Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
by Dr. Steve WrightThe Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was developed by psychologists Michael Argyle and Peter Hills at Oxford University. Take a few moments to take the survey. This is a good way to get a snapshot of your current level of happiness. You can even use your score to compare to your happiness level at some point in the future by taking the survey again. If you are using some of the interventions presented on this site to raise your happiness level, you can see whether your score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire goes up as a result.
Instructions
Below are a number of statements about happiness. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each by entering a number in the blank after each statement, according to the following scale:
1 = strongly disagree
2 = moderately disagree
3 = slightly disagree
4 = slightly agree
5 = moderately agree
6 = strongly agree
Please read the statements carefully, because some are phrased positively and others negatively. Don’t take too long over individual questions; there are no “right” or “wrong” answers (and no trick questions). The first answer that comes into your head is probably the right one for you. If you find some of the questions difficult, please give the answer that is true for you in general or for most of the time.
The Questionnaire
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) _____
Calculate your score
Step 1. Items marked (R) should be scored in reverse:
If you gave yourself a “1,” cross it out and change it to a “6.”
Change “2″ to a “5″
Change “3″ to a “4″
Change “4″ to a “3″
Change “5″ to a “2″
Change “6″ to a “1″
Step 2. Add the numbers for all 29 questions. (Use the converted numbers for the 12 items that are reverse scored.)
Step 3. Divide by 29. So your happiness score = the total (from step 2) divided by 29.
I recommend you record your score and the date. Then you’ll have the option to compare your score now with your score at a later date. This can be especially helpful if you are trying some of the exercises, and actively working on increasing your happiness.
Reference
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: a compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.
I’ve used “don’t” rather than the more staid and formal “do not” in the phrasing of the questions above; I decided to give preference to my own sense of what is more natural and conversational in American English. (Remember that the questionnaire was developed in England.) I’ve also added the phrase “(find time for),” which psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky uses for clarification in question 18.
–
Note: Michael Argyle died in 2002. If you would like to contact Peter Hills, you can email him at p_r_hills “AT” hotmail “DOT” com or contact him by telephone/fax in the UK: Tel.: +44-1235-521-077; fax: +44-1235-520-067.
11
PM
I took the happiness questionnaire and scored a 3.9. But what does that mean? 3.9 out of what? and compared to what? Please send me more info!?!?!
13
PM
The highest score you can get on an item is a 6, and the lowest a 1. If you add up all your scores and divide by the number of questions (29 questions), you’d get an average score for all the questions. The highest possible average would be 6, the lowest possible would be 1. Right in the middle would be 3.5, so you might think that’s what the average person would get, but this is just a raw score. In fact, other studies show that people are generally somewhat happy on average. So it may not be surprising to hear that the average score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire is right around a 4, which is essentially what you got (since you got 3.9 out of 6).
Rather than compare yourself to other people, it’s probably more meaningful to compare your score now to your score later, and see if there’s a change. Some of the exercises on this site have been shown in scientific studies to make a lasting, positive impact on happiness. You might want to try some of them (I’ll be adding more), and see if they work for you. A few gratitude exercises are already on the site:
*Gratitude Journal & Gratitude Lists
*Gratitude Visit
22
AM
Dear sir,
I am Pallavi and i plan to do my thesis on Happiness.I wish to know if this is reliable test to usefor the same.
Could u please tell me the copyright conditions involved to use it for my thesis.
Waiting in anticipation.
Thank you.
Regards,
Pallavi
22
AM
Well, what I have specific numbers for is internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability for the short form of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire in a study of 55 Northern Irish undergraduates who took it twice, two weeks apart. Hills & Argyle report that internal consistency was satisfactory both times: Time 1 (alpha = .62) and Time 2 (alpha = .58). They found stability across the two administrations to be satisfactory (r = .69), with no significant change between Time 1 (M = 34.5, SD = 5.4) and Time 2 (M = 34.6, SD = 5.2).
I suggest you talk with your advisor about permission and copyright issues as it relates to your thesis.
Michael Argyle died in 2002. If you would like to contact Peter Hills, you can email him at
p_r_hills “AT” hotmail “DOT” com(see update immediately below) or contact him by telephone/fax in the UK: Tel.: +44-1235-521-077; fax: +44-1235-520-067.Update (October 2009): The email address immediately above, which I found on a Peter Hills web page, seems not to be working. See my October 20, 2009 comment below.
11
AM
dear sir,
I am pankaj mehta. I am a researcher from India and interested in work on happiness. I want to do a study with the OHQ-short form. To the best of my knowledge it is to be used when there is lack of time. I have a plan to research managers in the corporate sector. May i get OHQ–short form from you? If it is possible than send it with its technical specification.
Waiting for your help.
Pankaj Mehta
email: [hidden]
11
AM
Yes, I’ve been meaning to post the Short Form of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. I’d like to create a new page and provide a link to it here; I’ll try to arrange to do that soon. Thanks for asking.
13
AM
Sir,
I have mailed you earlier for the OHQ–short form. I have read your reply.
But would you please send me the OHQ–short form with technical specification by my email.
My email: [hidden]
I’m urgently in need of the instrument.
with regards
Pankaj Mehta
13
AM
Alright, I’ll send it to you now.
30
PM
Dr Steve,
I got 2.28 !!
What does that means ?
30
PM
What country are you from (the one you identify with culturally)? When various people answer this test of how happy they are, there are differences between people and also differences between countries. In some Asian countries, for example, people - on average - score lower than U.S. Americans. It’s probable that at least some of this is a cultural difference in the way people evaluate their happiness and in the way they express themselves in responding to these kinds of questions (rather than only a difference in the fundamental feeling of happiness itself, in that moment). But no one really knows exactly how much is due to what factors.
As a general answer to your question, see my first comment above, which is a response to a similar question asked by Michele W.
1
AM
yeheeyyy i’ve got 4.8, I hope it becomes higher when i get to my 40th years… I’m 34 now…
3
PM
I answered as honestly as I could and scored 1.6!
How could one be luckier than to live in this city, this province, and this country?
Of course, I live in Toronto, Canada, and that alone should guarantee that I’ll be in the top decile for happiness, shouldn’t it?
4
PM
Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this, so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
6
AM
Dr Steve,
I took the happiness questionnaire and i answered all the question as honestly as i could and i’ve scored a 4.41. Is that means im a moderately happy?
7
PM
I will use this questionnaire for my thesis.. hehe
11
AM
Dear sir,
I am Pallavi from India .Could you please mail me the OHO short form on my e mail id.I need it for my thesis.
Awaiting in anticipation.
Warm regards,
Pallavi
13
AM
Hahaha I got 1.62 and I’m surprised it wasn’t 1. All laugh at me for been a sad !@#$, and I got one thing to say to all you kids lol’ing: life’s short, enjoy it while you can
14
PM
Dear Dr. Wright,
The charity with which I work is building a mixed-income, environmentally positive, arts-infused community in California; the community includes low-income working artists, arts patrons, youth aging out of the foster care system, and people who have been homeless and are entering our housing with services. We have been seeking a tool that could be self-administered at our website, or taken with assistance of a case worker, to measure before and after “happiness” as well as changes in happiness for those who were interested in but not able to secure a place in the project in the first round.
Would you be interested in allowing us to use your questionnaire to measure those changes? We have sought but have not as yet received any funding for studying our interested/resident populations but it seems a terrible shame to let the opportunity go by. People will start being selected in July, moving in from September to November.
Thank you for your consideration.
Elizabeth
17
AM
Dear Dr. Wright,
I need you help, i am doing a research work. For the same, i wish to use OHQ. I will really appreciate if you can mail me the questionnaire and the details for it, as it is one of the important tools for me to conduct the study.
Thanks in advance !
Regards
Swati
17
PM
In case anyone else reading this is curious, I responded by email to Pallavi and to Elizabeth (above).
Swati, which version of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire do you want to use? The full version is 29 questions, and appears above, including all the explanation participants need to take the test (and score it). The short version (8 questions) sacrifices just a little for what it gains in brevity - the short form correlates highly with the long form (r = .95) - but I’d use the long form unless brevity is clearly preferable in your study.
I can see that this blog about happiness, meaning, and related positive psychology topics has been gaining a lot of momentum recently and is attracting increasing attention from new visitors. That makes me think I should spend some more time on it, including creating a post about the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short form (which I’ve already promised to do). Thanks for the interest. It definitely makes a difference.
19
PM
I took this test because I’ve been feeling consistently happy for months now. It’s the longest I’ve ever been this happy in my life. When I was clinically depressed, there were similar questionnaires to measure “how depressed” I was to see the severity of my condition. I figure, why not measure happiness, too? (I scored a 5, by the way!)
22
AM
Dear Dr. Wright,
I would like to receive a copy of your short form questionnaire. I want to include in a short ebook I will distribute free of charge. I currently do a monthly tv segment on positive psychology and book and tools to increase life satisfaction(you may view older shows on my site under AM Arizona or on YouTube under my name, or servingsuccess). I like to have things to offer the audience to continue their interest and hopefully put them into action.
If you agree, please send a copy and a short note granting permission.
With appreciation, Andrea
24
PM
dr steve
i got a 4.3 what does that mean?
26
AM
hey dr steve,i got 4.76
i guess i am generally happy and does age matter as u see i am only 16 
maybe there is a age reqiurement?
26
AM
I got 5.517 and am a father of a 1.5 year old baby from India. I should take this test after my second child:-)
26
PM
Dr. Wright - How can I obtain permission to use this scale in my dissertation?
Please respond.
26
PM
I’m afraid I really don’t know much at all about such things, I’m sorry. I’ll try to find out more about it.
I mentioned above (in response to a comment) that Michael Argyle died in 2002, but if you’d like to contact Peter Hills, you can email him at
p_r_hills “AT” hotmail “DOT” com(see my October 20, 2009 comment below) or contact him by telephone/fax in the UK: Tel.: +44-1235-521-077; fax: +44-1235-520-067.I’ll put this information at the end of the article too.
27
AM
Dear Sir,
I’m a final-year undergraduate in the UK intending to write my dissertation on happiness, and am considering using the OHQ. Would it be possible for you to provide a few details about its advantages and limitations, as I believe you’ve used it before, and any information you may have on how to go about getting permission to use it?
Many thanks
Nesrin
27
PM
Dear Sir my score is 3.1 what those it means?
thank you
28
PM
Dear Dr. Wright,
I have checked back to see if I had been sent or granted the right to use the short form. I am a bit confused since I did not ask an important question. I see you emailed the short form to someone else, but do you have the right to grant use or is that also the right of Dr. Hills? Thanking you in advance. Andrea
29
PM
Dear Dr. Goeglein,
I’m sorry. I’ve been out of town for almost a week and have had limited opportunities to see and respond to comments. I did take a quick look at your web site, but because your question is a little more involved, I didn’t feel I could answer right away.
This is not my instrument, and I have no “right to grant use” as well as little knowledge of which uses require permission, but I have emailed Dr. Hills, and will contact you by email after I hear back from him. I have seen the short form on the web, but at the moment I’m not sure where. I emailed a graduate student and recommended that he talk with his advisor about getting the appropriate permissions.
2
AM
Ghazal Zaidi
Dear sir,
I am a student of Msc psychology, department of psychology and applied psychology University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. I plan to do my thesis on happiness and gratitude. I want to uses Oxford Happiness Questionnaire please give me permission to use scale free of cost. I am waiting for your reply.
Thank you in anticipation.
Regards,
your trully
ghazal
3
PM
Hi Ghazal,
The psychologists who created this questionnaire are Michael Argyle and Peter Hills. Michael Argyle died in 2002, and I’m having a hard time contacting Peter Hills. I suggest you talk to your advisor about the situation.
4
AM
hey dr. wright i got a 2.62……
thats bad..aint it?…..
7
AM
Dear Steve
I completed my Thesis on Locus of Conrol and it’s influence on Happiness, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed completing the questionnaire above.
Nonetheless, I wonder if you would agree that the questionnaire’s results are highly dependent on the state of mind of the person at that moment in time during which it was completed. Thus, the results do not reflect a stable level of happiness that exists within us as a bench-mark.
I feel that our happiness levels hover around this bench-mark, and euphoria or joy, and disappointments or losses can lead to variations in most people’s level of happiness. In some it may be extreme (e.g. bi-polars), while some may be more centered (e.g. Monks).
I find the questionnaire most useful to be used by individuals to guage the variations of their happiness levels over time. THis would help people understand how ‘centered’ they are.
I did not find the questionnaire useful to judge the set-point of happiness that is relatively stable within us over a long period of time. I wonder if you would agree with the above.
Babar
7
AM
Hi Ghazal
I used the Deiner’s ‘Satisfaction with Life’ Questionnaire for my theisi, which is free to use, should you not be able to obtain the permission to use this questionnaire.
Kind regards
Babar
19
AM
Dear sir,
I am hannah from philipines .Could you please mail me the OHQ short form on my e mail id.I am currently working on my thesis bout levels of subjective well being, and i need some instruments to use..
is this reliable to use?
Awaiting in anticipation.
many thankz,
hannah
31
PM
I got to your site per wikipedia and took the survey. Although I will not state my score I will say that is is something that I never asked myself or anyone has asked me in my life. I wonder of others who have lived day to day and year to year as time goes by without anyone asking them or even asking yourself if you are happy. There can be many aspect of happiness. In life, love or family. Who knows what “contentment, satisfaction and joy” feel like. If you could explain I would like to know Dr. Wright. I am not trying to be sarcastic or negative. But how can I know?
6
AM
i got 5.13 so thats gotta mean im pretty happy
6
AM
Apropos to the above comment regarding the vicissitudes of happiness; it’s an interesting point. I have type 2 bipolar and I’m eager to see if my results will vary in extremes. I scored a 2.13 taking it for the first time, but I do suspect that this could vary wildly independent of material life changes.
17
AM
Jill, you’ve raise some important issues. Right in the middle of them is the basic question “What is happiness?”
After thinking about it awhile, I’ve realized this is a better topic for its own blog entry (or even a journal article) than a quick response here.
But let me mention one point. There seem to be two main meanings of happiness. One is happiness as a transitory emotion, a feeling. There are researchers who seem to think this is all there is, and would define a happy life as nothing more than a series of emotionally “up” moments.
Another meaning has a stronger cognitive component, and involves memory and evaluation. When a mother says her children have been her joy in life, or when a guy with a melancholy or crabby disposition looks back with great satisfaction and says his life was wonderful and that he’s happy, do we disbelieve them?
Researchers have not yet come to an agreement about this dichotomy. They’re still quite a ways from being able to shed much light on most of the big questions. What’s really known scientifically advances slowly.
In the meantime, reflect, meditate, be mindful, search your heart for what’s really important, and live life to the fullest.
17
AM
I wonder how much scores would vary if one test group was asked the questions by a bland homely looking person and another test group was asked the questions by an upbeat attractive person.
17
PM
I scored a 2.6…. If I read this correctly, I’m not doing so hot on this happiness thing.
29
AM
My score was 1.8 *sigh* It would be nice to see a collection of results for this test somewhere to see how alone or not we are with our scores.
30
PM
I am 72 years old still working part time I scored 3.13 where do I stand
Thank you
30
AM
hi pallavi,
i am a research scholar from university of rajasthan, jaipur. i am also working on happiness. i have read ur mail on this site i want to contact u for study purpose. if u find this message and feel comfortable in contacting me than plz mail me. my email id is mehhta.pankaj “at” gmail ‘dot’ com
thanks
30
AM
hi ghazal
i am research fellow from university of rajasthan, jaipur, India. i am also working on happiness. i want to contact you for work together. plz reply on my email i.e. mehhta.pankaj “at the rate” gmail “dot” com.
many thanks
pankaj
3
AM
I got 4.1 Is that bad?
11
AM
Sonntag/Nachmittag/111009
Colleagues and Friends:
This test, questionaire, evaluator is superb because it helps define what is happiness (i.e., paints a picture on what it looks like), why we are happy (i.e., what we must do to achieve happiness), and combines philosophical, religious (spiritual), and psychological perspectives.
Bravo!
12
PM
I scored a 5.6! I always knew I am an exceptionally happy person, and now it is scientifically proven. Great!
12
PM
Hello Dr.Steve,
Thanks for the questionnaire. I scored 3.8 and I guess it means I’m as happy as an average person. Presently, I’m recovering from depression. The result matches my own experiential perception of my happiness state. I intend to keep track of my progress with the help of the questionnaire. Thanks once again for the free service.
18
PM
Hi,
I tried to e-mail Peter Hills in order to get a permission to use the questionnaire but the e-mail delivery failed. Is there an alternative address I could use?
20
PM
Yes, I had the same experience when I tried to email Peter Hills. I’m afraid I don’t have any other contact information. I will try a couple other avenues and will post the results here, but please check back because I may not be able to do it (or get results) right away.
24
AM
I am from Mississauga, Ontario (right next to Toronto)and I got 2.5. Funny, multiply that by ten and you have my age. I would have scored lower except for some strange reason I can laugh at things even when I feel bad. I have borderline personality disorder and an eating disorder. I will have to take this test again, I am going to the hospital soon for my ED and would like to see how it changes when I am done.
24
PM
OK I got 3.86
But the question has got to be, what made me search for such a test, something is surely not right if I’m asking myself if I’m happy or not?
But at least I’ve found out I’m happier than I thought, and when I’m not considering the level of my happiness, I’m sure it will be higher!
Good times are coming, and for you too, if you give it time, even if you got a low score
26
AM
Hello Babar,
I just read your comment. I’m also studying the influence of Locus of Control on Happiness. I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about your research, the scales you used, etc.
Thanks,
Janhavi
1
PM
Hmm, I scored 1.5, but I’m absolutely not surprised about this outcome.
And I’m also aware that I have to do something about it. So, just another affirmation, but nevertheless thanks for publishing this short questionnaire.
Cheers,
Chris
9
PM
I got a 5.34 and I think that fits for me, I am a super happy person. My motto is to Live a more balanced and joyful life. Whenever I am feeling a little down, I make myself a gratitude list to see what wonderful things I actually have going for me and that puts everything else into perspective (a positive one!).
10
AM
Well I got a 2.89 so I guess It could be worse. The main question is, HOW do you become happier? There’s loads of books on the subject that harp on and on but none tell actually answer the question you really want answered, HOW.
13
AM
There are a lot of books, and many of the ones written in recent years are by experts who back up their ideas with empirical research. Naturally they want to give some background on how we know what we know, and most of them are good at making that part interesting. But most of them also make a point of telling you HOW to be happier.
Tal Ben-Shahar, professor for the most popular class at Harvard, wrote the book Happier, and subtitled it “Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.” There are exercises throughout the book that tell you exactly what to do.
University of California professor Sonja Lyubomirsky wrote her book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, specifically as a how-to guide to becoming happier. Check out my blog entry about it.
And Martin Seligman, founder of the modern positive psychology movement, gives you lots of tools to improve your approach to your life satisfaction, including specific interventions like the gratitude visit in his book, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment.
13
PM
Hi Dr. Steve, Thanks for the questionnaire and explanation. I got 4.1.
And i know i can change my old habits and i hope to be a more open and sociable, happy and confident person. Certainly, life is sometimes out of control. It’s not easy to find my targeted career, and a more stable and meaningful life. I guess that’s why the aged person can be happier than the young according to Wikipedia info. From this list, i got to know how to change in some ways — healthier, happier. Thank you.
16
PM
I’m curious, Dr. Steve ~ what is your score?
16
PM
I scored 2.2Θ. Sad but true.:-D
28
PM
Ingrid,
I took the questionnaire myself and scored pretty high on happiness, but I don’t remember the exact number. I looked for it since you asked, but apparently I didn’t write it down. I plan to take it again when I have a chance, and I’ll post my score here after I do.
3
PM
dear doc…
I’m impressed with this kind questionnaire… am searching for something to help my friends be happier in the workplace… it would be appreciated if you can give me any ideas on it as an eye opener.
regards, siva.
23
AM
Aristotle writes about happiness in the nichomachaen ethics i think; jill, you might be interested.
28
PM
THAT GAVE ME A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. ALSO HAPPY THAT MY 3.72 MEANS (FOR ME) THAT I’M ABOUT AVERAGE. EVEN THAT IS ENCOURAGING AT THIS MOMENT!
3
PM
The results that I got from this questionnaire matched with my state of happiness that I believe I currently have, which is good.
One thing that I noticed is that individual questions are highly correlated with the overall happiness, so the answers may be biased towards achieving the state of happiness that he/she believes he/she has.
I am not sure if there are questionnaires that are more complex, so that the subject can’t predict how individual answers affect the overall result. A pessimistic or optimistic subject can predict the target result based on individual questions, and in this way the answers may be tweaked so that the target result is achieved.
8
PM
Betim, you raise a couple of good points.
Can people’s actual level of happiness be different from the level of happiness they think they have? Or is the person him/herself the best judge of his/her own internal state of happiness? Is happiness the same as subjective well-being? I think most psychologists are not ready to try to draw these distinctions. At the very least, they would be hesitant at this point to assert that we had the means to do so with any scientific rigor at present. So currently a questionnaire like this that asks questions straightforwardly and somewhat transparently (and expects that people will just answer simply and honestly) serves its purpose.
I have conducted research using questionnaires that took a more complex and indirect approach, just as you suggest, i.e., the Sense of Community Index based on Hogge’s lens model. But in that case the underlying theoretical model was explicitly more complex, Sense of Community being theorized as consisting of four discrete elements. When the questions are intended simply to combine to get at a single scalar construct without such complications, each question’s being highly correlated with that construct is not inappropriate.
15
PM
A friend asked me to send him some comments on how to be happy. To do this I needed two things: 1) his definition of happiness, and 2) to see if my idea of how happy I am would match this test score. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us. Mickey
17
AM
hello sir,
your response was very appreciated by me….
its ok if u don’t have an interpretation,
but i want to thank you for the efforts you made in responding to my mail and comment.
i had already consulted my adviser about that problem, and fortunately we found a way to interpret the scores.
thanks also for the info of validity and reliability.
these are all appreciated by us sir.
thank you very much,,,
more power to you sir…
hanna
6
AM
Dear Sir Wright,
I found your test very interesting, for today I got 3.1379
I have intention to follow your page.
Thanks.
Yesim