Like the dashboard in a car or in the cockpit of a plane, this dashboard has a range of instruments to provide a comprehensive picture of your mental health and well-being.
The dashboard is designed for repetitive use, with whiteboard markers. Progress can be compared on the available indicators. However, it is not intended as a comparison tool between individuals because the expected means can vary between cultures, ages and other demographie characteristics…
The Happiness Dashboard is primarily a professional tool. Coaches, psychologists, therapists, youth workers, career advisors, managers and HR specialists can use it in one-to-one sessions with their clients or employees. The Happiness Dashboard can be used as a pair- or small group exercise in group training sessions. It can also be used as a self-coaching tool by individuals.
The Happiness Dashboard by Positran was selected by the Government of Dubai as one of the prominent tools in their Toolkit for Happiness and Wellbeing in the Workplace. It has also been featured as a chapter in Huet, Rohou and Thomas (2017) “Toolkit for Well-Being at Work”.
The dashboard is designed for repetitive use, with whiteboard markers.
Exploring happiness
Take a look at the Happiness Dashboard in front of you. If life was a ladder, on which of the stairs would you position yourself? To what extent are you satisfied with your family, leisure or money situation? How full is your cup of positive versus negative emotions? Stress-wise, are you in a cool, high or red zone? These questions tap into hedonic happiness, or feeling good about life. Do you view your life as purposeful and worthwhile? Absorbing and engaging? These capture eudaimonic happiness, concerned with doing well and meaning. Which indicators appear the most interesting for you at this point in time? Why? Are they related? If so, in what way? Given your current state of happiness, what actions would you like to take, if at all?
The dashboard happiness assessment can be followed by an ACTIONS cards exercise to select one or more interventions for well-being enhancement.
Looking back
Given that the dashboard is meant to be used again and again, one can compare their own progress on the available indicators. However, it is not intended as a comparison tool between people, because norms can vary between cultures, across ages and other demographic characteristics.
Your personal happiness indicators
What other questions would you ask to get a snapshot picture of your happiness? To make it a little more interesting, how about creating your own happiness dashboard indicator/s, to capture your daily states the way YOU see them? Think about the dashboard in a car or plane and make some parallels. What would the speedometer look like as a happiness indicator? How about fuel gauge or temperature? One client suggested a “smilometer” – measuring how often he smiles on a daily basis.