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Unit 1
Happiness
In-Class Reading
Finding Happiness
1 Does happiness favor those of a particular age, sex, or income level? Does happiness come with satisfying close relationships? What attitudes, activities, and priorities engender a sense of well-being?
2 Although the scientific pursuit of happiness has recently mushroomed, speculations about happiness are age-old. Ancient philosophers believed that happiness accompanied a life of intelligent reflection. "There is no fool who is happy, and no wise man who is not," said the Roman philosopher Cicero. In later centuries, some sages have suggested that happiness comes from living a virtuous life, and others, from indulging pleasures; some that it comes from knowing the truth, and others, from preserving illusions; some that it comes from restraint, and others, from getting rid of rage and misery. The list goes on, but the implication is clear: To discover the truth about happiness, we must ask how these competing ideas relate to reality. In short, we must study happiness scientifically.
3 Social scientists have exploded some myths about who's happy and who's not by identifying predictors of happiness and life satisfaction.
4 Many people believe there are unhappy times of life-typically the stress-filled teen years, the "mid-life crisis" years, or the declining years of old age. But interviews with people of all ages reveal that no time of life is notably happier or unhappier. Emotions do change with age: Satisfaction with social relations and health becomes more important in later life. And teens, unlike adults, typically rebound from either gloom or joy within an hour's time. Yet knowing someone's age gives no clue to the person's lasting sense of well-being. Moreover, rates of depression, suicide, and divorce show no increase during the mythical "mid-life crisis" years.
5 Does happiness have a favorite sex? Are men happier because of their greater incomes and social power? Are women happier because of their supposedly greater capacity for intimacy and social connection? Like age, gender gives no clue to subjective well-being. There are gender gaps in misery: When troubled, men more often become alcoholic, while women more often think deeply and get depressed or anxious. Yet men and women are equally likely to declare themselves "very happy" and "satisfied" with life. This conclusion is grounded in scores of studies around the world.
6 Living standards have soared during the twentieth century and are expected to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness? Not necessarily. Steady improvements in the economy are not accompanied by a steady increase in people's assessments of their own happiness. It seems that people become less satisfied over time with a given level of income.
7 In study after study, four traits are typical of happy people. First, happy people, especially in individualistic Western cultures, like themselves. On self-esteem tests, they agree with statements such as "I'm a lot of fun to be with" and "I have good ideas". As we might expect of people who are usually happy, they report that they have positive self-esteem. Indeed, they usually have good opinions of themselves: They believe themselves to be more ethical, more intelligent, less prejudiced, better able to get along with others, and healthier than the average person.
8 Second, happy people typically feel personal control. Feeling empowered rather than helpless, they also do better in school, achieve more at work, and cope better with stress. Deprived of control over one's life-a phenomenon studied in prisoners, nursing-home patients, etc. -people suffer lower morale and worse health. Severe poverty is depressing if it destroys people's sense of control over their life.
9 Third, happy people are usually optimistic. One could reason that pessimists, whose low expectations are so often exceeded, would constantly be surprised by joy. "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed," wrote poet Alexander Pope in a 1727 letter. Nevertheless, positive-thinking optimists--those who agree, for example, that "when I undertake something new, I expect to succeed" -- tend to be more successful, healthier, and happier.
10 Fourth, happy people tend to be extroverted. Although we might have expected that introverts might live more happily in the serenity of their less-stressed contemplative lives, extroverts are happier--whether living and working alone or with others and whether living in rural or metropolitan areas.
11 With each of these trait-happiness correlations, the causal arrows are uncertain. For example, does happiness make people more outgoing? Or are outgoing people more enthusiastic and less anxious about reaching out to others? Such tendencies may explain their marrying sooner, getting better jobs, and making more friends. If these traits indeed produce happiness, people might become happier by acting as if they had the desired traits. In experiments, people who act as if they had high self-esteem begin feeling better about themselves, and people who are urged to smile feel happier.
12 Yet happiness seems changeable only within limits imposed by our genetic makeup. From their study of 254 identical and fraternal twins, psychologists David Lykken and Auke Tellegen estimate that 50% of the difference among people's happiness ratings is inherited. Even identical twins raised apart often are similarly happy. Depending on our outlooks and recent experiences, our happiness fluctuates around our happiness set point, which disposes some people to be ever cheerful and others gloomy.
13 Close relationships also mark happy lives. One could easily imagine why the stress of close relationships might further increase illness and misery. "Hell is other people," stated Jean-Paul Sartre. Thankfully, however, the benefits of close relationships with friends and family usually outweigh the strains. Compared with people lacking such relationships, those who can name several intimate friends are healthier, less likely to die prematurely, and happier. Psychologist William Pavot has found that people report happier feelings when with others.
14 For more than nine in ten people, the most significant alternative to aloneness is marriage. Although broken marital relationships are a source of much misery, a supportive, intimate, committed relationship is among life's greatest satisfactions. To quote Henry Ward Beecher, "Well-married a person is winged; ill-matched, shackled." Fortunately, national surveys reveal that three in four married Americans say their spouse is their best friend, and four out of five say they would marry the same person again. Such feelings help explain why, during the 1970s and 1980s, more married adults said they were "very happy" than did those who never married (39% versus 24%).
15 Is marriage, as is so often supposed, more strongly associated with men's happiness than women's? In both European and North American national surveys, the happiness gap between the married and never-married is similar for women and men. The results of nearly a hundred such studies confirm this: Although a bad marriage may be more depressing to a woman than to a man, the myth that single women report greater happiness than married women can be ignored.
16 So, knowing people's age, sex, and income (assuming they have enough to afford life's necessities) hardly tells us if they are happy. William Cowper's 1782 hunch has proven right: "Happiness depends, as Nature shows, less on exterior things than most suppose." Better clues come from knowing what traits a person has and whether the person enjoys a supportive network of close relationships. (1198 words)
Time taken: ______ minutes
Proper Names
Alexander Pope
(男子名) 亚历山大·蒲柏（1688－1744，英国诗人，著有长篇讽刺诗《夺发记》、《群愚史诗》等，并翻译荷马史诗《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》）
Auke Tellegen
(男子名) 奥克·泰利根
Cicero
（男子名）西塞罗（106--43 BC，古罗马政治家、律师、哲学家、作家。他徒劳地维护共和政体，却以罗马最大的演说家而名垂史册，著有《论演说术》、《论共和国》、《论法律》等）
David Lykken
（男子名）戴维·利肯
Henry Ward Beecher
（男子名）亨利·沃德·比彻（1813－1887，美国基督教公理会自由派牧师、废奴运动领袖，主张妇女参政，赞成进化论）
Jean-Paul Sartre
（男子名）让-保尔·萨特（1905-1980，法国哲学家、剧作家、小说家。法国存在主义的首倡者。他的《话语》获1964年诺贝尔文学奖，但他未接受。他的著作颇丰，如哲学著作《存在与虚无》、小说《自由之路》、剧作《魔鬼与上帝》等）
Roman
adj．罗马的
William Cowper
（男子名）威廉·柯珀（1731－1800，英国诗人，赞美乡村生活和自然风光，代表作为长诗《任务》和抒情短诗《白杨树》）
William Pavot
（男子名）威廉·派弗特
New Words
causal*
adj. of or forming a cause; relating to cause and effect 原因的，关于因果的
e.g. No causal relationship has been established between violence on television and violent behavior.
changeable*
adj. likely to change or changing often 易变的，不定的
e.g. She knew how impulsive (易冲动的) and changeable Sophie could be.
committed*
adj. feeling great dedication and loyalty to something 坚定的，献身的，忠诚的
e.g. I ) Law student Libby Brooks has been a committed socialist since the age of 18.
II ) She is committed to artistically and politically provocative (令人振奋的) work, not financial gain.
competing
adj. that cannot all be right or satisfied at the same time 抵触的，相互矛盾的
e.g. They talked about the competing theories of the origin of life.
contemplative
adj. Deeply thoughtful in a serious and quiet way (好)沉思的，（爱）思考的
e.g. The beautiful sunset and the peaceful atmosphere left him feeling very contemplative.
engender
v. (formal) cause to happen 造成，引起
e.g. Her latest book has engendered a lot of controversy.
ethical
adj. morally good or correct 道德的，合乎道德标准的
e.g. The article questioned the ethical conduct of certain journalists, who are claimed to have used threats in order to obtain interviews.
Exterior
1) adj. on or coming from the outside, outer 外部的，外面的
e.g. Jim wants to see the whole exterior structure of the building first before going inside, as this is how he writes poetry.
2) n. the outside, the outer appearance or surface外部，外表，外貌 e.g. I) The rooms in the town hall were as grand as the exterior.
II) She maintained a calm exterior, though really she was furious (非常生气).
extrovert
n. a person who is active and confident, and enjoys spending time with other people 性格外向的人
e.g. If you are an extrovert, you are quite likely to enjoy working as a receptionist （接待员）.
extroverted
adj. active, lively, and sociable 性格外向的
e.g. You should be energetic, conscientious, uncomplaining, cheerful and fairly extroverted.
fluctuate
v. change or vary, especially continuously and between one level or thing and another 起伏，波动，涨落
e.g. Prices of fruits and vegetables fluctuate according to the season.
fraternal
adj.
1) (of twins) born from two eggs, not identical 异卵双生的
2) relating to brothers or like brothers, friendly 兄弟（般）的，友爱的
gloom
n.
1) a feeling of unhappiness or despair 忧郁，沮丧
e.g. Bergman's films are often full of gloom and despair.
2) a state of partial darkness 昏暗，阴暗
e.g. It was not the gloom of the hotel but the uninteresting food that he chiefly complained about.
gloomy
adj.
1) sad because you think the situation will not improve 忧郁的，沮丧的
e.g. He is gloomy about the state of his financial situation.
2) almost dark so that you cannot see very well 昏暗的，阴暗的
e.g. He has to spend 10 years in the gloomy mud-walled prison.
hunch
n. a feeling or guess about the future, a suspicion 预感，直觉
e.g. "How did you know that horse was going to win?" "It was just a hunch."
individualistic
adj.
1) showing independence or individuality in thought or action 显示个人独立性和个性的
2) pursuing individual rather than common or collective interests 利己主义的，个人主义的
introvert
n. a shy, quiet and typically self-centered person 性格内向的人
e.g. He used to be very sociable, but he's been an introvert since his wife's death.
lasting *
adj. existing or continuing a long while, enduring 持久的，永久的，耐久的
e.g. Few observers believe that the treaty (协定) will bring a lasting peace to the region.
metropolitan
adj. connected with or belonging to a very large city 大都会的，大城市的
e.g. His clients include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (纽约大都会美术博物馆), Elton John and his future father-in-law.
mushroom
1) v. grow and develop very quickly 迅速生长，迅速发展
e.g. I) Our sales have begun to mushroom.
II) The organization was founded in 1955 and quickly mushroomed into a mass movement of the middle class.
2) n. a fast-growing fungus with a round top and short stem 蘑菇
e.g. I liked helping to pick mushrooms in the wet fields.
mythical
adj. imaginary, not real 想像的，虚构的
e.g. He keeps talking about all these mythical "job prospects (前景)".
prematurely
adv. in a way of occurring, coming or being done too soon 过早地，比预期时间早地
e.g. She has been forced to retire prematurely because of health problems.
pursuit
n. an activity to which someone gives his time 从事的事务，研究
e.g. His scientific pursuits made him a very observant (观察力敏锐的) man.
rating
n. classification or ranking of someone or something 评定结果，品级
e.g. I) The critics' rating of the novel was very low.
II) The company has a good credit rating, so it is allowed to borrow a lot of money.
rebound
v. recover in value, amount, strength, etc. 恢复，振作，回升
restraint
n.
1) calm, controlled, and unemotional behavior 克制，抑制，限制
e.g. He showed admirable restraint, and refused to be provoked (激怒).
2) rules or conditions that limit or restrict someone or something 约束措施，约束条件
e.g. The Prime Minister is calling for new restraints on trade unions.
sage
n. a very wise man 圣贤之人，哲人
serenity
n. calmness, tranquility 安祥，宁静
shackle
1) v. prevent someone from acting or speaking freely 束缚
e.g. The young people should not be shackled by outdated attitudes.
2) n. one of a pair of metal rings linked by a chain, used for fastening a prisoner's wrists or ankles together 手铐，脚镣
e.g. He unbolted (打开) the shackles on Billy's hands.
spouse
n. a person's husband or wife 配偶
e.g. In 60% of the households surveyed both spouses went out to work.
subjective
adj. based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions 主观的，个人的
e.g. I think my husband is the most handsome man in the world, but I realize my judgment is rather subjective.
supportive*
adj. giving help or encouragement, especially to someone who is in a difficult situation 起支持作用的，支援的
e.g. I) His boss has never been very supportive of him.
II) The staff in this company are extremely supportive of each other.
totalitarian
adj. of or being a political system in which those in power have complete control and do not allow people freely to oppose them 极权主义的
virtuous*
adj. possessing good moral qualities 有道德的，善良的，正直的
e.g. He described them as virtuous and hard-working people.
Phrases and Expressions
be grounded in
give (something abstract) a firm theoretical or practical basis 以......为基础，以......为根据
e.g. I ) He acquired an understanding of psychological behavior grounded in facts.
II ) The study of history must be grounded in a thorough knowledge of the past.
in short
in a few words, briefly 总之，简而言之
e.g. I ) She was surrounded by doctors, lawyers, housewives-people, in short, like herself.
II ) He's disorganized, he's inefficient, he's never there when you want him-in short, the man's hopeless.
scores of
a lot of, a large number of
e.g. I ) There were five deaths and scores of injuries in the traffic accident yesterday.
II ) There were scores of tourists at the memorial (纪念馆) when we visited it.
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