RADAR Toolkit Measures Happiness from Cultural Experiences

Researchers Sara Uboldi and Alessandra Marasco have developed RADAR, a toolkit to measure well-being and happiness from cultural experiences, as part of the Inclusive Arts and Culture (ICA) project promoted by the Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale. The toolkit consists of three self-assessment tools: two for emotions and one for connection with art and cultural heritage. Users complete them before and after an artistic experience and compare results. RADAR is designed for accessibility, usable by anyone including children, in contexts such as museums, libraries, galleries, theaters, festivals, educational settings, and care facilities. A pilot project is underway in Recanati involving 250 students aged 12-14, who use the toolkit to test effects of music, comics, and video workshops. Focus groups complement the study to help adolescents express emotions. The researchers created a comic strip featuring characters Francesco and Sofia to explain the toolkit to younger users.