Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) — Diener et al. (1985)
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) measures a person's global, cognitive judgment of their life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985). It is one of the most widely used well-being measures.
What it measures
The SWLS captures global life satisfaction — a person's overall cognitive evaluation of their life against their own standards, rather than specific domains like work or health. Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin (1985) designed it as a short, general measure of the judgmental component of subjective well-being.
It is a reflective, single-factor scale with 5 items, so the items should correlate highly and can be examined with reliability analysis and CFA. Its brevity makes it easy to include in larger studies.
Scale items
The item wording is under the publisher’s copyright, so we do not reproduce it here. You can find the full items in the original article (see the citation below). In Explonia, signed-in users get this scale complete in the built-in library and can add it to their own study — no need to find the items yourself. For use in your own research; please cite the original source.
How to use and cite it
Cite Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin (1985), Journal of Personality Assessment, in your Methods section. The item wording is copyright; obtain it from the original article and report any wording you adapt.
In Explonia (Academic tier) you can add the SWLS to a study, collect responses, and run reliability and CFA to confirm the one-factor structure, then export an APA paragraph. For selection tips, see how to find a validated scale.
Reporting reliability and validity
Report internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, or omega) against the usual .70 floor — the SWLS typically reaches the high .80s — and, where relevant, test–retest reliability. In a CFA report convergent validity (AVE ≥ .50) and confirm the single-factor structure. With only 5 items it is well above the three-item minimum, but remember that reliability is distinct from validity.
Reference table
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Construct | Global life satisfaction (subjective well-being) |
| Type | Reflective (single-factor) |
| Number of items | 5 |
| Response format | 7-point Likert (strongly disagree–strongly agree) |
| Original source | Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. |
| DOI | 10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13 |
| Reported reliability | High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha around .87) and good test–retest reliability in the original validation |
| Domain | Subjective well-being / psychology |
Frequently asked questions
How many items are in the SWLS?
Five items, answered on a 7-point Likert format from strongly disagree to strongly agree. It is a single-factor reflective scale, so you can confirm its structure with CFA and report internal consistency.
Does the SWLS measure overall or domain-specific satisfaction?
Overall, global life satisfaction — a person's cognitive judgment of their life as a whole — rather than satisfaction with specific domains such as work, health or relationships.
How to cite this page
If this page helped your research, you can cite it (APA 7):
Szymkowiak, A. (2026). Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS, Diener 1985). Explonia. https://explonia.com/scales/satisfaction-with-life-swls/
Last updated: July 2026
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