Description

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a brief self-report instrument developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin in 1985. It assesses an individual’s overall cognitive evaluation of life according to personal expectations and standards.

The scale contains five statements and does not separately examine specific areas such as employment, health, finances, or relationships. Instead, it captures the respondent’s global judgment of how closely their life corresponds to their personal ideal.

Life satisfaction represents the cognitive component of subjective well-being and is conceptually distinct from emotional experiences such as positive and negative affect.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SWLS is to provide a brief and reliable assessment of global life satisfaction. It examines the extent to which individuals believe that:

  • their living conditions are satisfactory,
  • their lives are close to their personal ideal,
  • they have achieved important goals,
  • they are generally satisfied with the course of their lives,
  • they would change relatively little if they could live their lives again.

The scale is used in health psychology, clinical and social research, positive psychology, and quality-of-life studies. It may also be used to evaluate changes following psychological, social, or therapeutic interventions.

Structure

The SWLS contains five items that generally represent a single dimension of global life satisfaction. It does not include reverse-scored items.

Completion usually requires approximately one minute, making the scale suitable for large research protocols, repeated assessments, and studies involving diverse populations.

Scoring

Each item is rated using a seven-point Likert-type scale:

  1. Strongly disagree
  2. Disagree
  3. Slightly disagree
  4. Neither agree nor disagree
  5. Slightly agree
  6. Agree
  7. Strongly agree

The total score is calculated by summing the five responses and ranges from 5 to 35. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with life.

The conventional descriptive interpretation is:

  • 31–35: Extremely satisfied
  • 26–30: Satisfied
  • 21–25: Slightly satisfied
  • 20: Neutral
  • 15–19: Slightly dissatisfied
  • 10–14: Dissatisfied
  • 5–9: Extremely dissatisfied

These categories are descriptive benchmarks rather than clinical diagnostic thresholds.

Statistical Analysis

Analysis may include the mean, standard deviation, median, range, and distribution of total scores. Internal consistency is commonly evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha or McDonald’s omega.

The proposed unidimensional structure may be examined through confirmatory factor analysis. Associations between life satisfaction and self-esteem, social support, depression, anxiety, or quality of life may be investigated using correlation, regression, or structural equation modelling.

Repeated-measures analyses or linear mixed-effects models may be used in longitudinal and intervention studies. Measurement invariance should be examined before comparing scores across cultural or demographic groups.

Psychometric Properties

The SWLS has demonstrated high internal consistency, satisfactory temporal stability, and strong evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Scores are positively associated with other indicators of well-being and negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.

The instrument has been translated into numerous languages and administered to general, student, older-adult, and clinical populations. Nevertheless, its reliability, validity, and interpretive benchmarks should be reassessed in each new linguistic or cultural context.

Limitations

The SWLS provides a global evaluation and does not identify the specific areas contributing to an individual’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Responses may also be influenced by current circumstances and personal standards of comparison.

The scale is not a diagnostic instrument. A low score may indicate reduced life satisfaction but is insufficient for diagnosing depression or another mental disorder.

References

Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.

Diener, E., & Chan, M. Y. (2011). Happy people live longer: Subjective well-being contributes to health and longevity. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3(1), 1–43.

Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (1993). Review of the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5(2), 164–172.

Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(2), 137–152.