Wellbeing
Good and bad feelings
12 questions · 3 min
This short questionnaire asks how often you’ve had a range of feelings over the past four weeks, from good, happy and content to bad, sad, afraid and angry. Your result shows how good and hard feelings balance out, and under More detail, how often you had each kind.
Feelings naturally change with what’s happening in your life, so it’s most useful to look at your results over time.
Taking tests is free. Your results unlock with a free 7-day trial.
What it shows
How often you’ve felt pleasant and unpleasant feelings lately, and the balance between them.
What it doesn’t
A diagnosis of depression, anxiety or any other condition.
Who it’s for
This check is for anyone who wants a clearer picture of their emotional weather over the past month. It can help when the days have started to blur together and you’re not sure whether you’ve mostly been feeling fine or mostly struggling.
Because it asks about the last four weeks, it works well as a monthly check-in. Over time, your results can show how your feelings move with what’s happening in your life.
Questions people ask
What does the SPANE measure?
It looks at how often you’ve had pleasant and unpleasant feelings over the past four weeks, and how they balance out. You rate 12 feelings, which takes about 3 minutes.
How is the SPANE scored?
Each feeling is rated from 1 (very rarely or never) to 5 (very often or always). Good feelings and hard feelings each add up to a score from 6 to 30, and the balance is good minus hard, from −24 to 24. Above zero means good feelings came more often; there are no official cut-offs.
Is this a test for depression or anxiety?
No. It describes how often you’ve had different feelings lately and can’t diagnose depression, anxiety or any other condition. Only a doctor or other professional can assess that.
What if hard feelings outweigh good ones?
Hard stretches happen to everyone, and feelings often change with what’s going on in your life. If hard feelings have been with you most days, your doctor or a counsellor can help you work out what’s behind them and what might help.
How often can I retake it?
About every four weeks, since the questions cover the past four weeks. Looking at your results over time tells you more than any single one.
Who developed the SPANE?
Psychologists Ed Diener, Robert Biswas-Diener and colleagues, in 2009.
Where it comes from
Developed by psychologists Ed Diener, Robert Biswas-Diener and colleagues in 2009.
Scale of Positive and Negative Experience
On iPhone or iPad?
Sprout is an app there too, and this link opens the test straight away if you have it.
Coming soon to the App Store