Wellbeing is measured with real instruments that have been through decades of validation, translation and published scrutiny. Most people never encounter them, and the ones that matter most are often the hardest to find plain writing about. These pages are our attempt at that writing.
Guides
The instruments
Five measures that come up repeatedly in wellbeing research. Each was built to answer a different question, and each has a blind spot the others do not. These pages cover what every one of them is for, how it is scored, and where it stops being useful.
The PANAS scale, explained
Why measuring good mood and bad mood as two separate things changed how affect is studied.
The WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, explained
Five questions, no negatives, and one of the most translated wellbeing measures in the world.
The PHQ-8, explained
Eight questions about the past two weeks, built for settings with no clinician attached.
The Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire, explained
Eighteen questions aimed at the person nobody in the room is assessing.
The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, explained
Six questions, four percentages, and one of them counts unpaid work.
These pages are educational. immli is a wellbeing and understanding tool, not a medical service — nothing here diagnoses, screens for or treats any condition, and none of these instruments should be self-administered in place of speaking to a qualified professional.
Back to immli →