What is the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)?

The SWLS is a 5-item scale designed to measure global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one's life. It focuses on cognitive rather than affective components of subjective well-being.

Who developed the SWLS and when?

Developed by Ed Diener, Robert Emmons, Randy Larsen, and Sharon Griffin in 1985. Dr. Ed Diener is often called the "father of happiness research."

What type of assessment is the SWLS?

It is a brief self-report questionnaire measuring the cognitive component of subjective well-being.

What does the SWLS assess?

• Life Satisfaction: Overall evaluation of one's life as a whole
• Cognitive Well-being: Conscious evaluative judgments about life
• Personal Standards: How life measures up to individual expectations
• Life Conditions: Satisfaction with current life circumstances
• Life Changes: Willingness to change aspects of life

How is the SWLS scored?

Each item is rated from 1-7 (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree), with total scores ranging from 5-35. Higher scores indicate greater life satisfaction.

What are the score interpretations?

• 31-35: Extremely satisfied
• 26-30: Satisfied
• 21-25: Slightly satisfied
• 20: Neutral
• 15-19: Slightly dissatisfied
• 10-14: Dissatisfied
• 5-9: Extremely dissatisfied

What are the strengths of the SWLS?

Brief and easy to use, strong psychometric properties, widely validated across cultures, focuses on cognitive rather than emotional well-being.

What are the applications?

Research on subjective well-being, intervention studies, population surveys, clinical assessment of life satisfaction.