Introduction

How are you doing? What do you do for a living? These are questions that often come up in conversations. But have you ever been asked if you are happy or what makes you happy?

This exhibition takes us on a quest to find out what makes you happy or not.

It is based on the experience of two university chaplains and the conversations they have on a daily basis, in which the question of happiness is often present in the background. We see that this is an existential subject that concerns us all.

This exhibition does not pretend to cover the whole subject. It proposes some lines of thought. By referring to several fields of human and social sciences, such as philosophy, psychology, theology, ethics, or biology, it is a kind of toolbox that is proposed. In the company of thinkers and researchers from the past and the present, we invite you to take some time to dive into the plurality of the question of happiness…

In sociology and psychology, the term “subjective well-being” is used to evoke happiness.

Happiness, and not joy: a choice had to be made. Joy is more linked to an emotion, to a feeling… happiness is often understood as a goal to reach. And joy is often not far from happiness! Joy is also linked to an ephemeral moment, happiness seems more stable in a life.

Spiritual care UNIL-EPFL 2022

Proofreading: Romain Dorogi
Illustrations : Sarah Najjar (Sana) – Infography : Nicolas Brugger