A new instrument for measuring optimism and pessimism: Test-retest reliability and relations with happiness and religious commitment

Abstract

The main purpose of the present study was to assess the test-retest reliability of a newly devised instrument for measuring optimism and pessimism. In addition, correlations were obtained between the optimism and pessimism scores and two measures of happiness as well as with subjects' responses to single-item questions about the likelihood of a nuclear encounter and about their religious and political commitment and philosophy of life. The instruments were administered to 106 introductory psychology students on two occasions separated by a 2-week interval. The test-retest reliability for the optimism scale was.75; for pessimism,.84. Both optimism and pessimism were correlated, on both administrations, with both happiness measures in the high.50s to low.60s. Of the remaining items, the strongest relation was between optimism and religious commitment (r =.27), confirming prior results.