Yesterday evening, out to see the lights of Lyon, I found myself in the park of la Tête d'Or, on a path with lights and sounds so surreal…and relaxing ! A real moment of happiness after a day of hard work.

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?

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)

To help people as much as I can makes me feel happy.

Sou , 30 years old, Tunis (Tunisie)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is the first kiss in a love affair…The first craziest moments…

Samuel , 28 years old, Paris (France)

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

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

My happiness is eating my favorite meal: pureed sausage.

Thomas , 10 years old, Mons-en-Baroeul (France)

What makes me happy is the children's smile.

Andrade , 52 years old, Lisbonne (Portugal)

Each morning on my way to work, I read the newspaper and I hurry up to read the Happython. Often I find myself in what was said. Today, it's my turn. What makes me happy is going to bed early and waking up late when I don't have to work.

Aline , 45 years old, Villepinte (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 feeling so small in front of a stormy ocean, smelling the spray on my face : I simply feel content, and I realize the futility of all my little everyday worries.

Soizic , 24 years old, Montréal (Canada)

What makes me happy is a genuine and simple friendship.

Mohamed , 24 years old, Bizerte (Tunisie)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is freedom of thought and see how deep and creative and generous people can be when they are free.

Poly , 29 years old, Paris (France)

What makes my happy is that , currently, I only come across friendly people : the optician and her manager, the sales assistants of the sporting goods store ,of the hardware store and at the cultural goods (cds, dvds, books and video games) and craft arts stores , and the waiters and cashiers at the chinese restaurant).

Maxime , 28 years old, Amiens (France)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is my little 80-year-old mother, who is chock full of joyful projects : she's going to move into a new appartment.

Odile , 45 years old, Renay (France)

Yesterday it rained, I strolled along the ocean, a photo was taken, a kiss, a laugh, warmed up again in a cafe, shared a chocolate cake and cherry tea.

Nelly , 26 years old, Nantes (France)

What makes me happy is a cloudless sky.

Abdenour , 33 years old, Alger (Algérie)

My most beautiful moment of happiness was when my love, Nuno Filipe, had prepared for me the most beautiful Valentine's day…. We went to the highest place in the region. Without me noticing anything, he took out two crystal glasses of champaign and a red roses bunch where there was a little note: with lots of love. And the best: a ring, a solitaire and the most important, lots of love…

Silvia , 23 years old, Pombal (Portugal)

What makes me happy? The sun, books, wine, when I have a good idea, a good conversation

What makes me happy is the shoo-shoobidoos, the waboo waboos and all the rest.

Abigaëlle , 40 years old, Noisy-le-Grand (France)

What makes me happy is to be pretty.

Daniela , 32 years old, Ancône (Italie)

The smile of a child after an X-ray treatment… A baby holding out his hand… All that makes me happy!!

Laure , 34 years old, Blois (France)
Exposition citatine

To be happy, I need calm and tranquillity, to be loved and love, sunshine and perfect happiness ( a little water, some fruit, my garden on my island) and peace in the world.

Marie-Émilie , 54 years old, Bruxelles (Belgique)

What makes me the happiest is to see the people I love happy.

Noélie , 16 years old, Mons (Belgique)
Exposition citatine

feel like the Tibetan climbing the sacred mountain ! Happiness is not the end of the path, but happiness is the very path.

Brigitte , 49 years old, Nivelles (Belgique)

What makes me happy, you see, is that I live fully in the present moment. I savor each minute with pure delicacy, that's all!

Isabelle , 28 years old, Drummondville (Canada)

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.

What makes me happy is to be in Italy.

Vanessa , 21 years old, Rome (Italie)

What makes me happy is when my boyfriend tells me he loves me.

What makes my happy is that , currently, I only come across friendly people : the optician and her manager, the sales assistants of the sporting goods store ,of the hardware store and at the cultural goods (cds, dvds, books and video games) and craft arts stores , and the waiters and cashiers at the chinese restaurant).

Maxime , 28 years old, Amiens (France)

What makes me happy is to please to my parents so that they are proud of me. Thank you Dad and Mum, I'm madly in love with you!!!

What makes me happy is chatting with my aunt on the internet and seeing her smile thanks to the webcam.

Mélanie , 20 years old, Toulon (France)
Exposition citatine

Breathing everyday and going with the flow of my dailyjourney enjoying a beautiful sunny day and if possible near the sea, the lake or a river.

Monique , 46 years old, Heisdorf (Luxembourg)

What makes me happy is to see animals.

Anna , 45 years old, Naples (Italie)
Exposition citatine

The fact that I've met my soul mate makes me happy.

Sadek , 26 years old, Béjaïa (Algérie)

One evening placed on his lower back, I thought about his little round body and I realized how happy I was to be a Daddy.

François , 25 years old, Paris (France)

What makes me happy is getting up on Sundays to prepare breakfast and going back to my bedroom to find my man rolled up in the blanket, like a spring roll.

Karine , 31 years old, Caluire-et-Cuire (France)

What makes me happy is finally getting to use the internet !

Jean-Claude , 68 years old, Bagneres-de-Bigorre (France)

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)

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)

What makes me happy is sharing my newspaper with a neighbor on the metro who reads it over my shoulder.

Etienne , 21 years old, paris (France)

What really makes me happiest is seeing happy people around me, and what makes my heart smile is sharing my happiness with others.

Suzie , 31 years old, Candiac (Canada)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is running with people who are going to miss their train: not because I want to catch the train, but just for the pleasure of running and being out of breath...

Mélanie , 22 years old, Paris (France)

What made me happy Tuesday was seeing my cashier at the supermarket.

Claude , 35 years old, Rosny-sous-Bois (France)
Exposition citatine

The day when my son was born was a day full of happiness.

Malek , 40 years old, Alger (Algérie)

The purest moment of happiness was my fiance's return to France after eight months spent in prison, in Turkey... All that because he had taken some papers! For now, it's my most beautiful moment.

Amélie , 27 years old, Herouville-Saint-Clair (France)

I'm a naturally happy person because I've learnt to see only the nice and positive side of what happens.

Mustapha , 56 years old, Oran (Algérie)

What makes me happy is the day when my mother told me that she was happy to have a daughter like me.

Kadi , 18 years old, Madrid (Espagne)

What made me happy was being born into softness, joy and love, and knowing that when I open my door, all of it spreads out to the entire world.

Jessica , 18 years old, Bordeaux (France)

What makes me happy is seeing that the head of a busy bar can stop working for two minutes because he saw a blind man trying desperately to walk across a crosswalk and help him cross arm in arm… that really make me happy to witness scenes like that ! Long live solidarity between people of all horizons !!

Greg , 20 years old, Nice (France)

What makes me happy is returning home, soaked, during a storm and hearing the rain beating against the windowpanes while I heat up tea!

Elodie , 17 years old, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France)

What makes me happy is a state of mind and spiritual conscience.

Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is the idea of not waking up early in the morning, not taking the bus to school, not working, because studying too much can kill, but I do it anyway, I'm still happy.

Thomas , 15 years old, Aix-en-Provence (France)

What makes me happy is to have a beautiful diploma.

Sona , 28 years old, Bastia (France)
Exposition citatine

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)

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 the sunset above the sea.

Andrade , 52 years old, Lisbonne (Portugal)

What makes me happy is getting up in the morning, stretching out on my sofa and letting the sun warms my bare feet through the window.

Bertrand , 23 years old, Bordeaux (France)

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)

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)

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

Sophie , 28 years old, Laval (Canada)

I am happy because I found my P50 motorcycle that I had lost.

Paula , 29 years old, Ouagadougou (Burkina-Faso)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is to see the others happy, my dearest, my friends, all the people I like.

Christelle , 31 years old, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgique)

What made me happy, a waterfall.

Blanche , 32 years old, Repentigny (Canada)
Exposition citatine

What makes me happy is to stop and enjoy a few quiet moments in my very busy life, so I can think of the distance covered, trials, moments of joy, and then I think that life is great!

43 years old, Waremme (Belgique)

What makes me happy is getting back home after a long day at college, putting my hand in my mailbox and discovering a postcard from someone I love.

Adrien , 18 years old, Marseille (France)

What makes me happiest is the fact that a child can be born from me and that one day I'll have little toes in my belly...

Claire , 22 years old, Montréal (Canada)

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

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

What makes me happy is to create as many problems as possible.

Jeanne , 27 years old, Paris (France)

What warms my heart and makes me happy is when nothing relents, seeing that my ideas come back stronger and more definite.

Jeff , 22 years old, Marseille (France)

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 makes me happy, hmm... The first is waking up and seeing sunbeams... the second is payday... the third is my last day at work!

Chantal , 33 years old, Saint-Léonard (Canada)
Exposition citatine

The light and sparkles in children's eyes sometimes make me feel like crying with happiness.

Sabrina , 27 years old, Mitry-Mory (France)

What makes me most happy is when I see happy people. That's the reason why I try to make people happy. Sometimes a simple smile is enough…Fortunately there's a universal language that everybody can communicate with: the “language of the heart”.

Maïssa , 21 years old, Tunis (Tunisie)
Exposition citatine

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

Franck , 37 years old, Toulouse (France)

What makes me happy is telling myself every morning, while reading the Happython, that I am not the only one who thinks like this.

Nicolas , 22 years old, Nice (France)