Life evaluation: One method asks people to provide a reflective assessment of their life overall. Our
happiness ranking is based on a life evaluation question derived from the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale (Cantril Ladder). It asks people to rate their life on a 0-10 scale, from the worst possible life (0) to the best possible life (10).
Life satisfaction: Like the Cantril Ladder, life satisfaction is a specific type of life evaluation question. A common question is:
Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?, from not at all (0) to completely (10).
Affect: Another method is to focus on a person’s feelings or emotional states, usually at a particular point in time, and divided into two opposing categories: positive affect (e.g., laughter, enjoyment, interest) and negative affect (e.g., worry, sadness, anger). A common question is:
Did you experience (enjoyment, worry etc.) during a lot of the day yesterday? (Yes/No).
Eudaimonia: A third method reflects the sense of meaning and purpose in a person’s life. A common question is:
Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?, from not at all (0) to completely (10).