WHO-Five Well-being Index

The WHO-Five Well-being Index was derived from a larger rating scale developed for a WHO project on quality of life in patients suffering from diabetes (WHO 1990). During the first psychometric evaluation, 10 of the original 28 items were selected due to the homogeneity they had shown across the various European countries participating in this study

Because positive psychological well-being has to include positively worded items only, these 10 items were then reduced to five items (WHO-Five) which still covered positive mood (good spirits, relaxation), vitality (being active and waking up fresh and rested), and general interests (being interested in things)