“Happiness is not a thing, but a dynamic process, a fruit that ripens thanks to a myriad of causes and conditions, a feeling of fullness and fulfillment, which emerges from a set of qualities, some of which depend on external conditions, while others result from virtues that we have – to varying degrees – the ability to cultivate.” Ilios Kotsou

Happiness is partly determined by our basic dispositions, our genetics, and by external circumstances, the place where we were born for example. We do have some leeway: like our choice of activities, lifestyle, attitude towards what happens to us, etc. (see panel “the chemistry of happiness”)

What makes one person happy will not necessarily make another person happy. And each age of life brings a different vision of happiness… What made us happy as a child is not necessarily the same as it is as an adult.

Knowing ourselves well can help us to feel what makes us happy. Let’s dare to live it in all freedom and in our originality!

And you, what makes you happy today?

What are the words that come to you first? What images?

Choose among the images below, which one represents happiness for you. You can photograph it, and send it to the happiness expo Instagram account.

You can also photograph something else, in nature, around you, or write a few words and post them on the account!