Subjective Well-Being Scale

The Subjective Well-Being (SWB) Scale is a broad category of brief instruments measuring how satisfied people are with their lives and the frequency of positive and negative emotions they experience. Originating from Diener's foundational work in the 1980s, SWB scales operationalize the recognition that well-being is fundamentally subjective—how people evaluate their lives matters more than external objective conditions. Various forms exist, including the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and multi-item composites measuring life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect.