3 items · Time frame: These days / in general
A three-item short form of the Harmony in Life Scale: a sense of balance and harmony in one's life, a concept common in many cultures but largely absent from Western well-being measures. The OECD lists it in its experimental question bank on balance and harmony, where evidence is still insufficient to recommend a single measure.
Source
Listed in OECD (2025), Table 3.1 (balance and harmony question bank), p. 52.
Scoring
Sum the three items (3–21) or take their mean (1–7). Higher scores mean more harmony in life.
Citation
Kjell, O. N. E., & Diener, E. (2021). Abbreviated three-item versions of the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Harmony in Life Scale yield as strong psychometric properties as the original scales. Journal of Personality Assessment, 103(2), 183–194.
doi:10.1080/00223891.2020.1737093License: Kjell & Diener (2021) is published under CC BY 4.0; cite the article. The five-item original (Kjell et al., 2016) is a separate publication and is not reproduced here.
My lifestyle allows me to be in harmony
Most aspects of my life are in balance
I am in harmony
Use this scale in your own ESM/EMA study — embed it as a survey within SMAAT.