是什麼，真正讓人感到快樂？
在演講一開始，來自瑞士 EHL（全球第一飯店管理學院）的行銷副教授 Maggie Chan 向現場拋出一個看似簡單、卻極具穿透力的問題：「什麼讓人快樂？」多數人直覺聯想到成功、金錢或自由，但她指出，研究顯示最根本的答案其實是：「良好的人際關係。」
「良好的人際關係，是人類幸福與身心健康的基礎。」
——Maggie Chan
誰是 Maggie，Meng Mei Chen？
台裔博士 Maggie Meng Mei Chen 是瑞士 EHL 飯店管理學院 的行銷副教授，同時也是著作《Hospitality Vibes》的作者。
她在書中探討人際連結、空間設計與社交互動如何在生活與工作空間中創造正向能量。她的研究與實踐致力於將飯店業的待客理念轉化為可落地的經驗，提升人們的幸福感與身心健康。
一段關係，是在給你能量還是在消耗你？
怎樣才算是一段「好的關係」？學者提出一個極具實用性的判斷標準：這段關係，讓你感到被充電，還是被掏空？Maggie 指出，人類的能量不只來自睡眠與飲食，還來自一種常被忽略的來源：「關係能量。」與某些人相處，即使什麼都不說，也能感到平靜；而有些互動，短短幾分鐘卻令人筋疲力盡。
「關係能量，是在人際互動中獲得或流失的情緒能量。」——Maggie Chan
陌生人的互動，真的能讓人更快樂嗎？
研究顯示，不只是親密關係，像是咖啡師、健身教練、櫃檯人員這種「弱連結」，同樣深刻影響我們的幸福感。一項著名研究發現，當人們在點咖啡時，刻意微笑、眼神交流、簡短聊天，他們的快樂程度顯著高於只求效率完成交易的人。
Maggie 表示：「人類可以透過與弱連結互動，提升日常幸福感。」這對服務、健康與 wellness 產業而言，是極具價值的洞察。
服務業的本質，正從交付轉向「互動」
在遠距工作、單身家庭增加的時代，許多人一天中唯一的真人互動，可能只來自一杯咖啡、一堂課、一場療程。服務人員早已不只是提供產品，而是成為幸福感的觸發點。
Maggie 強調，無論是飯店、健身房、SPA 或 wellness 品牌，員工角色正從執行者，轉變為互動的發起者與關係的設計者。
設計、共創與科技，打造真正的 Hospitality Vibes
企業該如何系統性地創造「Hospitality Vibes」？ Maggie 提出三個關鍵方向：空間設計、共創式活動，以及科技的正確使用。從圍繞泳池的座位配置、社交用餐，到讓員工在名牌上展現真實興趣（如迪士尼的「自訂副標題」），這些微小設計，都能大幅提升互動意願。
而在未來，自動化將取代重複性工作，人類真正的價值，將回到——創造氛圍、連結彼此、凝聚能量。
「未來，機器負責工作，人類負責創造氛圍。」
你的品牌，正在創造什麼樣的能量？
當科技不斷升級，真正無法被取代的，反而是人與人之間的感受與連結。未來的 wellness 與 hospitality，不只關乎服務流程，而是關乎你為人們創造了什麼樣的情緒與能量場。
那你呢？你所在的品牌或空間，是否正在讓人感到被理解、被連結、被滋養？
What Truly Makes People Happy?
At the very beginning of her talk, Maggie Chan, Associate Professor of Marketing at EHL in Switzerland—the world’s first and consistently top-ranked hospitality school— posed a deceptively simple yet deeply resonant question: What makes people happy?
Many instinctively associate happiness with success, money, or freedom. Yet research suggests a far more fundamental answer—meaningful human relationships.
“Good relationships are fundamental to human happiness and well-being.”
——Maggie Chan
Who Is Maggie, Meng Mei Chen?
Maggie Meng Mei Chen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Marketing at EHL in Switzerland, the world’s first and top-ranked hospitality school. She is also the author of the book Hospitality Vibes, in which she explores how human connection, design, and social interactions create positive energy in both personal and professional spaces.
Her research and practice focus on translating hospitality principles into real-world experiences that enhance well-being and happiness.
Does a Relationship Energize or Drain You?
What defines a “good” relationship? Scholars offer a surprisingly practical lens: does this relationship leave you feeling energized—or depleted?
Maggie explained that human energy doesn’t come solely from sleep or nutrition. There is another, often overlooked source—relational energy.Some interactions feel calming and restorative even in silence, while others drain us within minutes.
“Relational energy is the emotional energy gained or depleted through human interaction.”
——Maggie Chan
Can Small Interactions with Strangers Boost Happiness?
Research shows that happiness isn’t shaped only by close relationships. Weak ties—such as baristas, fitness instructors, or front-desk staff—play a powerful role as well.
One well-known study found that people who made eye contact, smiled, and exchanged brief conversation while ordering coffee reported significantly higher happiness than those who prioritized efficiency alone.
“Humans can increase daily happiness simply by interacting with weak ties.” Maggie say. For service, wellness, and hospitality industries, this insight carries profound implications.
From Service Delivery to Human Interaction
In an era of remote work and rising single-person households, many people’s only in-person interactions may come from a coffee order, a workout class, or a wellness treatment.
This shifts the role of service professionals dramatically—from task executors to catalysts of human connection.
Maggie emphasized that across hotels, gyms, spas, and wellness brands, employees are evolving from service providers into hosts who design interaction and connection.
Design, Co-Creation, and Technology
So how can businesses intentionally create what Maggie calls “Hospitality Vibes”?
She highlighted three key levers: spatial design, co-creation programs, and the thoughtful use of technology. From seating layouts that encourage conversation to social dining experiences, and even name tags that allow employees to express their authentic interests—small design choices can dramatically increase interaction.
As automation replaces repetitive tasks, human value will increasingly center on one thing: creating atmosphere, connection, and shared energy.
“In the future, robots will do the tasks. Humans will create the vibes.”
What Kind of Energy Is Your Brand Creating?
As technology accelerates, the most irreplaceable element remains deeply human—how people feel when they interact with one another. The future of wellness and hospitality is not just about service efficiency, but about the emotional and relational energy a brand cultivates.
So we ask you:
Does your space make people feel seen, connected, and nourished?
Because the energy you create may be the most enduring value you offer.
