Continuing my weekly series of web resources for well-being, here's one that's the grandaddy in many ways. Authentichappiness.org has been up and running for years. Hundreds of thousands have taken the instruments that are available there, including the VIA Inventory of Character Strengths, which was the original reason for the site. You can go back months or even years later and re-take the tests to assess your progress. It was interesting when I was in the MAPP program to see the results from tests I had taken years before.
The use of "happiness" in the title cause some folks trouble because of the "Fluffy Fallacy" -- the belief that happiness and positive emotions are "fluffy" and don't really matter for serious stuff. If, however, you understand happiness as a broad assessment of how your life is going across domains, including positive feelings, relationships, engagement, and meaning, then the site's name makes perfect sense.
I suggest these instruments:
CES-D if you have any concern you might be depressed.
Authentic Happiness Inventory as a baseline for well-being.
Optimism Test for explanatory style.
VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire to find the character strengths you endorse in yourself, i.e., your "signature" strengths. (But click on the button to see all 24 and picke the 3-5 out of the top 8-10 that seem most "you.")
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