I am most happy when people thank me for holding the door for them on the metro. I leave with a lively step to the RER A.

How to propagate the Virus of Happiness?

In fact, it's quite simple !

  1. Answer this question; "What makes, or has made you, happy?" and become a Happiness Agent
  2. You earn some "Points Of Presence" (POP)
  3. You invest your Points in the city of your choice
  4. You spead the Virus of Happiness around the world.

What is the virus of happiness and how it works?

What is Happython?

And how does it work?

About Happython

Happython was founded in 1998 on this simple question: "What makes you, or has made you, happy?".
The answers of many people were printed and then exposed-pinned on clothes dryers called "Porte-Bonheurs".
These exhibitions took place in galleries, public places, post offices and finally on the web.
The idea of a Happening Record of happy moments has germinated: the Happython and the Happiness Virus have been created!
For more than 20 years, tens of thousands of people between the ages of 2 and 109 from all over the world have testified about what makes them happy.
Now it’s your turn!

What makes them or has made them happy?

My success (academic with honors) makes me happy.

Mane , 18 years old, Khouribga (Maroc)

What made me happy: Over, my first boyfriend at school, which I'll never forget.

Exposition citatine

My fall in the bus this afternoon because a good-looking boy gave me a smile and helped me to get up

To take the time to eat in a fine restaurant in Marseille and to savour the different meals…

For me, it's the sea that makes me happy!!! When I see it or just even think about it I feel good deep inside. It might be quite trivial but the blue ocean makes me happy.

Mina , 30 years old, Tizi Ouzou (Algérie)

What makes me happy is seeing my daughters happy and in good health

Lilou , 33 years old, Montréal (Canada)

What makes me happiest is laughing, with time, over things I've cried a lot about. That's how I finally tell myself that life is too beautiful but it's us who often see the world in black.

Aysel , 20 years old, Macon (France)

Someone who is able to listen to you, to have a discussion with you. Also to be able to open your heart to someone who knows about human qualities.

Fathi , 45 years old, Sfax (Tunisie)

My greatest happiness has been the birth of my two children! One boy one girl:

Marie-Lise , 43 years old, Forestville (Canada)

What made me happy...I was five years old, I wanted a little sister and I got one the day before my birthday. That was my best gift!

Benjamin , 22 years old, Romainville (France)
Exposition citatine

I am most happy when people thank me for holding the door for them on the metro. I leave with a lively step to the RER A.

Sylvie , 38 years old, Rueil-Malmaison (France)

What makes me happy is to see happy sports people.

Hythem , 23 years old, Tunis (Tunisie)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy every day, it is to see black slaves'sons and daughters appointed to fairly important positions, in a country where there were schools for Whites and schools for Blacks, buses for Whites and buses for Blacks, just very few decades ago.

Alex , 43 years old, Paris (France)

What makes me happy …To share a meal and an evening with friends.

Mado , 43 years old, Verviers (Belgique)

What makes me happy is life... the simplicity of people... their joy of living and the smiles that surround me... I want to be happy with them like with myself... I want to live in the moment without ever forgetting the past that made me grow up so well.

Kalina , 23 years old, Laval (Canada)

My first contact with her, my hands on her marvelous body, our first heartfelt words, our first steps along the Rhine to exchange, a little timidly, our visions of the world

Boris , 18 years old, Strasbourg (France)

What makes me happy is reading happython every morning in class. That puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Laure , 20 years old, Lyon (France)

What makes me happy is to eat braised fish with my fingers, in the shade of a tree, in the Ivory Coast, and to watch the sunrise on Buttes Chaumont Park.

Aline , 28 years old, Paris (France)

What makes me happy ? Sitting between others, while I feel a little wind on my face and watch the sunset.

Méliza , 19 years old, La Prairie (Canada)

What makes me happy is the enthusiasm I feel when I'm doing my work properly. I think that living for your vocation is the best way to be happy.

Aderrazak , 31 years old, Alger (Algérie)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is finally being myself in my own eyes and in the eyes of my loved ones.

Didier , 34 years old, Paris (France)

Up until now nothing that I have accomplished or created in my life is worth mentioning compared to that freedom I have acquired through the fact of doing nothing to accomplish, change or improve anything in the world, including myself

Exposition citatine

I'm happy every morning when my man snuggles up to me saying: “good morning, darling, I'm here next to you”. I shiver.

My relationship makes me very happy. I really have the impression that I create that every day. What allowed me to live this relationship, was when I started to respect myself and to listen to myself. Of course the other person senses that and naturally comes to you without effort. Afterwards the secret is not to tie the net, not to become a living prison, but on the contrary to open up the space with kind attention and love. Programme for a beautiful relationship: - Respect it – Listen to oneself (and the other too !) – Encourage light thoughts towards the other – Continue as if you were alone - Love the other person tenderly - Have fun together.

What makes me happy ? The successful moments, the nice memories from my childhood.

Samia , 24 years old, Nabeul (Tunisie)

What makes me happy, it is to crochet fine mats and advise some people how to do crochet and knitting.

Emilienne , 97 years old, Mons-en-Baroeul (France)

What makes me happy is little everyday moments like for example : sitting on the edge of a lake and contemplating nature, horsebackriding in the woods, among other examples.

Carine , 32 years old, Granby (Canada)

What makes me happy is telling myself that, whatever happens, if we separate or find each other again, whatever time passes, no one will be able to erase our most cherished memories.

Charlotte , 16 years old, Strasbourg (France)

Life and loving others makes me happy.

Yasmine-Lewis , 29 years old, Libreville (Gabon)

What makes me happy ? My dog !

Daniela , 32 years old, Ancône (Italie)
Exposition citatine

It's to seat down at Cais Do Sodré and look at my country.

Ana , 22 years old, Lisbonne (Portugal)

What makes me happy is being in an excellent mood and knowing how to share it with those around me.

Franck , 37 years old, Toulouse (France)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is to be at the bottom of a mountain, a hill…watching the top and say to it: “see you soon”… To walk, sweat, breath, sometimes to suffer a little… and reach the top and think: “I've done it, thank you”. Just a challenge with nature. This is one of the most wonderful things in the world.

My fall in the bus this afternoon because a good-looking boy gave me a smile and helped me to get up

What makes me happy is the generosity of people who support Florence Aubenas and Hussein Hanoun. Finally solidarity doesn't end.

Lulu , 21 years old, Aubenas (France)

What makes me happy ? To create.

Jacques , 68 years old, Paris (France)

I am learning to develop my ability to « not define » life, to melt into it rather than dominate it… and by so doing… I learn to love… and the more I love… the happier I am every day!

To know that there's at least one person on earth who loves me for who I am, who shares my sad and happy moments and who never gets fed up saying “I love you”.

Khaled , 20 years old, Alger (Algérie)

Just now (apart from my wonderful family) the position of France, Germany, Russia, China and of course Belgium on the crisis in Irak, which shows there is some hope left. It gives me an immense happiness.

Thierry , 34 years old, Grez-Doiceau (Belgique)

My marriage has made me happy.

Thérésa , 48 years old, Bruxelles (Belgique)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy : Luigi who plays the guitar !

Vanessa , 21 years old, Rome (Italie)

I no longer remember exactly when, But it was approximately in 1996 that I decided to “do something with Internet” It took me until April 1997 to get together the equipment, the connections and the supplies, but then bang, I saw photos of people far away appearing before my eyes, with immediacy of connection and of memory. Wow. For each question I had to do with actual things, ideas or sources of ideas, or how to do something, etc. etc. I could find the reply in a few minutes, and that's when I realised: One doesn't need to know how to reach one's goal before one has decided it - simply dream it and the answers to how you can succeed are on Internet – even if you wish to work towards an enlightened planetary civilisation…

Exposition citatine

Happiness is in my nature, I always say that the sun is shining in my head. What makes me happy is loving life and every day there's always the same intensity inside me.

Hamed , 35 years old, Marseille (France)

What makes me happy is to know that I am the artist of my life ! Happiness exists provided I really want.

Christophe , 34 years old, Neuville-en-Ferrain (France)

What makes me happy is to be with a friend and with the kids.

Anna , 45 years old, Naples (Italie)

What makes me happy is life... the simplicity of people... their joy of living and the smiles that surround me... I want to be happy with them like with myself... I want to live in the moment without ever forgetting the past that made me grow up so well.

Kalina , 23 years old, Laval (Canada)

A woman makes me happy.

Amine , 29 years old, Madrid (Espagne)

Ce qui m'a rendue heureuse c'est d'avoir eu ma fille.

Sophie , 28 years old, Laval (Canada)

This is great !! The virus of happiness !! I'd like to give you my own definition of happiness... : “Happinees is like a butterfly. If you run after it, it will escape... But if you let it be, it will land softly on your shoulder...”

Louise , 42 years old, Chicoutimi (Canada)

It's snowing. I didn't drink today (well… yeah, a little). I'm trying to answer your question… happiness ? For me this intense, deep emotion that moves me : I feel that I'm going to go away… I won't tremble anymore… live, that's all. Happiness is knowing that you can go away, happiness is the smile of someone who doesn't know that I'm an alcoholic. Happiness… is thinking that I'm normal. Happiness : being right, loyal, and honest.

Victoire , 28 years old, Paris (France)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is being able to hold onto my freedom that I can use again and again.

Anne , 36 years old, Paris (France)

Love!

Ana , 25 years old, Lisbonne (Portugal)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy : family meetings, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren…

Lucienne , 85 years old, Chatellerault (France)

What makes me happy is telling myself that there are places where everything is simple and less heavy than this place, and that can be here if I want it to be.

Eugène , 21 years old, Dargnies (France)

What makes me happy is having sponsored a little african, who comes from Burundi !

Christelle , 21 years old, Pont-Saint-Pierre (France)

I like eating spaghetti and curly lettuce with some surimi, I like cuddles and playing with my friends, it makes me happy.

Olympia , 5 years old, Champigny-sur-Marne (France)

What makes me happy is that it's raining today instead of a day when the weather's nice.

Arthur , 18 years old, Toulouse (France)

What makes me happy is to have left my parents' house.

Daniela , 32 years old, Ancône (Italie)

What made me happy was having found my Papa who I haven't seen for twenty-five years.

Patrice , 40 years old, Paris (France)

What makes me happy is to have a special moment with my friends over an aperitif putting the world to rights.

Exposition citatine

My greatest happiness has been the birth of my two children! One boy one girl:

Marie-Lise , 43 years old, Forestville (Canada)

What makes me happy is to be loved by the man of my life, a loving Canadian that fate put on my way.

Christelle , 25 years old, Nivelles (Belgique)
Exposition citatine

I am getting divorced, my husband prefers men, my 14-year-old daughter is pregnant, I am in love with a 22- year-old man who left for Mozambique, I am jobless, I am walking on air, Life is beautiful, I am alive ! Cool, isn't it ?

Ana , 45 years old, Melun (France)

Nothing makes me happier than to create something with my own hands, to prepare some tempting meal that we can all share together later, or to sew cushions myself. There is a magic in creating, making, concocting something with ones own hands. It is a proof that our hands are just an extension of our thoughts.

Well, what made me happy lately was the surprise to be invited by my friend in a smart restaurant very close by my home where I had wanted to go for a long time but I had not enough money!

Michèle , 45 years old, Montigny-le-Tilleul (Belgique)

What made me happy was when I could walk again for the first time after my operation, when I had been paralyzed.

Jocelyne , 40 years old, Lourches (France)

I adore my little kitten's caresses. That makes me happy.

Karma , 28 years old, Palma de Majorque (Espagne)

Brought up and educated in Brazzaville, The Congo, by missionaries. A war has broken out... Everything is destroyed, the town devastated, there is nothing to be found anywhere. However with courage the sisters go back to work, open the nursery and primary schools without any materials. They send out an SOS to ex-pupils of which I am one. Since that time I am running around the shops with my limited means of a retired person. Paints, folding books, etc. etc.... meetings with the people who will carry my packages to Brazza. And in return I receive letters and drawings from little children thanking me and calling me godmother and sometimes mother, this is happiness !!!

Just to hear some good news on the radio.

Corinne , 41 years old, Bruxelles (Belgique)

What made me happy: Over, my first boyfriend at school, which I'll never forget.

Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is that I have found a bigger appartment that mine for the same price in the region where I am moving (a region where real estate is normally more expensive than in my region).

Maxime , 28 years old, Amiens (France)

Financial independance gives me a peace of heart and a certain serenity and the fact of being loved comforts me. Loving a man and receiving love makes me forget my worries and brings me pleasure.

Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is to see animals.

Anna , 45 years old, Naples (Italie)

What makes me happy is when the people in the metro don't look just at their feet but at each other, and smile.

Axelle , 21 years old, Lille (France)

Cultivating my friendships is what makes me happy.