Among all the Holistic possessions ‘Happiness’ is the most important and most sought after goal (AND if that’s not for some….then it should be!).
‘HAPPINESS BAR’ can be taken as a surrogate for Holistic Wholesome Abundance
We have all heard the story that ‘Happiness’ comes from within….. But actually HOW I have wondered after trying and failing multiple times….we will talk more about it sometime later.
First step is recognition and acceptance of our UNHAPPY existence. There is not one perfect scoring system which can be considered as a benchmark for quantifying our HAPPY state. There is no score which incorporates all the 4 main aspects of our being- financial, relationships, health and spirituality.
There are several questionnaires available like The satisfaction with Life scale, The Happiness Measures, The subjective Happiness Scale, Oxford Happiness questionnaire, The Meaning in Life questionnaire to name a few.
There are some apps also available for iOS and android which can help in measuring our happiness volume. They are Happify, SuperBetter, Daylio, Track your happiness etc.
My personal favorite is The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (developed by Michael Argyle and Peter Hills at Oxford University in 2002). This has been validated scientifically in many studies. The PDF of the questionnaire can be downloaded here (OHQ).
It consists of 29 statements on Happiness which have to be scored between 1-6 individually.
The Scoring System is as follows;
1 = strongly disagree
2 = moderately disagree
3 = slightly disagree
4 = slightly agree
5 = moderately agree
6 = strongly agree
The first score which comes to your mind in response to a statement is usually one’s most honest answer.
Each statement marked (R) has to be reverse numbered like ‘1’ has to be renumbered as ‘6’, ‘2’ has to be renumbered to ‘5’, ‘3’ has to be renumbered to ‘4’ and so on.
At the end all the scores have to be cumulatively added and then divided by 29, which will give you your final Happiness Score.
This test can be undertaken on different days to gauge your progress on journey to Holistic Happiness.
29 STATEMENTS OF HAPPINESS
1. I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am. (R)
2. I am intensely interested in other people.
3. I feel that life is very rewarding.
4. I have very warm feelings towards almost everyone.
5. I rarely wake up feeling rested. (R)
6. I am not particularly optimistic about the future. (R)
7. I find most things amusing.
8. I am always committed and involved.
9. Life is good.
10. I do not think that the world is a good place. (R) _
11. I laugh a lot.
12. I am well satisfied about everything in my life.
13. I don’t think I look attractive. (R)
14. There is a gap between what I would like to do and what I have done. (R)
15. I am very happy
16. I find beauty in some things.
17. I always have a cheerful effect on others.
18. I can fit in (find time for) everything I want to.
19. I feel that I am not especially in control of my life. (R)
20. I feel able to take anything on.
21. I feel fully mentally alert.
22. I often experience joy and elation.
23. I don’t find it easy to make decisions. (R)
24. I don’t have a particular sense of meaning and purpose in my life. (R)
25. I feel I have a great deal of energy.
26. I usually have a good influence on events.
27. I don’t have fun with other people. (R)
28. I don’t feel particularly healthy. (R)
29. I don’t have particularly happy memories of the past. (R)
Interpretation of Score (by Stephen Wright):
1‐2: Not happy
2‐3: Somewhat unhappy
3‐4: Not particularly happy or unhappy
4: Satisfied
4‐5: Pretty happy
5‐6: Very happy
6: Too happy
Actions to be taken as per each score are:
1-2: have lot of pessimistic or negative attitude towards things/ life in general. Should look up for symptoms of depression.
2-3: Need to count blessings, writing five gratitude’s daily may be a good exercise.
3‐4: Little below average, indulging in ‘to-do daily’ exercises and jotting down gratitude’s may be helpful.
4: Average score, can improve by working towards goals.
4-6: Optimal HAPPINESS TARGET.
So, first step is increasing our AWARENESS, and please take the questionnaire as often as you feel.