The Short-Term Appreciative Joy Scale: Development, Validation, and Application in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Appreciative joy, one of the four immeasurables in Buddhism, has been widely incorporated into mindfulness literature. However, current measurements of appreciative joy have various limitations, including the inability to capture the concept of appreciative joy, strong correlations between dimensions, and a lack of sensitivity to short-term changes. This study aimed to address these limitations by developing a Short-Term Appreciative Joy Scale (SAJS) to measure appreciative joy over 2 weeks.

In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis (n = 325) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 210) were used to validate the factor structure of the SAJS. Study 2 (n = 273) used correlation analysis to test the criterion validity and incremental validity of the SAJS. Study 3 (n = 499) further used a randomized controlled trial to investigate the application of the SAJS in a loving-kindness and compassion meditation intervention.

Study 1 identified a 15-item SAJS with three factors: appreciation, joy, and non-envy. Study 2 revealed that scores on the non-envy dimension were negatively related to negative emotions, negative attitudes toward others, and envy, even after controlling for trait appreciative joy. Study 3 further revealed that scores on the appreciation and joy dimensions improved significantly after the intervention and mediated the changes in positive emotions and prosocial attitudes.

The SAJS is a reliable and valid measure of appreciative joy, and its sensitivity to short-term change makes it useful for intervention.

This study is not preregistered.