Abstract
Validated in several languages, the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) is a popular and reliable instrument used in the assessment of perceived happiness. The aims of two current studies were to determine the psychometric properties of the Hungarian version in volunteer adults (N = 252) and non-volunteer university students (N = 142). Exploratory factor analysis of the data gathered from volunteers confirmed the unidimensional structure of the Hungarian SHS (SHS-HU). One component explained 53.69% of the variance. The internal reliability in this sample was .80. Confirmatory factor analyses on the non-volunteer university students’ data yielded excellent model fit (SRMR = .0208; NFI = . 990; GFI = .995; RMSEA < .001; CFI = 1.00) and acceptable internal reliability (.75). The one-week test-retest reliability of the SHS-HU was 0.83. In both studies, the SHS-HU revealed positive correlations with life satisfaction and optimism, while it was inversely related to pessimism (p < .001). The more optimistic individuals scored higher on SHS-HU in both studies (p < .001) which confirmed the scale's divergent validity. Further, when controlling for life satisfaction, optimism and pessimism, there were no gender differences in the SHS-HU scores. These results lend support for the adequate psychometric properties of SHS-HU. Therefore, preliminary evidence suggests that the SHS-HU is appropriate for the assessment of perceived happiness in the Hungarian population.
Highlights
The meaning of happiness has preoccupied philosophers, scholars and writers since the beginning of the modern age (Haller & Hadler, 2006)
The M of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS)-HU in Study 1 was 4.62 (SD = 1.65) fitting in with the values reported in several other samples, but towards the lower end (Figure 1)
The scale correlated negatively with pessimism (r = –.53, p < .001). These results suggest that the SHS-HU has good criterion validity
Summary
The meaning of happiness has preoccupied philosophers, scholars and writers since the beginning of the modern age (Haller & Hadler, 2006). A major goal, and for many people the meaning, of life is to experience happiness (Buss, 2000; Sato et al, 2015). In Diener’s (2000) view, Unauthenticated | Downloaded 11/08/21 05:12 PM UTC is the mirror of one’s subjective wellbeing and vice versa. The later could be used as an index of happiness The subjective nature of happiness is determined by cognitive, emotional, and genetic interactions which show an association with the gray matter’s volume in the right precuneus area of the brain as determined with structural magnetic resonance imaging (Sato et al, 2015). Subjective happiness is the core in the research of wellbeing, positive psychology, and life-satisfaction (Diener, 2000; Lopez et al, 2018). Its importance in the field of Psychology, in general, is undisputed
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