If you want to better understand and reflect on your ability to feel joy, answer the questions below based on the first thing that comes to your mind. You now have an opportunity to check whether you find the listed statements relatable or not.
1. When I think about my family home, I feel joyful rather than sad.
2. I often experience feelings of guilt.
3. My important character traits are optimism and openness.
4. There is so much evil around us that I find it silly to enjoy every little thing.
5. When I can choose between real peacefulness or true joy, I usually go for the latter.
6. It is only specially chosen people that I can make happy without feeling inauthentic.
7. I derive a lot of satisfaction from making others happy.
8. Life has taught me that nobody can be fully trusted.
9. There are people/places in my life with whom/where I can be completely honest.
10. In fact, there is more sadness and trouble than happiness in my life.
11. Sometimes I’m filled with absolute joy and feel moved to tears.
12. I envy those who can fully experience joy.
13. My joy is infectious.
14. Everything can be purchased, even joy. It is only a question of how much money you need.
15. I know that it is my character that helps me feel joyful often.
RESULTS:
For each ‘yes’ answer to questions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11,13 and 15, and ‘no’ answer to questions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14, you get 10 points. For each ‘I don’t know’ answer, you get 5 points. Add up the points.
100-150 points: Your affective life abounds with joy. You’re capable of experiencing something more than mere satisfaction or small pleasure. You are endowed with the rare ability to expand the range of felt emotions, and – like a real foodie – you want to taste new experiences, which bring you or your significant others joy. You are able to be with others and for others, giving them something that has become rare in today’s world: joy coming with a profound feeling of belonging.
50-99 points: There is as much joy as other feelings in your life. You know what joy is, but you’re also aware why it can be difficult to experience. Sometimes you delude yourself into thinking that a small pleasure might serve as a substitute for something more profound, which others call ‘joy’. Do you really believe that your joy can be killed by a fast pace of life, troubles or routine? Or perhaps it is some aspects of your life or behaviour that require change? Try, and perhaps you will discover new realms of life, hungry for your joy?
0-49 points: A scarcity of joy in your life is worrisome. If you think you know the reasons behind your mood, consider what happened to your sense of self-preservation. Is the vehemence with which you shield yourself from joy a result of strict training? Or rather a timidly concealed lack of skills? Remember, however, that each of us is genetically wired for joy.
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