Happiness Calculator

Welcome to the Omni happiness calculator! A simple tool based on the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) to help you compare your happiness score to an average person's.

Even though happiness can be perceived and defined in many different ways, it is an emotional state that we all strive to achieve. Come along to discuss:

• The definition of happiness;
• The psychology of happiness;
• General tips for being happier; and
• How our happiness calculator works! 🤗

The definition and meaning of happiness may greatly vary from person to person. For some, it may mean intense joy. For others, happiness is stability and a well-organized daily routine. Nevertheless, "happiness" is often described in the field of psychology as "subjective well-being", which is the presence of positive emotions over negative ones, as well as a positive global evaluation of one's life condition (i.e., life satisfaction). Therefore, according to this view of "happiness," subjective well-being is achieved by increasing pleasure and avoiding pain, along with improvement of life satisfaction.

You may think that your happiness is mostly dependent on external circumstances, and that the reason you're currently unhappy (or not happy enough) is because of unlucky events in your life. Of course, the ability to satisfy basic needs (food, water, clothing, sleep, and shelter) is essential. However, if we break down three primary factors influencing the chronic happiness level (as per Lyubomirsky's pie model), we will see that:

• Intentional actions, thoughts account for 40%;
• Genetics account for 50%; and
• External circumstances account for only 10% of happiness.

Subjective well-being doesn't have much to do with educational level or intelligence either, and there are no gender differences in women's and men's happiness levels. However, women report experiencing both more positive and negative emotions (i.e., a higher frequency of more intense emotional states).

It is also worth mentioning that subjective well-being is associated with high levels of extroversion (a measure of how outgoing, expressive, and energetic a person is) and the quality of social relationships.

Can money buy you happiness?

Now for the million-dollar question: "Can money buy you happiness?" Older studies show that after reaching an annual income of $75,000, emotional well-being does not increase — even with the increase of financial stability. However, a recent study found that well-being rises with wealth, even when your income is above $75,000 per year. But remember that materialistic people are less happy than those who are not!

The Omni happiness calculator is based on the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and is very easy to use! All you need to do is answer given questions as honestly as possible on a 7-point scale. Based on your answers, the calculator will provide you with a score, which indicates how happy you are, compared to the "average" person.

If you're interested in other mental-health-related topics, feel free to check the following Omni calculators, and learn more about anxiety, depression, and substance abuse disorder:

• GAD-7 calculator;
• Depression screening by PHQ-2 calculator;
• EPDS calculator;
• Snap score calculator;
• DUDIT calculator.

If external circumstances have a minimal contribution to our subjective well-being, what can we do to be happier? Is there an accurate answer to the questions "How to be happy?" or "What is happiness?" One of the ways you can increase your happiness is by doing different happiness exercises:

• One door closes, another opens. Think about events in your life when unfavorable circumstances led to unexpected positive outcomes. Write about those moments every day.
• Gift of time. In addition to your planned activities this week, try to give three different people a "gift" of your time. 🎁 Your "gifted time" could be as simple as sharing a meal with someone who feels lonely or helping with house chores.
• Counting kindness. At the end of each day, note all kind acts that you did.
• Three funny things. Each day, write down three funny things that have happened to you or you have encountered. You can elaborate and explain why these funny circumstances happened; maybe it was something spontaneous, something you observed or created.
• Gratitude letter/visit. Write a gratitude letter to people who have a positive influence and role in your life. You can also try to deliver the letter to the person if possible. 💌
• Three good things. Write about three positive events or circumstances that happen each day, and explain why these positive things occurred.

Happiness is a broad term involving a range of positive emotions, therefore, subjective well-being is often used as a scientific term to describe happiness and life satisfaction. In other words, there is no significant difference between happiness and subjective well-being.

Subjective well-being, which is a scientific term for happiness, is the continued experience of positive feelings over negative ones and satisfaction with life.

To score the Subjective Happiness Scale, you have to:

1. Reverse score the 4th item (i.e., change score of 1 as 7, 2 as 6, 3 as 5, 4 as 4, 5 as 3, 6 as 2, and 7 as 1).
2. Sum all the values of the four items (the 4th reverse-coded as explained in Step 1).
3. Calculate the average.
4. That's it — that is your final score!

Happiness is both subjective and objective. Objective happiness is the degree to which you want to continue whatever you are experiencing at the moment. On the other hand, subjective happiness (also described as subjective well-being) is how many positive and negative emotions you experience and where your overall satisfaction with your life stands.