The eleventh annual Stoic Week took place in November 2023. The main research questions were around the relationship between Stoicism and meaning and purpose in life.

This year we asked participants to complete a questionnaire about meaning, as well as the usual questionnaires about wellbeing and their degree of Stoicism. We were interested in answering these questions:

• To what extent is meaning in life associated with Stoicism?
• To what extent does the practice of Stoicism enhance a sense of meaning in life?
• What else could we learn from Stoic Week 2023?

 

This report attempts to answer these three questions. Further details are contained in the appendices.

• Association of meaning in life with Stoicism

There is a good case for thinking that Stoicism might increase a sense of meaning and purpose in life. After all, Stoicism provides a unifying framework and a purpose – to live according to nature, to live as an excellent human and to play one’s best role in the universe.

Previous Stoic week research on the topic was limited to one item in the Flourish questionnaire, namely “I lead a purposeful and meaningful life.”

In Stoic Week 2022, there had been a high correlation between this item and Stoicism (of 0.5). The average score for this item in the Flourish scale also increased 13% through taking part in Stoic Week in 2022.  So prior to Stoic Week 2023, there was some, very limited, support for the hypothesis about meaning in life and being Stoic.

Using the Mundane Meaning Measure (MMM) (Brown et al, 2008) we were able to evaluate the association between meaning in life and Stoicism (as measured by the SABS 5.0) using a more thorough, 36 item scale (see Appendix D for more details about this scale.

This correlation turned out to be 0.62, an extremely high positive association – and greater than the 0.5 from the single-item measure.

Delving deeper, the SABS items that correlated most highly with the Mundane Meaning Measure (MMM) were the following items:

SABS Item No.	SABS item wording	MMM correlation
26	When I have a problem, I am good at taking constructive action in a timely manner	0.54
19	I spend quite a lot of time dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past. (reverse-scored)	0.52
33	I spend quite a lot of time worrying about the future. (reverse-scored)	0.52
48	Even when I can’t do anything more about a problem, I still worry about it a lot. (reverse-scored)	0.49
22	When making an important decision I ask myself “What really matters here?”	0.44
41	If things don’t go well for me, I can’t lead a good life (reverse-scored)	0.42
38	When a negative thought enters my mind, I remind myself that it is just an interpretation of the situation.	0.40

Table 1 – Stoic items most associated with meaning

The MMM scale is divided into 4 subscales, which correlated with the SABS as follows:

 

Purpose	Action identification	Integration of circumstances	Coherence
0.53	0.47	0.54	0.48

 

Table 2 – Correlations  of dimensions of meaning with Stoicism

 

Each dimension correlated highly with Stoicism, with no significant difference between them.

• Increase in meaning in life through doing Stoic Week

Overall meaning in life, as represented by MMM, increased by 14.5% in Stoic Week, a large increase.

The following MMM items increased the most:

No	Item	Change
23	I see a clear path forward for myself into the future.	24.40%
17	I am living up to my potential.	21.90%
4	I feel like I have a mission in life.	21.60%
36	I have a definite direction in my life.	20.10%
24	I feel like I am in limbo. (reverse-scored)	19.90%
30	I have a strong sense of purpose.	19.60%
28	My sense of who I am in life is clear.	19.40%

Table 3 – MMM items that improved the most during Stoic Week

 

Looking at the four dimensions of the MMM, purpose increased the most, by nearly 19%:

Dimension	Meaning	Increase
1	Purpose	18.7%
2	Action Identification	9.7%
3	Integration of Circumstances	13.8%
4	Coherence	14.4%

Table 4  – Changes in MMM dimensions during Stoic Week

 

3)What else could we learn from Stoic Week 2023?

Details of the course contents, measures used and further statistical findings are provided in the appendices. Apart from the significant correlation of meaning and life and Stoicism, and increased meaning in life, discussed above, these were some key findings:

• Negative emotions reduced considerably during Stoic Week 2023, “Feeling negative” reduced by 29%; “feeling sad” by 27%; “feeling bad and feeling angry” by 24%; “feeling afraid” by 21% (Appendix H)
• Positive emotions also increased: “feeling joyful and contented” both by 14%, for example (Appendix H)
• Stoicism, as measured by the SABS, once again had a highly significant correlation with a variety of wellbeing measures (Appendix J)
• For the eleventh year running, participants in Stoic Week reported on average a significant increase in wellbeing, as measured by a variety of wellbeing measures, after taking part in Stoic Week (Appendix I).
• Participants’ knowledge of Stoicism increased during Stoicism by 18%, as self-reported by a single item (Appendix B).
• The SABS items that increased the most during Stoic Week (Appendix E) were:

 

 

48	Even when I can’t do anything more about a problem, I still worry about it a lot.*	20.8%
4	Having good understanding and good character is all that is required in order to be happy.	18.8%
33	I spend quite a lot of time worrying about the future.*	18.3%
43	I need to be in good health in order to be happy.*	16.7%
3	If bad things happen to you, you are bound to feel distressed.*	16.3%
23	I cannot really be harmed by what other people say.	16.2%

 

*=reverse-scored, the score indicates a decrease and hence an improvement.

 

• Over 70% of participants were relative novices – they stated that they “know a bit (or less)” about Stoicism. Likewise, most participants had not taken part in a previous Stoic Week (Appendix B)
• There is a continuing trend of increased female participation in Stoic Week – up to 45%, although male participants remain a majority (53%) (Appendix B)
• Most participants still come from USA, and UK. Notably, 126 participants were located in Australia in 2023, compared to only 79 in 2022 (Appendix B)
• The average rating for Stoic Week 2023 was 8.4 (out of 10) compared to 8.0 in 2022 (Appendix B)
• Feedback included positive comments , such as “”Feeling reinvigorated to be a better person by living more Stoically. Reminding myself of the practical things I can do every day to stay on track” (Appendix C)

 

Appendices

Appendix A Course Content

 

Stoic Week is an e-learning programme developed by the Modern Stoicism team.  In 2023 the training consisted of a booklet, available online and also in pdf form, with short instructional videos  and a discussion group on Teachable.  Materials were written and facilitated by Tim LeBon and Eve Riches, with support from the Modern Stoicism team, including some much-valued volunteers who helped out with moderating the discussions, and others who translated the handbook into a variety of languages.

Participants are invited to “live like a Stoic” for a week, undertaking an e-learning course and potentially interacting with other students through online forums. As well as providing a useful resource for participants who wish to learn about how to practice Stoicism, this and other Modern Stoicism programmes are aimed at increasing what we know about the potential benefits of Stoicism. To this end, participants were asked to complete a set of questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course. These included the SABS 5.0, a questionnaire designed by the Modern Stoicism team to measure someone’s degree of Stoicism, and three standard wellbeing questionnaires which we have used in previous Stoic Weeks . The innovations from 2021, such as short daily videos, editable pdfs and simplified language, were retained. The theme for each day was as follows:

 

Appendix B  Demographics

Gender

Gender        Year	2023 %	2022 %	2021 %	2020 %
Male	53	54	60	57
Female	45	44	39	42
Other	<1	<1	<1	.6
Decline to state	<1	<1	<1	.6

Table B 1- Gender

 

 

 

Why did people take part in Stoic Week?

The above WordCloud from Stoic Week 2023 indicates that people wanted to learn about Stoicism so they can practice philosophy  in their daily life.

 

 

 

 

Where did Stoic Week 2023 participants live?

Country	2023	%	2022	%
United States	513	32	409	31%
United Kingdom	297	19	234	18%
Australia	126	8	79	6%
Canada	109	7	118	9%
Germany	81	5	50	4%
Spain	55	3	33	2%
Netherlands	49	3	37	3%
Mexico	24	2	30	2%
Ireland {Republic}	22	1	26	2%
Sweden	21	1	16	1%
Switzerland	21	1	(fewer than 16)

Table B2 – Countries taking part in Stoic Week with 21 or more participants, 2023

Following patterns observed in previous years, most participants came from USA, and UK.. Notably, 126 participants were located in Australia, compared to only 79 in 2022.

Knowledge of Stoicism

Participants were asked to rate their knowledge of Stoicism at the start and end of Stoic week from 0 (none) 1(Novice), 2 (I know a bit) 3 (I know quite a lot but am not an expert) 4 expert)

At the start of Stoic Week 2023 they rated themselves as follows, with an average score of 1.95 (between Novice and “I know a bit”).

At the end of Stoic Week, participants rated themselves on average with a knowledge of 2.4, an increase of 18%.

 

 

 

 

 

How much did participants identify with being a Stoic?

Participants were asked “To what extent do you consider yourself to be a Stoic?” at the start and end of Stoic Week

 

 

The average score at the start of Stoic Week 2023 was 2.35, similar to previous years.  The average score at the end of the Stoic Week 2023 was 2.8,  the increase in being more Stoic being 17% (slightly more than previous years).

 

How long did people spend each day doing Stoic Week?

Participants were asked how long on average they spent each day on Stoic Week – the average was 36 minutes in 2023, compared to 40.5 minutes in 2022

On average, responders to the end of Stoic Week completed 6.4 days out of 7 (same as 2022).

 

How highly did participants rate Stoic Week 2023?

Participants were asked to rate Stoic Week on a rating 0-10. The average rating was 8.4 in 2023 compared to 8.0 in 2022.

 

 

Appendix C – Qualitative Feedback

The qualitative feedback given at the end of Stoic Week was once again very positive.

Sample comments from Participants at end of Stoic Week 2023

Feeling reinvigorated to be a better person by living more Stoically. Reminding myself of the practical things I can do every day to stay on track.

 

Loved it

 

Very valuable. Really enjoyed it.

 

Please keep it running.

 

I managed to get a few people to try it this year. I think they enjoyed it.

 

Second time was a great refresher so I didn’t feel it was such a struggle to grasp the ideas but could focus more on applying the teachings to my day to day life.

 

If believe Stoicism has made a major impact in my life especially in regards to how I manage my emotions and react to potential stressors.

 

This was such a great experience. Thank you for pulling it together!

 

Really inspirational. Liked mixture of exercises and formats

 

Thoroughly  enjoyable and lifechanging!

 

Awesome! Thank you for making it available for free!

 

I appreciate the time and effort everyone involved put into this. I would suggest exploring how you can better get the word out about Stoic Week 2024 and get people signed up earlier. I didn’t hear about it until the first day. Some online communities like r/Stoicism were mostly unaware of this until some people mentioned it late.

 

The materials were excellent and thanks for all the work you put into this.

 

I felt part of something big thank you.

 

Interesting and fun – great toolkit of resources

 

It was very helpful. I will continue to practice the things I have learned and it will make a different in my life. Thank you.

 

This was my eighth time, tenth time? I don’t know. But every year it resets my outlook and my mood.

I find myself inching closer to accepting the possibility that I live in a benevolent universe. This concept was hard for me after my heavily positivist training as a science student in the 70s. I can feel myself growing into a new way of looking at things now.

 

I also appreciated the team members discussing their own experiences

 

Just a big thank you for championing Stoicism and offering this course. I got so much out of it. I’ll recommend next year’s to friends and family.

 

 

 

Appendix D  The Measure of Mundane Meaning Scale

 

The Measure of Mundane Meaning Scale (Brown, Roach, Irving, & Joseph, 2008) is designed to measure personal meaning in life.

The minimum score  is 0 and the highest score is 3600.

The average score at the start of Stoic Week 2023 (for the first 1450 respondents) was 2167.

A score of 1350 or lower would place someone in the bottom 10% of respondents.
A score of between 1351 and 1720 would place someone in the 10-25% range of respondents.
A score between 1721 and 2180 would place someone in the 25-50% range of respondents.

A score of between 2181 and 2650 would place someone you in the 50-75% range of respondents.
A score of 2980 or above would place someone in the top 10% of respondents.

 

No	Item	Start	End	Change
1	I can picture what my life might be like far into the future.	49.3	60.6	18.7%
2*	Other people seem surer than me of where they are going in life.	54.2	62.1	12.7%
3	I have developed new ways of looking at myself through my life experiences.	75.2	82.0	8.4%
4	I feel like I have a mission in life.	50.6	64.5	21.6%
5*	I’m not certain that my life will amount to anything.	59.7	73.5	18.8%
6	I can trust my intuition about how to handle ordinary affairs.	64.7	73.3	11.6%
7	I know what’s important in my daily life.	70.3	80.3	12.4%
8	I have been able to find benefit from even my negative experiences.	67.1	76.2	11.9%
9	I feel that my life is going somewhere.	57.0	69.8	18.3%
10*	The life I am now leading is not the one I was meant to lead.	77.9	73.9	-5.4%
11*	I have lost sight of my goals.	63.3	76.1	16.7%
12*	I don’t know what to expect from day to day.	68.5	76.7	10.7%
13	I have confidence when dealing with everyday matters.	67.5	75.5	10.5%
14	There is a feeling of coherence to my life.	58.9	71.0	17.0%
15	My life has a sense of continuity.	62.3	72.7	14.3%
16^	I’ve lost the “thread” that used to run through my life.	65.2	77.5	15.9%
17	I am living up to my potential.	46.5	59.4	21.9%
18	The story of my life is unfolding in a satisfying way.	55.3	67.6	18.3%
19*	I have trouble feeling a part of my everyday roles.	67.8	78.1	13.3%
20*	I often find myself at a loss for what to do next.	66.9	78.0	14.2%
21*	Somehow my life has gone off track.	68.3	81.6	16.3%
22	I don’t have to think very hard about what I need to do from moment to moment.	57.3	65.7	12.7%
23	I see a clear path forward for myself into the future.	48.9	64.7	24.4%
24*	I feel like I am in limbo.	61.6	76.8	19.9%
25	I have been able to fit all my life experiences into my life story.	54.7	67.1	18.5%
26	I have been able to make sense of difficulties that I have experienced in my life.	65.0	73.6	11.7%
27*	I need to stop and think before doing even ordinary things.	75.2	78.3	4.1%
28	My sense of who I am in life is clear.	56.8	70.5	19.4%
29	I have come to terms with events that have happened to me in my life.	65.2	75.2	13.4%
30	I have a strong sense of purpose.	53.2	66.1	19.6%
31*	I can’t trust my instincts in everyday matters.	65.6	67.1	2.2%
32	Once I get up in the morning, I already have an idea of what I intend to do that day.	63.2	73.2	13.7%
33	I have been able to put the past behind me and move on in my daily life.	60.1	71.9	16.4%
34	I have a definite idea of my day-to-day priorities.	65.3	76.0	14.1%
35*	I’m not sure how the parts of my life fit together.	68.7	78.3	12.3%
36	I have a definite direction in my life.	53.7	67.2	20.1%

Table D1 – Mundane Meaning item scores and change during Stoic Week

Items marked with asterisk are initially reverse-scored. The scores indicated have been adjusted, so a higher score means higher meaning.

The start and end scores are an average of the participants who completed questionnaires at the start and end of Stoic Week (n=450).

No	Item	Correlation with SABS 5.0 at start of Stoic Week
1	I can picture what my life might be like far into the future.	0.24
2*	Other people seem surer than me of where they are going in life.	0.29
3	I have developed new ways of looking at myself through my life experiences.	0.43
4	I feel like I have a mission in life.	0.46
5*	I’m not certain that my life will amount to anything.	0.40
6	I can trust my intuition about how to handle ordinary affairs.	0.40
7	I know what’s important in my daily life.	0.48
8	I have been able to find benefit from even my negative experiences.	0.52
9	I feel that my life is going somewhere.	0.47
10*	The life I am now leading is not the one I was meant to lead.	0.24
11*	I have lost sight of my goals.	0.39
12*	I don’t know what to expect from day to day.	0.29
13	I have confidence when dealing with everyday matters.	0.45
14	There is a feeling of coherence to my life.	0.48
15	My life has a sense of continuity.	0.44
16*	I’ve lost the “thread” that used to run through my life.	0.36
17	I am living up to my potential.	0.41
18	The story of my life is unfolding in a satisfying way.	0.47
19*	I have trouble feeling a part of my everyday roles.	0.38
20*	I often find myself at a loss for what to do next.	0.40
21*	Somehow my life has gone off track.	0.37
22	I don’t have to think very hard about what I need to do from moment to moment.	0.30
23	I see a clear path forward for myself into the future.	0.42
24*	I feel like I am in limbo.	0.39
25	I have been able to fit all my life experiences into my life story.	0.42
26	I have been able to make sense of difficulties that I have experienced in my life.	0.49
27*	I need to stop and think before doing even ordinary things.	0.26
28	My sense of who I am in life is clear.	0.50
29	I have come to terms with events that have happened to me in my life.	0.48
30	I have a strong sense of purpose.	0.53
31*	I can’t trust my instincts in everyday matters.	0.16
32	Once I get up in the morning, I already have an idea of what I intend to do that day.	0.42
33	I have been able to put the past behind me and move on in my daily life.	0.48
34	I have a definite idea of my day-to-day priorities.	0.46
35*	I’m not sure how the parts of my life fit together.	0.41
36	I have a definite direction in my life.	0.50

Table D2 – Mundane Meaning item correlations with SABS 5.0 at start of Stoic Week

 

 

Appendix E Stoic Attitudes and Behaviour Scale 5.0 (SABS 5.0)

 

#	Item	Reversed?	Average score start of Stoic Week 2023 7= totally Stoic)	% Increase by end of Stoic Week 2023	Average score start of Stoic Week 2022 7=totally Stoic)	% Increase by end of Stoic Week 2022	Correlation with meaning
1	I think about my life as an ongoing project to become a better person.	No	6.0	5.0%	6.0	6.2%	0.25
2	It can sometimes be a good thing to become angry at people.	Yes	4.1	11.1%	4.0	12.4%	0.07
3	If bad things happen to you, you are bound to feel distressed.	Yes	3.5	16.3%	3.3	20.1%	0.29
4	Having good understanding and good character is all that is required in order to be happy.	No	4.4	18.8%	4.1	22.6%	0.15
5	Viewing other people as fellow-members of the brother/sisterhood of humankind helps me to avoid feeling angry and resentful.	No	5.2	9.0%	5.1	11.3%	0.27
6	The universe is benevolent in its overall plan.	No	4.0	11.2%	3.9	12.3%	0.18
7	I regularly spend time reflecting on what is most important to enable me to live a good and happy life.	No	5.1	9.5%	5.1	11.8%	0.37
8	Bad luck could stop me being happy.	Yes	4.3	13.4%	4.1	15.6%	0.37
9	I do the right thing even when I feel afraid.	No	5.0	10.3%	5.0	8.0%	0.38
10	It is my duty to help others.	No	5.6	5.4%	5.6	5.8%	0.27
11	Sometimes a controlled experience of anger can be helpful in resolving conflicts with others	Yes	3.3	9.9%	3.5	10.2%	0.04
12	I usually do the right thing.	No	5.5	6.3%	5.4	5.5%	0.38
13	I do not act on urges when it would be unwise to act on them	No	4.6	9.5%	4.5	13.3%	0.36
14	I am committed to helping humanity in general.	No	5.4	6.5%	5.5	6.4%	0.31
15	I treat everyone fairly.	No	5.4	6.2%	5.3	9.9%	0.29
16	To flourish as a human being all you need is good character and understanding of what really matters in life	No	5.0	12.7%	5.0	13.6%	0.19
17	If things don’t go well for my friends, I can’t lead a good life.	Yes	5.0	2.9%	5.0	3.4%	0.18
18	I take active steps to reduce the suffering of others.	No	5.1	7.7%	5.1	7.9%	0.31
19	I spend quite a lot of time dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past.	Yes	4.0	15.7%	3.7	20.8%	0.52
20	It is possible to lead a happy life even after the death of someone we love.	No	5.9	3.2%	5.9	2.8%	0.31
21	The universe embodies wisdom.	No	4.8	5.5%	4.4	10.2%	0.15
22	When making an important decision I ask myself “What really matters here?”	No	5.4	8.3%	5.3	10.3%	0.44
23	I cannot really be harmed by what other people say.	No	4.5	16.2%	4.5	18.6%	0.36
24	The universe is a living thing.	No	5.0	4.4%	4.8	5.5%	0.08
25	I need quite a lot of money in order to be happy.	Yes	4.8	5.1%	4.9	9.8%	0.23
26	When I have a problem, I am good at taking constructive action in a timely manner.	No	4.9	10.7%	4.9	10.9%	0.54
27	We can’t really control other people.	No	6.2	3.1%	6.2	3.4%	0.16
28	There is a rational and orderly plan in the universe and in the causes of events.	No	3.8	13.7%	3.7	16.0%	0.14
29	When making a significant decision I reflect on what a good role model would do.	No	4.6	12.3%	4.5	13.3%	0.33
30	Nothing except our judgements and voluntary actions are truly under our control in life.	No	5.9	6.7%	5.9	7.3%	0.17
31	I pay attention to my judgements about good or bad things or people as I am making them.	No	5.1	8.6%	5.0	10.9%	0.33
32	I need to be well thought of by others in order to be happy.	Yes	4.2	15.6%	4.2	16.1%	0.31
33	I spend quite a lot of time worrying about the future.	Yes	3.5	18.3%	3.4	20.5%	0.52
34	It is good to think about life as an ongoing journey towards becoming a better person.	No	6.1	3.9%	6.1	4.9%	0.20
35	I am committed to helping my friends.	No	5.7	4.5%	5.7	4.5%	0.26
36	I pay attention to my thoughts about what I intend to do before I act on them.	No	5.2	7.7%	5.0	11.2%	0.38
37	I want to become a better person ethically.	No	6.3	2.5%	6.3	3.1%	0.07
38	When a negative thought enters my mind, I remind myself that it is just an interpretation of the situation.	No	4.6	14.3%	4.3	21.1%	0.40
39	It is right to feel intense and overwhelming grief after a significant loss	No	2.4	12.8%	2.6	11.5%	0.14
40	I view other people as fellow-members of the brother/sisterhood of humankind.	No	5.3	6.7%	5.3	7.1%	0.28
41	If things don’t go well for me, I can’t lead a good life.	Yes	4.6	9.6%	4.7	10.9%	0.42
42	I can’t control how I feel.	Yes	4.8	8.7%	4.8	11.7%	0.37
43	I need to be in good health in order to be happy.	Yes	3.6	16.7%	3.8	15.1%	0.27
44	I am committed to helping my family.	No	6.1	1.9%	6.0	3.6%	0.24
45	Every day I spend some time thinking about how I can best face challenges in the day ahead.	No	4.6	14.5%	4.5	17.5%	0.34
46	Our voluntary actions are among the only things truly under our control in life.	No	5.9	5.8%	5.8	8.2%	0.15
47	As long as you have the right attitude, you can lead a good life even in the most difficult circumstances.	No	5.7	5.3%	5.6	7.6%	0.27
48	Even when I can’t do anything more about a problem, I still worry about it a lot.	Yes	3.3	20.8%	3.4	23.3%	0.49
49	I care about the suffering of others	No	5.8	2.4%	5.8	2.9%	0.11
50	I often do what I feel like doing rather than doing what I believe to be the right thing.	Yes	4.4	9.2%	4.6	9.9%	0.35
51	Our judgements are amongst the only things truly under our control in life.	No	5.7	8.3%	5.6	9.2%	0.13
52	I see my happiness as fully compatible with caring for other people.	No	5.4	8.4%	5.5	6.3%	0.25
53	The best idea is to give up trying to control people and instead focus on our own actions and our judgements and character.	No	6.2	3.7%	6.1	4.7%	0.20
54	There is no overall plan to the universe.	Yes	3.5	11.5%	3.5	9.3%	0.13
55	I think about what the ideal wise and good person would do when faced with misfortunes in life.	No	4.6	12.0%	4.4	15.9%	0.32
56	If things don’t go well for my family, I can’t lead a good life.	Yes	4.2	9.4%	4.4	10.5%	0.31
57	I am committed to helping in my local community.	No	4.7	9.9%	4.7	10.8%	0.26
58	It does not help me to get angry	No	5.6	5.1%	5.5	5.9%	0.13
59	It is possible to lead a happy life even when we have lost success or wealth.	No	5.5	5.2%	5.6	6.4%	0.30
60	We can sometimes influence how others behave, but we can’t completely control other people.	No	6.2	3.3%	6.3	2.3%	0.17
	Total Score			8.6%		10.9%	10.9%

Table E1 –  Stoic Week participant scores for  SABS 5.0 comparisons 2023

 

Instructions to Stoic Week participants

For each of the above items, please mark on a 7-point Likert scale whether you agree with it from Strongly Agree (7) to Strongly disagree (1) as follows:

Strongly Agree 7

Agree 6

Slightly Agree 5

Neither agree or disagree 4

Slightly disagree 3

Disagree 2

Strongly Disagree 1

 

Please respond according to what you yourself think, not what you think the answer ought to be or what you ought to think.

SCORING

To obtain the scores for reverse-coded items, subtract the score from 8 (e.g., a score of 7 becomes 1).

The higher the score, the more Stoic your attitudes and beliefs are. The possible scores range from 60 (minimum Stoic) to 480 (maximum Stoic).

The Average SABS score for all participants at the start of Stoic Week 2023 was 295.

From the data at the start of a previous Stoic Week (2022), a  score of:

336 or above would place someone in the top 10%

313 or above would place someone in the top 25%

288 or above would place someone in the top 50%

263 or below would place someone in the bottom 25%

242 or below would place someone in the bottom 10% in terms of your degree of Stoicism

 

 

 

  

Appendix F: The Satisfaction with Life scale

 

The SWLS is a short 5-item instrument designed to measure global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one’s life. This scale is widely used as part of the measure of Subjective Wellbeing (also known as happiness).

Question                                                                          Theme

Q1. In most ways my life is close to my ideal                                       Life is ideal

Q2. The conditions of my life are excellent                                            Externals met

Q3. So far, I have got the important things I want in life.                    Needs met

Q4. I am satisfied with my life                                                                 Satisfaction

Q5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing        Acceptance

 

Using a 1-7 Likert scale, users score between 35 (extremely satisfied) and 5 (extremely dissatisfied)

 

#	Item	Average score start of Stoic Week 2023	% change Stoic Week 2023	% change Stoic Week 2022
1	In most ways my life is close to my ideal.	4.6	14.6%	13.8%
2	The conditions of my life are excellent	5.1	10.3%	10.8%
3	So far, I have got the important things I want in life	5.1	8.6%	9.9%
4	I am satisfied with my life	4.9	11.6%	13.1%
5	If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing	3.8	16.0%	15.7%
	Overall	23.4	13.2%	13%

Table F1 – Stoic Week 2023 participant scores for  Satisfaction with Life

 

The average score at the start of Stoic Week 2023 was 23.4

From data at the start of a previous Stoic week (2022):-
A score of 13 or lower places someone in the bottom 10% of respondents.
A score of between 1 and 19 places someone in the 10-25% range of respondents
A score between 19 and 23.3 places someone in the 25-50% range of respondents

A score of between 23.3 and 28 places someone in the 50-75% range of respondents.
A score of 30 or above places someone in the top 10% of respondents.

The SWL scale was developed by Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen, and Sharon Griffin as noted in the 1985 article in the Journal of Personality Assessment. See http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/SWLS.html

 

 

Appendix G:  The Flourishing Scale

 

The Flourishing Scale is a brief 8-item summary measure of the respondent’s self-perceived success in important areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism. The scale provides a single psychological wellbeing score.  This scale was developed by Ed Diener and associates to measure a broader conception of wellbeing than purely subjective life satisfaction and the presence of positive and absence of negative emotions.

#	Flourishing Scale Item	Average score, start Stoic Week 2023	% change Stoic Week 2023	% change Stoic Week 2022
1	I lead a purposeful and meaningful life.	4.9	11.5%	13.3%
2	My social relationships are supportive and rewarding.	5.0	12.2%	11.5%
3	I am engaged and interested in my daily activities.	5.1	10.0%	11.1%
4	I actively contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of others.	5.2	9.2%	9.1%
5	I am competent and capable in the activities that are important to me	5.5	7.3%	7.6%
6	I am a good person and live a good life.	5.5	6.7%	7.5%
7	I am optimistic about my future.	5.1	11.5%	9.9%
8	People respect me.	5.3	7.7%	7.3%
	All Items	41.7	10.3%	9.7%

Table G1 – Stoic Week 2023  participant scores for  Flourishing

Reference: Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of wellbeing: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 39, 247-266.  http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/FS.html

 

The average score at the start of Stoic Week 2023 was 41.7.

From our Stoic Week data at the start of a previous Stoic week (2022)
A score of 32 or lower places someone in the bottom 10% of respondents.
A score of between 32 and 37 places someone in the 10-25% range of respondents
A score between 37 and 41.7 places someone in the 25-50% range of respondents

A score of between 41.7 and 47 places someone in the 50-75% range of respondents.
A score of 50 or above places someone in the top 10% of respondents.

 

 

Appendix H:  The Scale of Positive and Negative Emotions (SPANE)

 

The SPANE is a 12-item questionnaire that includes six items to assess positive feelings and six questions to assess negative emotions. For both the positive and negative items, three of the items are general (e.g., positive, negative) and three per subscale are more specific (e.g., joyful, sad). Along with the Life Satisfaction Scale, the presence of positive and absence of negative emotions forms the other part of Subjective Wellbeing.  Users are asked to select a number between 1 (very rarely or never) and 5 (very often or always) to indicate how often they have experienced the emotion in the last 4 weeks.

 

#	SPANE Scale Item	Average start score 2023 for participants who completed Stoic week	% change 2023	% change 2022
1	Positive	3.6	10.2%	11.1%
2	Negative	-3.0	-29.0%	-21.9%
3	Good	3.6	11.2%	10.9%
4	Bad	-2.6	-24.1%	-25.6%
5	Pleasant	3.5	11.9%	11.8%
6	Unpleasant	-2.6	-20.5%	-22.9%
7	Happy	3.4	11.7%	11.4%
8	Sad	-2.6	-27.4%	-23.4%
9	Afraid	-2.3	-21.4%	-19.8%
10	Joyful	3.0	13.5%	11.2%
11	Angry	-2.5	-24.1%	-21.4%
12	Contented	3.4	14.4%	15.7%
	SPANE POSITIVE ITEMS	23.4	12.1%	12%
	SPANE NEGATIVE ITEMS	-12.4	-21.5%	-19.8%

Table H1 – Stoic Week participant scores for SPANE

 

Reference: Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi. D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of wellbeing: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 39, 247-266.  http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/SPANE.html

The average score at the start of Stoic Week was 4.6 in 2023 (all participants).

From data at the start of a previous Stoic week (2021):-
A score of -5 or lower places someone in the bottom 10% of respondents.
A score of between -5 and 0 places someone in the 10-25% range of respondents
A score between 0 and 4.6 places someone in the 25-50% range of respondents

A score of between 4.6 and 10 places someone in the 50-75% range of respondents.
A score of 14 or above places someone in the top 10% of respondents.

 

 

Appendix I:   Changes in Wellbeing during Stoic Week 2023

 

Living like a Stoic” in Stoic Week has previously seen significant increases in wellbeing. Would this still be true in 2023?

Stoic Week   Measure	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Increase in Flourishing	10%	9%	11.5%	11%	7.5%	8%	10%	10%	10%
Increase in Satisfaction with Life	12%	12%	14.5%	13%	11.5%	12%	14%	15%	15%
Increase in Positive Emotions	12%	12%	13%	11%	9.5%	9.5%	11%	10%	10%
Reduction in Negative Emotions	25%	20%	21%	19%	17%	14%	14%	14%	14%
Increase In Stoic Attitudes and Behaviours	9%	10%	11%	9%	8%	10%	9%	11%	13%

Table I1 Overall Findings Stoic Week 2023 –  Impact of taking part in Stoic Week

Table I1 above shows the comparative increases in wellbeing and other measures for the last nine years of Stoic Week.  Once again, participants experienced a significant increase in every measure of wellbeing, compared to the start of Stoic Week.

 

 

Appendix J Correlations of Scales

Measure	Name	SWL	SPANE	FLOURISH	MMS	SABS 5.0
SABS 5.0	Stoic Attitudes and Behaviours	0.45	0.50	0.60	0.62	1.00
MMM	Measure of Mundane Meaning  (Brown et al.)	0.71	0.69	0.79	1.00	0.62
FLOURISH	Flourish (Diener)	0.69	0.65	1.00	0.79	0.60
SPANE	Positive and Negative Emotions (Diener)	0.62	1.00	0.65	0.69	0.50
SWL	Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener)	1.00	0.62	0.69	0.71	0.45

 

Table J1 Correlations between scales at the start of Stoic Week 2023

Stoic Week has previously shown high associations between Stoicism and wellbeing at the start of Stoic Week.  Would this still be true in 2023?

 

 

 

Appendix K:   Completion Rate for Stoic Week 2023

Stoic Week	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
No. of participants at start (valid questionnaires)	1569	1327	1369	1608	1725	3702	2870	1803	2503	1953
Valid questionnaires completed at end	450	372	459	527	416	852	689	270	726	566
Completion Rate	29%	27%	33%	30%	24%	23%	24%	15%	29%	29%

Table K1 Comparison of completion rates in Stoic Weeks over time