An eight-item unipolar scale measuring momentary feelings of fear, tension, and stress in response to a specific stimulus or situation. The scale includes both positive-keyed anxiety indicators and three reverse-scored items reflecting comfort and relaxation, providing a balanced assessment of the anxiety-to-calm continuum. Originally developed for advertising research, the scale has been used across diverse consumer contexts in which anxiety is induced by the experimental stimuli or manipulated through message framing.
7-point Likert
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
The original seven-item version (Maheswaran & Meyers-Levy 1990, α = .86) excludes the 'Stressed' item. An extended eight-item version including 'Stressed' was used by Winterich and Haws (2011, Journal of Consumer Research, 38(3), 505–524), α = .89. All eight items are included here; researchers should note which version they are using. Three items are reverse-scored: Reassured, Relaxed, and Comforted. Items are typically presented as stem-completion (e.g., 'How does [stimulus] make you feel?') with the named state rated on the response scale. No validity evidence reported in either application.
Maheswaran, Durairaj and Joan Meyers-Levy (1990). The influence of message framing and issue involvement. Journal of Marketing Research, 27 (August), 361–367.
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