Gain Insights Into Your Emotional Well-Being With A Happiness Test

As humans, many of us strive to find happiness in our lives. We often search for ways to understand what brings us joy and fulfillment—yet we can still struggle to comprehend the complexities of our feelings.

While some happiness tests are designed without scientific backing, many have been adapted from widely accepted self-report scales and reviewed by mental health experts. In this article, we’re covering happiness, common ways it is measured, and how you can find assessments that will help you evaluate your emotional well-being.

Happiness – definition and sources

Learning more about the concept of happiness, and the elements that may influence it, can help us better understand how certain happiness tests are developed. There are many different interpretations of happiness, ranging from a global definition focusing on positive emotions and life satisfaction to more nuanced interpretations based on one's purpose or values.

Subjective well-being is often used to measure happiness through factors like relationships, physical health, and joy. It comprises two elements: experienced well-being (e.g., happiness and joy) and evaluative well-being (e.g., employment status, social support). Evaluative well-being can help us assess our overall level of contentment, whereas experienced well-being can give us feelings of pleasure. 

Engagement and meaning have also been found to be core elements of happiness. Engagement refers to feeling a sense of purpose in life, while meaning connects us to something larger than ourselves. These two factors can help us feel motivated, hopeful, and fulfilled.

When developing a definition of happiness, it can also help to consider its sources. The biology of happiness examines how hormones, neurotransmitters, and environment can impact our emotions. Hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin can affect how happy we feel. Serotonin can help us feel relaxed and content, dopamine can make us feel excited and motivated, and oxytocin can help us bond with others and feel loved and accepted. When there is an imbalance in these hormones, it can lead to mood swings and negative emotions. Neurotransmitters like endorphins and GABA also influence our happiness. Endorphins are the "feel-good" chemicals that make us feel energized and happy, while GABA helps us manage anxiety and stress. 

Recent research suggests that some people may be more predisposed to happiness than others due to their genetic makeup, with one study finding that subjective well-being has a heritability of 80%. However, your environment can also significantly affect your overall happiness. Stress, social support, physical activity, and other environmental factors can all impact our well-being.

While some elements of happiness are out of our control, we can take proactive steps to reduce stress, build social support, and lead healthier lives. As we’ll discuss below, reflecting on what brings us joy and fulfillment through measures of happiness may help us prioritize activities that make us feel truly happy.

Quantifying happiness

Now that you know how happiness can be defined, you may wonder how to measure it. Self-report measures are among the most common methods of evaluating one’s happiness. These measures include surveys and questionnaires, which can help people assess their subjective well-being. While there are no clinical tests that measure happiness, self-report scales can indicate how content and satisfied you feel. They can help identify areas that need your attention so you can take informed steps toward improving your happiness and well-being. 

Happiness tests may include questions about your financial situation, life satisfaction, relationships, work-life balance, physical health, and other areas affecting your overall well-being. The advantage of self-report measures is that they are often easy to administer and inexpensive. They can also be taken periodically to measure levels of certain elements of happiness over time. However, they are often subjective and don't always capture the full context of a person's life. 

One common assessment used to measure happiness is the Subjective Happiness Scale, which is a 4-item self-report questionnaire. The four questions relate to an individual’s personal happiness as well as their happiness related to their peers. You can print out and complete this test and then ask a mental health professional to help you interpret your results. 

There are also versions of happiness tests that are adapted from the optimism-pessimism scale. In these tests, answers to different scenarios and self-assessment questions measure where a person falls on the optimism-pessimism continuum.

Alternative methods for measuring happiness include using information from biometric readings or behavioral observations. Biometric data—taken from physiological measurements of heart rate, skin temperature, brain activity, and other data points—can provide insights into a person’s emotional state. Research shows, for example, that pulse rate can be a useful indicator of well-being. Behavioral observations, on the other hand, involve looking at how people behave in different situations and can provide a more accurate picture of their moods.

It is important to remember that measuring happiness can be complex and is, essentially, subjective. However, exploring methods like self-report measures, biometrics, and behavioral observations can help us better understand our happiness and what makes us truly content. 

Using happiness test results for self-improvement

Once you’ve taken a happiness test and received your results, you may be able to identify areas in which you can make changes and improve your overall well-being. You can start by outlining your goals, then setting milestones that can help you achieve them. When you identify areas where you can make improvements and set achievable goals, you may be more motivated to stay on track. For example, if your test results indicate a lack of social connection, you can set a goal to reconnect with one old friend a week.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do to promote emotional wellness is to be kind to yourself. Caring for your mental and physical health can make the changes you're striving for easier to achieve. Self-care goes beyond the physical and can include engaging in creative activities, practicing relaxation techniques, or simply taking time for yourself to be alone.

Self-care has been shown to increase resilience, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Taking the time to nurture your physical and mental health can help you maintain a positive outlook and reach your goals faster, potentially facilitating increased happiness. 

Why happiness matters

Happiness is more than just a feeling — it can affect all aspects of your life. Studies have shown that happier people live longer and healthier lives, are more productive at work, perform better academically, and have stronger relationships with family and friends.

Additionally, happiness has been linked to increased self-esteem, improved decision-making skills, and a lower risk of depression and anxiety. When you are joyful and content, making positive changes in your life and creating meaningful experiences can also be easier.

Happiness tests are just one way of measuring your overall well-being. While they can be useful for understanding your current state and starting the self-improvement process, they are not a substitute for professional guidance.

Investing in your happiness is an important part of self-care and self-improvement. But, sometimes, you may need extra help. Treatment such as therapy can provide the support you need to identify areas for improvement and start working towards achieving your goals. With dedicated, personalized care from a licensed therapist, you can work together to find what makes you happy and make the right changes to get there.

Cultivating happiness with online therapy

Recent clinical trials indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can improve a person's positive affect and overall happiness. Online therapy commonly utilizes CBT to help people gain insights into their feelings, problem-solve, and develop coping strategies for managing difficult emotions. In one study on the efficacy of online cognitive behavioral therapy, researchers concluded that treatment “led to significant increases in happiness and decreases in depression”. 

If you are struggling to find happiness in your life, online therapy can help guide you toward a healthy lifestyle that helps you reach your goals and live with greater joy. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can work with a licensed therapist to evaluate and process your emotions from the comfort of home, through video call, voice call, or in-app messaging. You can also reach out to your therapist between sessions, which can be helpful if you forgot to mention something during therapy or you’re simply feeling as though happiness is elusive.