The Emotional Tone Scale
The Emotional Tone Scale, discovered by L. Ron Hubbard, is a powerful tool that gives you dozens of benefits. For example, you can use the tone scale to:
- Improve your personal performance
- Understand why some people pull you down or push you up
- Improve your ability to get agreement from people
- Make yourself more cheerful and enthusiastic
The top of the tone scale includes the more positive emotions, and the bottom of the scale lists the undesirable emotions.
“The Emotional Tone Scale
4.0 Enthusiasm
3.5 Cheerfulness
3.0 Conservatism
2.5 Boredom
2.0 Antagonism
1.5 Anger
1.1 Covert Hostility
1.0 Fear
0.5 Grief
0.05 Apathy
“The higher the individual is upon the Tone Scale, the better chance he has of obtaining the wherewithal* of living, the happier he is, the healthier his body will be.” — L. Ron Hubbard (*wherewithal = financial needs)
When you are high on the tone scale, you not only feel happier and healthier, you earn more money. You are alert, clear-headed and energetic. People enjoy being around you as you are trustworthy, responsible and genuinely cheerful.
Can you remember a time when you were enthusiastic on a spring day?
At that moment, you were high on the tone scale. You felt alive and peaceful. The air and earth smelled wonderful. You were happy to be alive.
Unfortunately, you did not stay in that tone.
Maybe you remember a time after that happy day when you were unhappy? Perhaps someone was mean to you, or you heard some bad news?
At that moment, you went down the scale. Life was not enjoyable. You felt angry, sad, fearful or depressed.
You fluctuated or moved down the tone scale.
“Actually a person fluctuates on this scale from hour to hour and day to day. He receives good news, he goes momentarily to Tone 3.0. He receives bad news, he may sink for a moment to Tone 1.0. He falls in love and for a month he is at level 3.5. His girl leaves him and for a week he is at Tone 0.5. When he is very young he rides around Tone 3.5. As he grows older, his tone drifts down to 2.5. As an old man, he may drift down to 0.0 and death, either slowly or swiftly.” — L. Ron Hubbard
Fortunately, you can move yourself up the Tone Scale . . . and stay there!
Start by understanding your current tone level.
Where Are You on the Tone Scale?
Use the descriptions below to help you identify your tone level.
0.05 Apathy: You do not care about yourself or others. You are always ill. Nothing seems real. You cannot face the past and do not care about the future. You lie to get sympathy. You want people to pity you. You feel lost and unimportant.
0.5 Grief: You have a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes. You have lost someone close to you or you had a major failure. You cannot see a way past your loss. You may simply wallow in your grief.
1.0 Fear: Life seems dangerous and serious. You are frequently sick. You cannot make decisions. You wonder what is real and what is unreal. You assume people want to hurt you. You do not take responsibility and you lie to avoid any type of confrontation.
1.1 Covert Hostility. You are similar to a person in fear, but you also have hostility. Because you are afraid, you cover up your hostility. As well as lying to people, you stab them in the back. You are devious, underhanded and like to gossip.
1.5 Anger: You openly show your hostility. You are “right” about everything. You attack people, verbally or physically. You use threats, punishment and alarming lies to dominate others. You are a coward, but will use unreasonable bravery to hurt yourself or others.
2.0 Antagonism: You feel irritated much of the day. Your illnesses are severe. You assume the worst in people; you find it difficult to trust anyone. Instead of trying to help people succeed, you prefer to just stop them. You are a critic.
2.5 Boredom: While you are not angry or opposed to others, you are not interested in them either. You are occasionally ill. You are indifferent, careless and insincere. You give up if anything gets in your way. You are not creative, but not destructive either.
3.0 Conservatism: You are mildly interested in life. You try to tell the truth and can be trusted in most matters. You are courageous, but only if the risks are low. You are social and somewhat friendly to a small group of people.
3.5 Cheerfulness: You rarely get ill. Your interest in people is high. You try to understand them. You are capable of assuming important responsibilities. You can persist on a path to the end result. You use energy and logic to get people to do things. You like to help people.
4.0 Enthusiasm: You are creative and excited. You never get sick. You are eager to understand and help others. You are courageous in all circumstances. You gladly accept responsibility and can be trusted. You achieve your objectives, despite all opposition. Your enthusiasm is contagious; people like to follow your lead. You love life and the future looks wonderful.
Read How to Move Up the Tone Scale
Being Too Serious Ruins Your Success
Watch this video to learn more about the Tone Scale.
