Considering the Body in Happiness Research

Abstract

This chapter argues for a broader focus on the body in happiness research through the use of qualitative methods. It draws upon biographic approaches to consider how wellbeing intersects with the body as individuals gradually take stock of their wellbeing through mindful, embodied, and temporal registers of experience, influenced by class, gender and age. The chapter offers insight that scholars might find useful when considering the body and embodiment in their own work. It also offers a cautionary tale to remind happiness researchers of the need for personal vigilance throughout the research process, as deepening insight about wellbeing coexists within the current parameters of one’s own life, and can therefore further sensitize/problematize one’s own wellbeing.