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Happiness Measures

Characteristics

Code:
A-BB-cw-mq-v-4-g
Focus:
Affect: Balance (Bradburn's index) (A-BB)
Time frame:
last week (cw)
Mode:
multiple questions (mq)
Scale Type:
verbal scale (v)
Scale Range:
4

Description

Self report on 10 questions:

"During the past few weeks, did you ever feel ....?"
A   Particularly excited or interested in something?
B   So restless that you couldn't sit long in a chair?
C   Proud because someone complimented you on something  
     you had done?
D   Very lonely or remote from other people?
E   Pleased about having accomplished something?
F   Bored?
G   On top of the world?
H   Depressed or very unhappy?
I    That things were going your way?
J    Upset because someone criticized you?

Answer options and scoring:
1  never
2  sometimes
3  often
4  very often

Summation:
-Positive Affect Score (PAS): A+C+E+G+I
-Negative Affect Score (NAS): B+D+F+H+J
-Affect Balance Score (ABS): PAS minus NAS
Possible range: -15 to +15

Name: Bradburn's 'Affect Balance Scale' (adapted version)

List of Studies Using this Measure

Study Population N Mean
Standard Deviation
Smits et al. (1995): study NL 1992 Elderly, Sassenheim, the Netherlands, 1992 N = 119
Mean
= 27.480
SD
= 3.770