A Board Game Approach to Studying the Multidimensionality of Life Satisfaction

This chapter presents a methodological contribution to the study of happiness and life satisfaction by enquiring about definitions of happiness and happiness-related terms through visual props, enabling interviewees to explain their lives and weight elements in their lives as to (1) their respective importance for living a good life and (2) to their positive and negative evaluation. The methodology was tested in semi-structured interviews with 23 men and women in Japan. Interviews consisted of three parts: (a) word association, (b) in-depth conversation on happiness issues using a bullseye structured chart, together with tokens for visualization of factors of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and (c) three written quantitative questions on happiness, followed up by in-depth discussion thereafter. Findings suggest that happiness is an interpretative process, embedded in social networks and across personal biographies. Furthermore, happiness proves to be multidimensional, and the relevance of life domains varies by life-course stage and is influenced by numerous life circumstances. Mapping happiness across multiple domains by using visual props allows to get closer to a more holistic understanding of subjective wellbeing.