The elusivesecret of happiness could be as simple as remembering the good times and forgetting the regrets, a new university study reported yesterday.

　　For people who look at the past through rose-tinted glassesare happier than those who focus on negative past experiences and regrets, according to a new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

　　The study helps explain why personality has such a strong influence on a person's happiness and the findings suggest that people with certain personality traits are happier than others because of the way they think about their past, present and future.

　　The study examined how peoples' ratings on the "Big Five" personality traits relates to their approach to time and life satisfaction.

　　The "Big Five" model assesses how extroverted, neurotic, open, conscientious and agreeablea person is, and rates individuals as high or low on each personality trait rather than assigning them a personality type.

　　"We found that highly extraverted people are happier with their lives because they tend to hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past and are less likely to have negative thoughts and regrets. People high on the neurotic scale essentially have the exact opposite view of the past and are less happy as a result," said Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, who authored the study with SF State graduating senior Jia Wei Zhang.

　　"This is good news because although it may be difficult to change your personality, you may be able to alter your view of time and boost your happiness," Howell said.

　　The authors suggest that savoring happy memories or reframingpainful past experiences in a positive light could be effective ways for individuals to increase their life satisfaction.

　　Numerous studies over the last 30 years have suggested that personality is a powerful predictor of a person's life satisfaction. These latest findings help explain the reason behind this relationship.

　　"Personality traits influence how people look at the past, present and future and it is these different perspectives on time which drive a person's happiness," Howell said.

　　快乐的秘诀难以捉摸，但也可以很简单。昨日发布的一项新的大学研究报告称，快乐的秘诀就是：记住美好的时光，忘记遗憾的往事。

　　这篇发表在《个性与个体差异》杂志上的新研究报告称，那些以极度乐观的精神看待过去的人比那些专注于过往不愉快经历和遗憾往事的人更快乐。

　　研究解释了人的个性为何会对个人的快乐感有强大的影响力。研究结果显示，具有某些特定个性特征的人比其他人要快乐，因为他们看待自己的过去、现在和未来的方式有所不同。

　　该研究按照“五大个性特征”给人们打分，并将个性特征和人们对光阴和生活的满意度联系起来。

　　“五大个性特征”模式对一个人的外向程度、神经质程度、开明程度、责任心和随和与否做出评价，标出每个人每项个性特征的程度高低，而不是给他们指定一种个性类型。

　　旧金山州立大学的心理学助理教授莱恩 豪威尔说：“我们发现，非常外向的人对自己的生活更满意，因为他们一般会用积极、怀旧的目光来看待过往，对过去不大会有消极的想法和遗憾。特别神经质的人看待过去的方式则正好相反，因而也就比较不快乐。”一同撰写该研究报告的还有旧金山州立大学即将毕业的大四学生张家玮（音译）。

　　豪威尔说：“这是好消息，因为尽管你难以改变自己的个性，但是你可以改变自己看待过去的方式，从而提升你的幸福感。”

　　报告的作者指出，享受快乐的回忆，用积极的眼光看待伤痛的过往，会有效地增进个人对生活的满意度。

　　在过去三十年内开展的多项研究都指出，个性可以有效地预示个人对生活的满意度。这些最新的研究发现有助于解释这两者关系背后的原因。

　　豪威尔说：“个性影响人们看待过去、现在和未来的方式，正是这些对于人生的不同视角影响着个人的幸福感。”

　　Vocabulary:

　　see through rose-tinted glasses: view in an excessively optimistic light （以极度乐观的精神看待）

　　elusive: difficult to find, define, or achieve（难找的；难以解释的；难以达到的）

　　extroverted: lively and confident; outgoing, overtly expressive（性格）外向的

　　neurotic: not behaving in a reasonable, calm way, because you are worried about something（神经质的；神经过敏的）

　　agreeable: pleasant and easy to like（愉悦的；讨人喜欢的；宜人的）

　　reframe: frame or express (words or a concept or plan) differently（再构造）