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The Happiness Inventory
By Ginger Garner, MPT, ATC, PYT
Are you happy? The Pursuit of Happiness in
today’s hyperactive, super-stimulated, and overmedicated
society seems to be subtitled with the
phrase “Immediate Gratification” or “If it feels good
do it.”
However, if we take a look around Wall Street or
Main Street we can see where that mantra (motto)
has gotten us. Under a looming dark cloud of a possible
double dip recession (we’re not out of the
storm, yet), Americans have been pulling back – or
rather pushing back from the “must have it now
mantra” – and instead living on cash
rather than credit and downsizing
not super-sizing.
Blogs like “Zen Habits” top
Time’s Best Blogs of the year list (a
great blog, by the way) – and so
here we go, hopping off down the
proverbial rabbit path toward minimalism
and simplicity? But are we
really? And where is it getting us?
Regardless of whether you like
the edgy lines of modern minimalism
or the classical comfort of cottage
living – the bottom line is – we
all actively pursue happiness in our lives.
In a study about search for happiness, 1000 people
were interviewed to determine what characteristics
brought them happiness. The researchers deduced
that the Contentment Quotient was P + 5E +
3H. In the equation, P represented personal characteristics
(outlook on life, adaptability, and resilience);
E was existence (health, friendships, and financial
stability); and H is higher order (self‐esteem,
expectations, and ambitions).
The Oxford Happiness Inventory measures the
following six factors categories as cited in three different
studies: Life Satisfaction, Joy, Self-esteem,
Calm, Control, and Efficacy (Argyle and Crossland
1989, Francis et al 1998, Liaghatdar et al 2008). In
the Liaghatdar study measuring happiness in Farsi
speaking students in Iran, Argyle and Crossland
(1987) supposed that “happiness comprised three
main components: the frequency and degree of positive
affect or joy; the average level of satisfaction
over a period of time; and the absence of negative
feelings, such as depression and anxiety”
(Liaghatdar et al 2008).
The Happiness Inventory included
below is non-standardized
inventory that has shown anecdotal
success in my clinical practice.
Additionally, I started using it on a
personal level about 10 years ago,
which I feel very important as part
of the “leading by example” philosophy
I stand by in teaching
Complementary and Integrative
Medicine. Once completing it
every New Year, now I revisit it all
year long. It keeps priorities in
check, gives clarity in decision making, and helps
find (and keep) contentment. It offers a way for you
to perform a casual, quick analysis of your best plan
in life, allowing for a subjective, but personalized
experience in determining your Contentment Quotient.
Offered below, the Happiness Inventory includes
a 10 Question Inventory that can provide
from insight on narrowing your focus for a more effective,
contented, satisfied life.
The Lifelong Learner
A person can look at happiness in different ways.
6 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 2, Issue No. 5