Orientations to Happiness Scale (OTH)

Abstract

The Orientations to Happiness Scale (OTH) is an 18-item self-report instrument designed to assess the degree to which individuals pursue happiness through three distinct pathways, as conceptualized within the framework of positive psychology. These three orientations include the life of pleasure (the hedonistic approach), the life of engagement or flow, and the life of meaning (the eudaimonic approach). The OTH is instrumental in understanding how different motivational pathways contribute to overall life satisfaction and well-being.

Keywords

Orientations to happiness, OTH, positive psychology, well-being, life satisfaction, hedonism, eudaimonia, flow, engagement, meaning.

Authors

Christopher Peterson, Nansook Park, Martin E. P. Seligman

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Orientations to Happiness Scale (OTH) is to quantify individual differences in the motivational strategies people employ to maximize their happiness and life satisfaction. The scale allows researchers and practitioners to differentiate between those who prioritize transient sensory pleasures, those who seek deep immersion and engagement in activities (flow), and those who dedicate their lives to serving a higher purpose or cause (meaning).

By measuring these distinct orientations, the OTH facilitates research into the efficacy of various routes to the “full life,” allowing for comparative studies on how each orientation independently and interactively predicts positive outcomes, such as subjective well-being and reduced psychopathology.

Construct

The OTH measures three core psychological constructs, derived from the theoretical work of Seligman (2002) concerning routes to happiness:

• The Life of Pleasure (Hedonism): This orientation focuses on maximizing positive emotions, minimizing pain, and seeking immediate gratification and sensory enjoyment.
• The Life of Engagement (Flow): This orientation involves seeking activities that lead to deep absorption, concentration, and the experience of flow—the psychological state where one is completely immersed in the activity and loses self-consciousness and track of time.
• The Life of Meaning (Eudaimonia): This orientation involves using one’s signature strengths and virtues in the service of something larger than oneself, thereby finding profound and lasting meaning and purpose in life.

Validity

The validity of the OTH is supported by its consistent ability to predict life satisfaction. Research has demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity, confirming that while the three orientations are correlated, they represent unique pathways to happiness. Specifically, the Life of Meaning and the Life of Engagement are typically stronger predictors of overall life satisfaction and well-being than the Life of Pleasure alone, supporting the theoretical distinction between hedonic and eudaimonic forms of happiness.

Cross-cultural studies (Park, Peterson, & Ruch, 2009) have further confirmed the structural validity of the three-factor model across numerous nations, suggesting the scale measures universal dimensions of happiness pursuit.

Reliability

The OTH demonstrates good internal consistency across its three subscales. The original research by Peterson, Park, and Seligman (2005) reported the following Cronbach’s alpha coefficients:

• Pleasure subscale: (α= 0.84)
• Meaning subscale: (α= 0.88)
• Flow or Engagement subscale: (α= 0.77)

These values indicate that the items within each orientation consistently measure their respective underlying construct.

Factor Analysis

The scale was developed using factor analytic techniques to ensure the 18 items clustered appropriately into the three theorized factors: Pleasure, Engagement, and Meaning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a robust three-factor structure, with six items loading strongly onto each of the three dimensions. This structure supports the theoretical model that happiness is pursued through distinct, measurable orientations rather than a single, monolithic construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, psychological assessment

Format: 18 items rated on a Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (original), and translated versions have been validated in numerous languages for cross-cultural research (e.g., Spanish, German, Chinese, etc.).

Population Group: General population

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults

Population Details: The scale has been widely used in college student samples, community samples, and large international studies spanning twenty-seven nations.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the degree to which each statement is descriptive of them using a 5-point scale:

1. Very Much Like Me
2. Mostly Like Me
3. Somewhat Like Me
4. A Little Like Me
5. Not Like Me

Keywords

Psychological assessment, positive emotions, purpose in life, character strengths, subjective well-being, eudaimonia, hedonism.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the lead authors’ affiliated institutions (e.g., University of Pennsylvania for Seligman; University of Michigan for Peterson, prior to his passing).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Orientations to Happiness Scale (OTH) was first published in 2005. It is generally regarded as a public domain instrument for non-commercial academic research use, often available freely through academic sources. The original PDF containing the instrument items and initial study details can be downloaded here: http://faculty.riohondo.edu/ksmith/positive%20psych/eudaimonia%20study.pdf

Reference’s

• Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: The full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 25–41.
• Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. P. (2007). Strengths of character, orientations to happiness, and life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(3), 149-156.
• Park, N., Peterson, C., & Ruch, W. (2009). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction in twenty-seven nations. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(4), 273–279.
• Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Orientations to happiness Scale. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 65-67. (2013).

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Items of the Orientations to happiness Scale (OTH)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Regardless of what I am doing, time passes very quickly
2. My life serves a higher purpose
3. Life is too short to postpone the pleasures it can provide
4. I seek out situations that challenge my skills and abilities
5. In choosing what to do, I always take into account whether it will benefit other people
6. Whether at work or play, I am usually “in a zone” and not conscious of myself
7. I am always very absorbed in what I do
8. I go out of my way to feel euphoric
9. In choosing what to do, I always take into account whether I can lose myself in it
10. I am rarely distracted by what is going on around me
11. I have a responsibility to make the world a better place
12. My life has a lasting meaning
13. In choosing what to do, I always take into account whether it will be pleasurable
14. What I do matters to society
15. I agree with this statement: “Life is short—eat dessert first.”
16. I love to do things that excite my senses
17. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what life means and how I fi t into its big picture
18. For me, the good life is the pleasurable life