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QUIZ: SPIRITUALITY AND WELL-BEING

Two Tests Across Your Soul Body Connection

by Jared Kass, Ph.D.

In studies at Harvard and other centers, the following INSPIRIT and WELL-BEING tests have shown how tapping into your spiritual core can boost self-confidence, lower heart attack risk factors, reduce cravings for alcohol, and help stop smoking. Take a few minutes to complete the tests and consider what strengthening your spirituality might do for you.

As well as giving you a better understanding of yourself, we hope to collect data for the first worldwide study on spirituality and health. Your answers are anonymous. No one can know who you are. But we will update this page periodically to let you know more about the spiritual lives of our Internet community.

Start the Tests (Give yourself ten minutes)

Evaluate your own spiritual grounding and discover how you can gain greater fulfillment in the midst of stress.

Do you experience a sense of purpose, self-confidence and well-being? Take this test to evaluate your own spiritual grounding, and to discover how you can gain greater fulfillment in the midst of stress.

Part One: Your Spiritual Experience

This Index of Core Spiritual Experience, called INSPIRIT, was developed over years of research that has shown such experience to be normal and health enhancing. The INSPIRIT recognizes that people have many different definitions and images of the higher power or spiritual core that we often call God. The INSPIRIT will help you assess your depth of spiritual awareness. There are no right or wrong answers.

Click on the number of the answer that is most true for you.

How spiritual or religious do you consider yourself to be?

Not at all spiritual
Not very spiritual
Somewhat spiritual
Very spiritual

 

How often do you spend time on spiritual or religious practices?

Once per year or less
Once per month to several times per year
Once per week to several times per month
Several times per day to several times per week

 

How often have you felt close to a powerful spiritual force that seemed to lift you outside yourself?

Never
Once or twice
Several times
Often

 

Use your own definition and image of God when answering the following questions.

How close do you feel to God?

I don't believe in God
Not very close
Somewhat close
Extremely close

 

Have you ever had an experience that has convinced you that God exists?

No
I don't know
Maybe
Yes

 

Indicate whether you agree or disagree with this statement: "God dwells within you".

Definitely disagree
Tend to disagree
Tend to agree
Definitely agree

 

Indicate if you have had any of these experiences and the extent to which each of them has affected you.
   

Had this experience and it:

 

Spiritual Experiences:

 Never had this experience Did not strengthen conviction that God exists Strengthened conviction that God exists Convinced me of God's existence

An experience of God's energy or presence

 

An experience of a great spiritual figure (e.g. Jesus, Mary, Elijah, Buddha)

 

An experience of angels or guiding spirits

 

An experience of communication with someone who has died

 

Meeting or listening to a spiritual teacher or master

 

An overwhelming experience of love

 

An experience of profound inner peace

 

An experience of complete joy and ecstasy

 

A miraculous (or not normally occurring) event

 

A healing of your body or mind (or witnessed such a healing)

 

A feeling of unity with the earth and all living beings

 

An experience with near death or life after death

 

Other experience 


Part Two: Your Sense of Well-Being

This Well-Being test is helpful in assessing whether your spirituality is empowering you to achieve well-being through

  1. A sense of life purpose and satisfaction and

  2. Self-confidence during perceived stress.

Your answers here will begin to give a picture of whether, as Thoreau put it, we are living lives of "quiet desperation" or whether our lives have underlying harmony.

On each scale of opposite extremes, click on the number that is most true for you.

During most of the day, my energy level is
very low very high
      

When there is a great deal of pressure being placed on me
I get tense I remain calm
      

As a whole, my life seems
dull vibrant
      

My daily activities are
not a source of satisfaction a source of satisfaction
      

During stressful circumstances, I experience anxiety
all the time never
      

I have come to expect that every day will be
exactly the same new and different
      

During stressful circumstances, I am fearful
all the time never
      

When I think deeply about life
I do not feel there is any purpose to it I feel there is a purpose to it
      

I feel that my life so far has
been productive not been productive
      

When I have made a mistake during a stressful situation
I feel extreme dislike for myself I continue to like myself
      

I feel that the work* I am doing
*The definition of work is not limited to income-producing jobs. It includes childcare, housework, studies, and volunteer services.
is of no value is of great value
      

I wish I were different than who I am.
agree strongly disagree strongly
      

At this time, I have
no clearly defined goals for my life clearly defined goals for my life
      

When a situation becomes difficult, I find myself worrying that something bad is going to happen to me or those I love.
all the time never
      

In a stressful situation
I cannot concentrate easily I can concentrate easily
      

When I need to stand up for myself
I cannot do it I can do it quite easily
      

I feel less than adequate when I am in difficult situations.
agree strongly disagree strongly
      

In a difficult situation, I am confident that I will receive the help that I need.
disagree strongly agree strongly
      

I react to problems and difficulties
with a great deal of frustration with no frustration
      

When sad things happen to me or other people
I cannot feel positive about life I continue to feel positive about life
      

When I think about what I have done with my life, I feel
worthless worthwhile
      

During times of stress, I feel isolated and alone.
agree strongly disagree strongly
      

My present life
does not satisfy me satisfies me
      

I feel joy in my heart
never all the time
      

In really difficult situations
I feel unable to respond in positive ways I feel able to respond in positive ways
      

When I need to relax during stressful times
I experience no peace — only thoughts and worries I experience a peacefulness free of thoughts or worries
      

I feel trapped by the circumstances of my life.
agree strongly disagree strongly
      

When I am in a frightening situation
I panic I remain calm
      

When I think about my past
I feel many regrets I feel no regrets
      

Deep inside myself
I do not feel loved I feel loved
      

During stressful times in my life, I worry about the future
all the time never
      

When I think about the problems that I have
I do not feel hopeful about solving them I feel very hopeful about solving them
      
 
Part Three: Your Stress Load and How You Respond

In each of the following categories, indicate the amount of stress you have felt during the past six months

 

Physical health
None
Mild
Moderate
Strong

Physical appearance
None
Mild
Moderate
Strong

Health of family members
None
Mild
Moderate
Strong