your life, though it need not be perfect.
25–29: High satisfaction
You like your life, and things are mostly going well.
20–24: Average
You are mostly satisfied, but would like to improve some things.
15–19: Slightly below average
There are small problems in several areas, or one larger problem.
10–14: Dissatisfied
Several parts of life are not going well, or one or two are going very badly.
5–9: Very dissatisfied
You are very unhappy with your life right now, and support from others may help.
What your results show
Your report is available straight after the last statement. You can preview an example before starting.
- Your score from 5 to 35 and what the range means.
- Your five answers, so you can see where the score comes from.
- What usually shapes life satisfaction, with tips that fit your result.
What does it measure?
How satisfied you are with your life as a whole, judged by your own standards. The scale asks about the overall picture and leaves it to you to decide what matters most.
Where does it come from?
The Satisfaction With Life Scale was published in 1985 by Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen and Sharon Griffin. It was made to measure the thinking side of well-being: how you judge your life, rather than how you feel at a given moment.
How is the result calculated?
Each of the five statements is answered from 1 to 7, and the answers are added up to a score from 5 to 35. The six ranges in your report come from Ed Diener's guide to the scores.
What can the result tell you?
This is a self-report, and your mood and recent events can affect it. The ranges are rough guide marks from Diener, and we have no norms of our own. It is not a diagnosis and cannot show whether you have depression or another condition.
Languages and adaptations
English follows the original scale. Most translations come from the list on Ed Diener's site, with small corrections and gender-neutral forms where needed. The Norwegian answer labels, the Brazilian Portuguese adaptation, the Simplified Chinese conversion and the Indonesian version are our own. We have not checked them against validated versions. Our explanations and result commentary are written for this website.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good score?
There is no right score. According to Ed Diener's guide, the average in economically developed countries is 20–24, and 25 or more counts as high.
Is life satisfaction the same as happiness?
Not quite. Happiness often refers to how you feel from day to day, while life satisfaction is how you judge your life as a whole. You can be stressed this week and still be satisfied with your life.
How can five statements be enough?
The scale asks directly about one thing: your overall judgement of your life. That is why it can be short. It does not tell you which parts of your life are going well or badly.
Can a low score mean that I am depressed?
No. The test cannot show that. If you feel low over time, a doctor or psychologist can help you find out what is going on.
Can my score change?
Yes. Life events affect it, and after a loss or crisis it often rises again with time. Taking the test again later can show how things have changed.
Are my answers anonymous?
Answers are stored without your name or contact details, and you can delete your result later.
License and reuse
Free with creditEd Diener's site lets anyone use the Satisfaction With Life Scale without permission or charge, as long as the authors are credited.
The terms below apply to the test materials. Articles, translations, software and our result descriptions may have separate terms.
Sources and further reading
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13