Take The Test: How Happy Are You?

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now.

I'm a big believer in using milestone moments as cues for evaluation and reflection. Hitting a milestone like a major birthday, marriage, the death of a parent, the birth of a child, the loss of a job, an important reunion, or the accomplishment of a career marker like getting tenure or making partner, often acts as a catalyst for positive change.

The new year is, of course, a milestone that we all share. The tradition of making New Year's resolutions reflects the fact that a lot of us want the change in the calendar to prompt a change in our lives.

If you'd like to do some self-reflection, but you're not sure exactly how to get started, check out the questionnaires on the University of Pennsylvania's Authentic Happiness site. It has nineteen scientifically tested questionnaires that cover your overall happiness, your character strengths, your optimism, your perseverance, your compassion, and many other aspects of your life and character.

Even if you don't agree with the scores you get, merely taking the test and seeing the results helps to act as a catalyst for self-reflection. Plus it's fun - I love taking these kinds of tests.

Have you found other methods to spur self-reflection and to build self-knowledge?

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Interested in starting your own Happiness Project? If you'd like to take a look at Gretchen Rubin's personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email her at grubin, then the "at" sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. No need to write anything more than "Resolutions Chart" in the subject line.

Comments

[slarabee]

I took this test and it said I am happy but that by all accounts I should not be so happy just yet.
George W. Bush is still the President for another 27 days and still has plenty of time to destroy any of the remnants of hope that I still have manged to cling to through the last mind numbing 8 years of absolute stupidity.

[PSTEN]

I think they just want your e-mail address to add to their list.

[Whycee54]

If you need to take a test to determine how happy you are, then I would think you aren't too happy.

[jimmyjones22]

I think people do it more for fun than to actually see how happy they are

[meanguy]

i'm extremely happy...i feel sorry for those whose happiness depends on external events/forces
-they don't know what they're missing

[ludmilla]

As Lincoln once said, I'm about as happy as I decide to be. However, as someone who has studied human research, I'm a little paranoid about Web sites that have me fill out traceable questionaires containing personal information about my mental state of mind.

[CatladyLinda]

Yes, maybe you are a little paranoid.

[PSTEN]

Lincoln was a very depressed puppy. Happy is very over rated. That's all I gotta say about that.

[ApolloSpeaks]

Dear Gretchen:

Isn't this the wrong blog for a happiness project? Practically everyone here is miserable that the earth isn't heaven and heaven earth. If you can figure out how to turn the one into the other you'll have a following bigger than the Pope's.

[Yarrr]

I'm not going to bother registering for some test to tell me that I'm unhappy when I already know that.

[arunachala]

just fine !

[SpaghettyIrish]

Chick Crack at it's finest.

[angelaboston]

Here's a test that tells you how happy your are, and it's shorter and 100% accurate. Ready? Here goes:

Question 1: How happy are you?
(a) Totally fabulously happy (and not because I'm stoned)
(b) Quite happy, thank you (woo hoo)
(c) Happy sometimes, sad other times (note: please take "Are you Manic-Depressive" test)
(d) Pretty bummed, actually
(e) Please, please kill me now.

Now score yourself. If you answerd (a) give yourself 5 pts, b=4, c=3, d=2 and e=1

Analysis:
4-5: You're happy, but watch out for being too happy, that can grate on others
3: Normal, except that you are taking tests to see if you are happy
2: Kinda down. You are probably a Republican or Bernard Madoff manages your money
1: Come on baby, cheer up. Christmas will soon be over.

[SparkyDash]

LMAO...tha­nks!

[cinemaven]

I woke up this morning with my wonderful husband beside me. The dog was wedged between us and the cat was curled around my husband's head. I woke my son and called my other son to find out how his dinner went. (he was cooking turkey for his friends)

I touched base with two friends and two of my sisters and talked to my aunt for an hour.

I wrapped a few presents and I laughed with my hubby and son as we watched Caddyshack together.

My husband was laid off permanently from work last month and times are very lean at the moment but happiness is still very attainable. It's hard for me to not be happy when I have such an amazing family, so much love and laughter and great friends. Of course, I was smart enough to have married a man who is also balanced and happy and both our boys came out smiling too.

Tomorrow is my day to teach at our local food bank and that always leads to much blessing counting for me. I acknowledge and appreciate all of the wonderful things in my life and I'm thankful that the difficulties are small... in comparison.

[Tatiana]

WOW! Can't relate but good for you.

[freshjaan]

That's sweet.

[shirleyfeeney]

how inspiring.­..thanks for the reminders of what's important and what's possible.

Best of luck to you all in 2009.

[mlaiuppa]

You have to register.

I'm not registering for one more site that's going to spam my e-mail.

[Culturemaven]

Yeah, registering for stuff makes me sad.

[GirdwoodAnnie]

Registering for stuff depresses me.

[southman]

that's why we have anon yahoo mail accounts for all this stuff.

[leestorm]

egg-zactly. I registered and used the same fake name account I used to register for Huff Post. I said I was born in 1900, that makes me 108... I'm still smoking hot and waiting for Willard's birthday wish.

[Kiba]

Use a throwaway account at Mailinator.

http://www.mailinator.com/

[SKMojo]

If you're not preoccupied with whether you're happy or not, you're... at the least... content. And that should make you happy. Or something like that, anyway.

[lovethehuff]

Obama's going to be President and Bush is on his way out...I'm DEFINITELY happy!

[GirdwoodAnnie]

Sarah Palin isn't the VP - I'm thrilled!!!!!!

[SparkyDash]

and Joe Biden is...I'm smiling

[MsEngineer]

I am taking Jan. 20 off from work, cracking open a bottle of my best wine, kicking my heels up on the coffee table and enjoying the day. Haven't stopped smiling since the concession speech.

[jemiltd]

Took the test just to see the value. Not worth the time.

[sareader]

Yep, all you get is a score, without any explanation of what it means. This post is very misleading and just an obvious attempt to help this guy conduct his study.