Happiness Scores - Mood Analysis

The core function of any mood tracker is to assess your daily level of happiness and then take action based on that assessment. To do this, you need a system to determine where you stand and, more importantly, where you want to go.

In this series, we discuss how you can start analyzing your mood tracker data to improve your happiness and change your perspective on life. In this particular installment, we explore the concept of moments, or memories, and what they can reveal about your happiness.

Determining the Scale

The most important aspect of a mood tracker is the scale used to measure happiness. You can use any system that feels personal to you. Common examples include smileys, a 1-10 rating, colors, or even plants. For instance, you might rate a bad day as a seed and a great day as a full-grown sunflower. The key is to choose a system that resonates with you.

For the remainder of this article, we'll use the 1-10 scale as an example, with 1 representing the worst day and 10 representing the best.

Anchoring

Consistency is crucial in maintaining an accurate happiness scale. Anchoring is a technique from physical therapy that involves assigning specific numbers to particular feelings. Here's an example of how you might anchor your mood scale:

• 1 - "I feel so bad I just want the day to end."
• 3 - "I want to stay in bed and shut everything out."
• 5 - "I'm stuck in my head and not really present."
• 7 - "I feel alive and ready to embrace the day."
• 9 - "I wish this day could last forever."
• 10 - "I'll remember this day for the rest of my life because..."

Since your mood can fluctuate throughout the day, you have some flexibility within these anchors. Consider writing them down as a reference each time you make a mood entry.

Analyzing Mood Scores

A good mood tracker app will allow you to analyze your mood scores easily. For example, you might look at your average scores for this month and compare them to the previous month. Is the current score higher? If so, what has changed? Can you add more of the positive experiences and reduce the negative ones?

A "year in pixels" is another effective way to analyze your mood over time. Consider whether you're generally happier during specific seasons, and think about how you can bring more of those experiences into other times of the year. For instance, if you dislike winter, you might plan more family gatherings during that season. If you enjoy gardening, consider indoor gardening that you can enjoy year-round.

Conclusion

Start tracking your daily happiness scores using the concept of anchoring. This approach gives your mood tracking system the best chance to help you on your journey toward greater happiness. The more data you have, the better insights you'll gain. Pay attention to seasonal and activity-related trends, and add more of what makes you happy to your life. Happiness is both a journey and a goal that you deserve to pursue.

If you haven't read it yet, be sure to check out our previous article on using moments to analyze your mood. We look forward to seeing you in the next installment!