Test the Distance Between You and Happiness | A Subjective Well-Being Assessment Based on the PERMA Model

I. What Is Subjective Well-Being?

Subjective well-being is an overall evaluation an individual makes of their quality of life based on their own standards, including a cognitive component (life satisfaction) and an affective component (the balance of positive and negative emotions). It is not simple happiness, but a deep, relatively stable psychological state.

Psychologist Ed Diener defined subjective well-being as:the combination of people's cognitive evaluations of and affective reactions to their own lives. It does not represent whether objective conditions are good or bad, but your genuine inner feeling.

II. Related Theory: Martin Seligman's PERMA Model

The father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, proposed the PERMA well-being model in his book Flourish, holding that true happiness is made up of five independent dimensions:

• P (Positive Emotion): feelings such as pleasure, gratitude, and hope
• E (Engagement): the flow experience of being fully immersed in an activity
• R (Relationships): social connection and support systems
• M (Meaning): belonging to and serving something beyond the self
• A (Accomplishment): the pursuit of success, mastery, and a sense of competence

This test is designed based on the PERMA model and subjective well-being theory, helping you understand your state of balance across the five dimensions and the psychological distance between you and ideal happiness.

III. The Five Core Dimensions of This Test

This test is designed around five key areas of well-being and has 15 questions in total:

• Emotional Experience: the frequency and intensity of positive emotions you feel in daily life.
• Engagement Level: whether you often experience a focused, self-forgetting flow state.
• Relationship Quality: the depth of connection and sense of support you have with those around you.
• Sense of Meaning: whether you feel your life has direction and value beyond the personal.
• Self-Mastery: whether you believe you can move toward your goals and gain a sense of accomplishment.

IV. Purpose of the Test and Suitable Users

This test suits people who want to deeply understand the sources of their own happiness and look for directions for improvement, and is especially suitable for:

• People who feel life is 'not bad but not happy enough'
• People in a transition period who want to re-examine their quality of life
• People who want to learn about positive psychology and improve their psychological resilience
• People who long to build a healthier lifestyle and relationship pattern

V. Scoring Method and Result Interpretation

Each question is scored 1-5, from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. The system calculates your scores across the five dimensions separately and, together with the total score, gives your happiness type. The result will help you identify your current strong dimensions and areas for improvement, and provide personalized action advice based on positive psychology.