Taking Your Happiness Seriously
July 20th, 2009
I’ve always had a passion for charts and graphs. Lame, I know, yet my passion is justified. Every once in a while I learn that tracking results has played a big role in many diverse achievements.
While commonplace in business, there are unconventional examples: Arnold Schwarzenegger won the title of Mr. Olympia seven times with the help of detailed training journals. Last Comic Standing winner Dat Phan went so far as to record the intensity of the audience’s laughter for each joke he told.
So it follows naturally that if you’re motivated to achieve something more common — like happiness and mental well-being — tracking your progress can help.
Enter the WEMWBS.
The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) is a 14 question assessment of mental well-being. Developed by UK academics, it is a new, well-tested scale. It has shown to do a commendable job of quickly and easily gauging mental well-being and happiness.
Advantages of the WEMWBS:
Modern: Represents current knowledge of mental health and well-being.
Tested: Focus groups trials and statistical analyses have proven the test useful and reliable.
Quick and easy: Grading requires no formulas or answer keys, only simple arithmetic.
Low response bias: Wording of questions encourages honest responses.
Low ceiling effect: Scoring is effective for people at any level of contentment.
In early 2009, a shorter, seven question version of the test was created. It retains much of the effectiveness and advantages of the original 14 question test, whilst implementing other improvements. Speed is one of the most practical enhancements, and it doesn’t come at the expense of results, with scores on both systems correlating 95%.
A test like the WEMWBS (or the shorter SWEMWBS) can be used to track mental well-being scores and analyze progress over time. Making notes about the circumstances that surround a score can help determine the cause and effect of life events. Using data gathered, it’s possible to tailor a lifestyle that’s more prone to mental happiness and satisfaction. It’s like treating your happiness as an important project; taking it seriously.
To download the original 14 question test, use the following NHS Health Scotland link [doc].
Their long-winded but insightful user guide to the WEMWBS is found here [pdf].
The shorter, seven question test (SWEMWBS) is available at the following Health and Quality of Life Outcomes link [doc].
When using a psychological test like the WEMWBS, remember the old adage, “The doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient.” It’s important to take the results with a big grain of salt when self-analyzing, particularly with psychological matters. Nevertheless, if you’re interested in applying the principals of tracking and analysis to build better mental health, the WEMWBS can be a useful tool for doing so.
