关于幸福你不知道的6件事：什么让我们真正幸福？

 　　We know money can't buy happiness (or can it?), and we all have the right to pursue it. But what are some things we don't know about this emotional state we all strive for? We tracked down several recent studies to reveal six things you don't know about happiness.

　　我们知道，钱不能买来幸福（也许可以？），我们都有追求幸福的权力。关于我们为之努力奋斗的幸福，还有哪些我们不知道的事情呢？我们搜寻了几项最近的研究，向你揭示六件关于幸福你不知道的事。

　　1. Money can buy happiness--sort of

　　钱可以买到幸福--某种程度上

　　Making more money will boost more than just your income. According to a 2010 study published in the Proceedings¹ of the National Academy of Sciences, a person's level of happiness and emotional well-being² increased along with their paycheck-but capped out at about $75,000 a year. People who made more than that didn't get any happier after they hit that 75k mark.

　　挣更多的钱不仅仅会让你的荷包鼓起来。一项2010年发表在美国国家科学院会议记录上的研究表明，人们的幸福指数和快乐感会随着他们收入的增长提高，而当年收入达到7.5万美元时出现临界点。也就是说，当一个人的年收入达到7.5万美元时，你的幸福感并不会随着收入的增长而继续增加。

　　2. Meditate³ to beat the blues⁴

　　冥想可以对抗抑郁

　　Several studies have linked regular meditation⁵ to actual physical changes in the brain that are similar to what anti-depressant drugs (or so-called 'happy pills') do. People who meditate are not only happier and nicer to others, but research shows that the areas of their brain that respond to stress actually shrink.Big corporations and even the U.S. Marines are all now reportedly using meditation to increase productivity.

　　一些研究发现，定期冥想会让大脑产生一些真实的物理变化，这种作用和抗抑郁药物（俗称“快乐胶囊”）类似。定期冥想的人不仅会更快乐，对待他人更温和，研究还表明他们大脑内对压力做出反应的区域会缩小。据称，目前一些大公司，甚至包括美国海军陆战队都正在运用冥想来提高工作效率。

　　Too busy to find time for meditation? It doesn't take much! Studies show that people who practice mindful meditation-sitting quietly with your eyes closed and repeating a word or "mantra" over and over-for just 20 minutes a day reap significant benefits.

　　太忙了没有时间冥想？其实并不用花很多时间！研究显示，练习冥想时闭上双眼，静静坐着，反复念诵一个词语或者像“念咒语”一样，每天只需20分钟就可以让你获益匪浅。

　　3. Skinny wife, happy life

　　妻子越苗条，婚姻越幸福

　　In a somewhat strange 2011 study, researchers in Tennessee revealed that marriages are happier when the wife is thinner than her husband. The researchers studied the BMI or body mass index of nearly 170 newlywed couples to come to this conclusion.

　　在2011年一项有点奇怪的研究里，田纳西的研究人员发现妻子比丈夫苗条时，婚姻更幸福。研究人员调查了170对新婚夫妇的身体质量指数后得出了这个结论。

　　We don't recommend comparing yourself to your man, but we love the idea of staying fit as a couple-not just for the obvious health benefits, but also for the bonding experiences.

　　我们并不主张让夫妻俩盲目比较体重，但我们认为夫妻双方保持健康苗条的身材不仅有利于健康，也有益于婚姻关系。

　　4. Reason to put a ring on it?

　　结婚的人更幸福

　　Despite the divorce rate, there may be something to the phrase 'wedded⁶ bliss⁷.' A recent study posed the question, are married people happier than their single counterparts? Essentially⁸, yes. Researchers in Michigan found that un-married people showed a decline in happiness as time went on whereas those that had tied the knot, did not.

　　虽然离婚率居高不下，婚姻的快乐依然存在。一项最近的研究提出了这个问题，已婚人士比单身人士更幸福吗？答案是肯定的。密歇根的研究人员发现，随着时间的推移，未婚人士的幸福感会逐渐降低，而那些已婚人士则不会。

　　5. Age isn't just a number

　　年龄不仅仅是一个数字

　　Maybe you thought you were happy getting your driver's license⁹, graduating college, or landing your dream job. But those teen and 20-something milestones¹⁰ are nothing compared to the feelings of elation¹¹ that the ripe-young age of 33 brings. A U.K. based website found that 70-percent of people over 40 surveyed said they were happiest at that age and felt that was when they were able to attain¹² 'true' happiness.

　　也许当你拿到驾照，从大学毕业或者获得梦寐以求的工作时，你曾经认为自己是幸福的。但这些青少年或者20多岁的里程碑时获得的喜悦，和33岁这种轻熟年纪相比简直不值一提。一家英国的网站发现，40岁以上参与调查的人中，有70%的人认为自己在40岁的年龄段最幸福，而且只有到了40岁他们才可能获得“真正地”幸福。

　　6. Facebook failure

　　社交网络的失败

　　Psychology¹³ students at Stanford found that the social network may be making us sad. Why? Because others seem so happy in comparison. The studies examined how college students evaluated moods, and by scrolling¹⁴ through attractive pictures, braggy status updates, accomplished¹⁵ BIOS, and seemingly 'perfect lives' on Facebook, the students became miserable¹⁶ and depressed¹⁷ about their own lives. The researchers reasoned it to the human need of not just wanting to be happy, but wanting to be happier than others.

　　斯坦福大学心理系的学生发现，社交网络可能会让我们郁闷。为什么呢？因为相比之下，别人看上去都过得很快乐。这项研究调查了大学生评价情绪的方法。调查对象浏览吸引人的照片，不断更新自我炫耀的状态，填写个人资料，在Facebook上看起来拥有“完美生活”，而学生们对于自己的生活则感到痛苦和沮丧。研究人员认为，这是因为人们不仅需要幸福，还想比他人更幸福。

 

1 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

2 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

3 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

4 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

5 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

6 wedded   

adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She's wedded to her job. 她专心致志于工作。
• I was invited over by the newly wedded couple for a meal. 我被那对新婚夫妇请去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

10 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

11 elation   

n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意

参考例句：

• She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.最终实现了抱负，她显得十分高兴。
• His supporters have reacted to the news with elation.他的支持者听到那条消息后兴高采烈。

12 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

13 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

14 scrolling   

n.卷[滚]动法，上下换行v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的现在分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Another important detail required by auto-scrolling is a time delay. 自动滚屏需要的另一个重要细节是时间延迟。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In 2D visualization and drawing applications, vertical and horizontal scrolling are common. 在二维的可视化及绘图应用中，垂直和水平滚动非常普遍。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

16 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

17 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。