6-item measure of individual differences in the disposition to experience gratitude. ≈ 2 min to complete. Free with attribution.
GQ-6 (Gratitude Questionnaire-6) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 6-item measure of individual differences in the disposition to experience gratitude.. It is most often used for assessing dispositional gratitude in positive psychology and clinical research.. The instrument contains 6 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 2 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
Assessing dispositional gratitude in positive psychology and clinical research. GQ-6 is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, GQ-6 is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 6 items below to see your GQ-6 score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 7-point scale (1–7). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Sum all 6 items scored 1-7 (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Items 3 and 6 are reverse-scored. Total range 6-42. Higher scores indicate greater gratitude.
Scoring notes: Sum all 6 items scored 1-7 (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Items 3 and 6 are reverse-scored. Total range 6-42. Higher scores indicate greater gratitude.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 6–24 | Low gratitude | Consider gratitude interventions |
| 25–33 | Moderate gratitude | Monitor |
| 34–42 | High gratitude | Maintain |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I have so much in life to be thankful for | Slightly agree | 5 |
| 2 | If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list | Slightly agree | 5 |
| 3 | When I look at the world, I don't see much to be grateful for | Slightly disagree | 5 |
| 4 | I am grateful to a wide variety of people | Slightly agree | 5 |
| 5 | As I get older I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life history | Neither agree nor disagree | 4 |
| 6 | Long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone | Slightly disagree | 5 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 5 = 29
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 29 falls between 25 and 33 → Moderate gratitude
Moderate gratitude. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. GQ-6 supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If GQ-6 doesn't fit your context, related instruments in wellbeing include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO-5 | 5-item measure of subjective psychological well-being. | 5 | ≈ 1 min |
| FS | 8-item measure of self-perceived success in relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism. | 8 | ≈ 2 min |
| SPANE | 12-item measure of positive and negative emotional experiences. | 12 | ≈ 2 min |
| MLQ | 10-item measure assessing presence of meaning and search for meaning in life. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| SHS | 4-item global measure of subjective happiness using absolute ratings and social comparisons. | 4 | ≈ 1 min |
| AHS | 12-item measure of dispositional hope with agency and pathways subscales. | 12 | ≈ 3 min |
| PWB-18 | 18-item short form assessing six dimensions of psychological well-being: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. | 18 | ≈ 5 min |
| PGIS | 9-item measure of active, intentional engagement in personal growth and self-change. | 9 | ≈ 2 min |
GQ-6 (Gratitude Questionnaire-6) is a validated instrument that assesses individual differences in the disposition to experience gratitude. Its primary clinical use is Assessing dispositional gratitude in positive psychology and clinical research. It takes about 2 min to complete, and the 6 items are summed to produce a total score.
GQ-6 typically takes about 2 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
GQ-6 contains 6 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 6 to 42, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Low gratitude’ up to ‘High gratitude’.
On the GQ-6 (total score 6–42), scores of 34–42 fall in the ‘High gratitude’ band — interpreted as: Maintain. The full ladder is: 6–24 — Low gratitude: Consider gratitude interventions.; 25–33 — Moderate gratitude: Monitor.; 34–42 — High gratitude: Maintain. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 6–24 fall in the ‘Low gratitude’ band: Consider gratitude interventions. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
GQ-6 has reported Cronbach's α of 0.82 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.8. Correlates with life satisfaction, happiness, optimism, and prosocial behavior; discriminates from materialism and envy. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.82 indicates good internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.8 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
GQ-6 is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112-127. This is the original publication for the GQ-6 — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. GQ-6 is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is Assessing dispositional gratitude in positive psychology and clinical research — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
GQ-6 is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: