Volume 7, Article 5
Replication and Validation of the Happiness-Increasing Strategies Scale in a German-speaking sample
Leopold Helmut Otto Roth, Celine Bencker, Amelie Scherz and Anton-Rupert Laireiter
Citation: Roth, L. H. O., Bencker, C., Scherz, A., & Laireiter, A.-R. (2023). Replication and Validation of the Happiness-Increasing Strategies Scale in a German-speaking sample.
European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 7, 5, 1-14. https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-7-2023/volume-7-article-5/
Processing dates: Submitted 24 April 2022; Resubmitted 9 August 2022; Accepted 5 December 2022; Published 16th March 2023
Abstract
Introduction: Given that happiness is a meaningful variable for health, social relationships, and other important aspects of human experience, it is crucial to understand the pathways through
which happiness is pursued. The Happiness Increasing Strategies Scales (H-ISS) developed by Tkach and Lyubomirksy (2006) represents a first attempt to quantify and examine strategies to
pursue happiness. However, it lacks replication and validation in other populations.
Method: The present study aimed to replicate the structure of the H-ISS and to validate it in a German-speaking sample. For this purpose, 332 participants completed the H-ISS and assessments for subjective happiness, personality, and satisfaction with life. The data analysis mostly followed the original procedure by Tkach and Lyubomirsky (2006), including examination
of gender-differences in strategy use, intercorrelations of strategies, reliabilities, and correlations with BIG-5 personality dimensions. Further, the original regression models predicting subjective happiness were resembled.
Results: Many of the original effects could be replicated in directionality and magnitude. Yet, explanatory power of the regressions models was lower (R2 = .53; R2006 = .62) and the predictor
structure differed meaningfully.
Conclusion: The partial replication provides evidence for stable general effects as well as differences in the German-speaking sample. Overall, H-ISS appears as a useful tool for predicting
subjective happiness as well as satisfaction with life. Yet, the instrument holds potential for optimization and culturally sensitive adaptation. Limitations and evident differences to the original publication are discussed.
Keywords: Happiness-Increasing Strategies Scales; Positive Psychology; Happiness; Validation, Replication
Biographies
Leopold Helmut Otto Roth is with the Institute of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Email: leopold.roth@univie.ac.at
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1120-4733
Celine Bencker is with the Institute of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3802-1339
Amelie Scherz is with the Institute of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4874-5015
Anton-Rupert Laireiter is with the Institute of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and the Department of Psychology, Division of Psychotherapy and Gerontopsychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6038-6775