Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire

Click here to learn more about the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire and how it can be used.

By Carepatron Team on Aug 2, 2025.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

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What is the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire?

Happiness is a subjective term that is both personal and unique to each individual. There is a variety of self-report questionnaires that are used to quantify our happiness levels. It is important to identify where our happiness is at now, so we can target where we want to go. Happy people are linked to being more equipped to adopt healthy lifestyles and handle life's challenges (Sutton, 2019).

The Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire is an example of a widely adopted self-report questionnaire. It is used to assess a person's emotional well-being, measuring their average happiness and providing insight into the cognitive components of emotional health. It measures the affective component of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) and provides an indication of how an individual perceives and feel happy in their daily lives (Fordyce, 1983). Compared to other measures of well-being, the Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire scale has the strongest correlations with daily affect, positive emotions and life satisfaction.

The Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire is split into two parts; part one asks individuals to rank their current happiness on average according to the scale below. Part two asks the individual to apply percentages to their average time spent feeling happy, feeling unhappy, or feeling neutral.

The following is the scale used for part one:

Extremely unhappy (utterly depressed, completely down)
Very unhappy (depressed, spirits very low)
Pretty unhappy (somewhat “blue” , spirits down)
Mildly unhappy (just a bit low)
Slightly unhappy (just a bit below neutral)
Neutral (not particularly happy or unhappy)
Slightly happy (just a bit above neutral)
Mildly happy (feeling fairly good and somewhat cheerful)
Pretty happy (spirits high, feeling good) 7 Mildly happy (feeling fairly good and somewhat cheerful)
Very happy (feeling really good, elated!)
Extremely happy (feeling ecstatic, joyous, fantastic!)

Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire Template

Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire PDF Template

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How to conduct the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire?

Using the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire is a simple and straightforward process. Follow these steps to get started:

Step 1: Download the template

Access the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire template by clicking "Use template", allowing clinicians to edit the resource via the Carepatron app. For a PDF copy, choose "Download."

Step 2: Familiarize the template

The template is designed to guide clinicians through the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire. It includes space for essential patient information, such as name and date of birth. The template follows the standard Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire, which is composed of 2 parts.

Step 3: Ask the patient to complete

Give the template to the patient to complete. Ensure that they fill out their personal details. Before the patient completes the assessment, emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer; rather, it is about understanding their authentic responses. Explain that it is crucial to provide honest answers in order to attain an accurate result. Be sure to guide the individual through the template, helping them with questions if necessary whilst ensuring not to suggest any answers.

Step 4: Score their answers

Firstly, ensure that the percentage scores add to 100%. Calculate the individual's combined score by following this equation: [scale score x 10 + happy%] / 2.

Scoring and interpretation

The Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire can be efficiently scored based on two components, both of which can be used as raw scores:

The scale score (from the patients ranking)
Three percentage estimates

The combination score can also be calculated by combining the scale score and percentage happy score in equal weights using the following equation:

Combination score = [scale score x 10 + happy%] / 2

This test cannot be used as a diagnostic tool; however, it can be used to assist health professionals with patients and give insight into interventions, such as happiness training and tools for treatment if necessary. It can be used in conjunction with similar tests, such as the Authentic Happiness Inventory and the General Happiness Scale.

Next steps

Here are some steps to can take after administering the questionnaire:

Review and analyze responses

Review the patient's scale score and percentage estimates to understand the respondent's emotional state. Use the combination score to get a comprehensive view of their overall happiness level.

Discuss results with patient

In counseling psychology or other related fields, professionals may open a sensitive and nonjudgmental conversation to discuss the results from the Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire. The professional will try to get a well-rounded understanding of the patient, considering the broader social determinants of the person and how this affects their current emotional state. This tool can guide professionals in developing targeted interventions and support standard psychological health diagnoses, ultimately helping individuals to increase happiness levels and enhance their overall well-being.

References

Fordyce, M. W. (1983). A program to increase happiness: Further studies. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30(4), 483–498. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.30.4.483

Sutton, J. (2019, July 4). How to measure happiness with tests and surveys (+ quizzes). Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/measure-happiness-tests-surveys/

Commonly asked questions

This tool can be used by mental health professionals, researchers, or individuals looking to understand their happiness levels. It is not a diagnostic tool but can complement psychological assessments.

Yes, other tools, such as the Authentic Happiness Inventory and the General Happiness Scale, also measure subjective well-being and can be used alongside the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire for a more comprehensive analysis.

Yes, it is based on research and is widely used in psychology to understand subjective well-being, though it should be interpreted alongside professional expertise.