The PANAS is among the most widely used self-report measures in all of psychological and social science research. Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1988) developed the PANAS to provide brief, reliable, valid, and largely uncorrelated measures of positive and negative affect. The key theoretical contribution is demonstrating that Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) are not opposites on a single bipolar dimension but are two largely independent dimensions. This two-factor structure is robust across populations, time instructions, and cultures. In consumer and marketing research, PA predicts approach motivation, hedonic consumption, and positive evaluation of products; NA is associated with avoidance motivation, complaint behaviour, negative word-of-mouth, and vulnerability to anxiety-based appeals. The PANAS can be used in state (current moment), situational, or trait (generally) formats.
5-point frequency scale (1=very slightly or not at all to 5=extremely); 10 PA items summed (range 10–50) and 10 NA items summed (range 10–50) separately
Positive Affect — PA (10 items): reflects enthusiasm, activeness, and alertness. 5-point scale (1=very slightly or not at all to 5=extremely). Sum all 10 PA items (range 10–50).
Negative Affect — NA (10 items): reflects subjective distress and unpleasurable engagement. 5-point scale. Sum all 10 NA items (range 10–50).
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
PA and NA are largely independent — do not assume high PA implies low NA. Report subscale scores separately. Available in state ('right now'), period ('past week'), and trait ('generally') time-frame formats using the same items with different instructions. The standard 5-point scale (1=very slightly or not at all to 5=extremely) is important for cross-study comparability. The PANAS is in the public domain for academic research. A revised 60-item PANAS-X (Watson & Clark, 1994) provides subscale differentiation within PA and NA.
Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070.
Free access to 2455+ psychometric scales at PsychScales