Dark Future Scale Test

Understand how strongly negative thoughts about the future are affecting you in about 1 minute. Five quick items deliver a clear snapshot to flag stress risk and guide next steps.

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Questions: 51 minute

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08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

12033 views

1175 completions

925 likes

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How the Scales are Structured

example score

15/30

Dark Future Scale (DFS)

Measures the intensity of anxiety-driven negative expectations about future events.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 20: Moderate | 21 – 30: High

A score of 15 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme tendency to anticipate negative outcomes in the future.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Worried about tomorrow

41%OF USERS

People feeling persistent anxiety and negative thoughts about what might happen next use it to quickly gauge how strong their future worries are.

Career and life crossroads

34%OF USERS

Students and adults facing big decisions like exams, relocation, or job changes take it to see how uncertainty is affecting their mindset.

HR and research screening

25%OF USERS

Psychologists, HR specialists, and researchers use it as a fast check for stress risk and negative expectations in groups or candidates.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Dark Future Scale (DFS)

Average

11.5

Normal range

6.5 — 16.5

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?

It screens for the intensity of negative expectations and worry about future events. It reflects a tendency toward pessimistic future-oriented thinking.

How is it completed?

Read each statement and rate the level of agreement using the provided response options. Base ratings on typical thoughts and feelings rather than a single recent event.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It includes 5 items and typically takes about 1 minute to complete.

How should results be interpreted?

Higher scores indicate stronger negative expectations about the future. Results are screening indicators and should be interpreted with other relevant information when used for clinical or occupational decisions.

Is it a diagnostic tool?

No, it does not provide a diagnosis or determine a specific mental disorder. It identifies a risk-relevant pattern that may warrant follow-up assessment if scores are elevated.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Dark Future Scale Test

uneasiness temporal perspective

Future-oriented worry and negative expectations can be assessed efficiently with the Dark Future Scale. Developed by Z. Zimbardo and J. N. Boyd, it is a brief self-report measure intended to capture the extent of pessimistic, anxiety-laden thoughts about what lies ahead.

The instrument includes 5 items and typically requires about 1 minutes to complete. Respondents rate their agreement with short statements, yielding an index of negative future orientation that may be used for screening and research contexts, with interpretation best integrated with clinical interview and other relevant measures.

In clinical and organizational settings, the Dark Future Scale may help identify individuals who are more prone to anticipatory distress and maladaptive future-focused cognitions, which can inform follow-up assessment and intervention planning.

Author: J. N. Boyd, Z. Zimbardo

Literature: Slovic, P. The perception of risk. Earthscan. 2000.; Zaleski, Z., Sobol-Kwapinska, M., Przepiorka, A., & Meisner, M. Development and validation of the Dark Future scale. Time & Society. 2017.

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