Dispositional Positive Emotion Scale (DPES)

Citation:  Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & John, O. P. (2006). Positive emotion dispositions differentially associated with Big Five personality and attachment style. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), 61-71.

PMID or DOI: DOI: 10.1080/17439760500510833

Main positive psychological well-being construct measured:  Positive emotion

Sub-constructs measured: Joy, contentment, pride, love, compassion, amusement and awe

Description:  The Dispositional Positive Emotion Scale consists of seven subscales (joy, contentment, pride, love, compassion, amusement and awe) that measure ones dispositional tendencies to feel positive emotions towards others in their daily lives.

Number of items: 38 items total; seven 5- or 6-item scales

Example of statement/item:  “On a typical day, many events make me happy”

Response options:  7 point Likert scale ranging from 1, “strongly disagree” to 7, “strongly agree”.

Total score: Items are averaged, yielding a range from 1 to 7. Higher scores indicate greater levels of positive emotion.

Examples of studies: 
1. Stellar, J. E., John-Henderson, N., Anderson, C. L., Gordon, A. M., McNeil, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion, 15(2), 129-133.

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