8种特别的方式让生活更美好（打印版）

　　New scientific research offers surprising ways to shower yourself with tranquility, creativity, longevity and more.

　　Never mind if you don't have hours a day-even a few minutes spent in quiet contemplation once in a while yields noticeable benefits. A group of adults who meditated an average of six hours and 13 minutes over the course of five weeks developed patterns of brain activity typically associated with positive moods.

　　就算你每天没有太多的时间也没关系，仅仅几分钟的沉思就能让你获得不少好处。研究显示，在五周的时间里平均沉思6小时13分钟的成年人，有效地提升了脑力，心态也变得更加积极。

　　When mice were fed a strain of probiotics found in some yogurt, they became calmer under stress, Irish and Canadian scientists observed. The were less likely to panic like their broth-fed brethren, and they produced fewer stress hormones-effects similar to those brought on by antidepressants. Look for yogurt that has active probiotic cultures, and say, "Mmmm."爱尔兰和加拿大的科学家观察发现，用某种酸奶里含有的活益生菌喂食老鼠，能让它们在压力之下显得更加冷静。相比那些食肉的老鼠而言，它们似乎更不容易陷入恐慌，还能分泌出较少的压力荷尔蒙--这和服用抗抑郁症药物的效果一样。喝喝那些富含活益生菌的酸奶吧，然后大赞一句“好喝”。

　　Volunteers who worked in rooms lit by a lamp with an incandescent lightbulb instead of overhead fluorescents solved problems requiring novel thinking more successfully. Scientists say the symbolism of the bulb (not just its light spectrum) led to the subjects' bright ideas, and cited "a growing body of research showing that perception of objects...can subtly influence our behavior."房间里的灯泡对创造性思维有影响。相比头顶是日光灯的志愿者而言，头顶是白炽灯泡的似乎更能轻而易举的解决需要创新性思维的难题。科学家表示，灯泡的象征主义（不仅仅它的光谱）能帮助被试者想出不错的点子，并且“越来越多的行为研究表明对物体的感知能潜移默化的影响我们的行为”。

　　Undergraduates who considered chicken soup a comfort food and then were fed some scored higher on a psychological test of social connectedness than those who weren't given any soup. When given a word fragment like incl, they converted it into a "relationship word" such as include, instead of a neutral term, like incline, because the dish stirred a sense of connection.

　　在社交连通性的心理测试中，我们给那些把鸡汤看成是安慰食物的大学生准备了一些鸡汤，结果显示他们的得分要比没有喝鸡汤的那群人更高。比如我们给出词根incl，他们会迅速转化成“关系词汇” 比如include，而非中性词汇incline，因为鸡汤激起了他们心中的归属感。

　　Tired? Draggy? Stuck in your office? Picture yourself outside beneath an arching sky and canopied branches. Daydreaming about nature is energizing, according to a new study. And if you can go outdoors, even better: As little as 20 minutes in a natural setting demonstrably increased people's energy levels for the day.

　　累了？乏了？被困在办公室了？想象一下自己正在户外，蓝天下，绿茵旁吧。新的研究显示，做点关于自然的白日梦能增加能量。如果你真能去户外那就更好了，每天只需要在自然环境下待上20分钟就能有效提高一天的能量了。

　　Using data from about 10,000 adults tracked over 50 years, scientists discovered that volunteering, especially for altruistic motives, can be a lifesaver. People who reported giving their time because they wanted to help others outlived those who didn't volunteer at all, as well as those who did so mostly for their own satisfaction.

　　根据对10000个成年人长达50年的追踪研究，科学家发现，志愿活动尤其是那些无私利心的，可以是救命稻草。那些花时间帮助别人的人们要比其他人更加长寿，即使他们帮别人只是为了自己开心。

　　Researchers asked volunteers to rate their level of happiness the last time they spent money on themselves or on someone else. Not only were the givers happier, but when presented with extra cash to use as they wished, they were more apt to spend it on others. The study's authors concluded "a positive feedback loop" exists between offering gifts and well-being.

　　研究者要求志愿者回想一下上次为自己或别人花钱时到底有多开心。事实上，花钱者不仅更开心了，给他们多余的钱时，他们还会乐于花在别人身上。研究作者总结道，给礼物和人之间有着“积极的回馈循环”。

　　To make better choices at the grocery store, bring dollar bills, a revelatory study shows. Analyzing 1,000 households, researchers found that shoppers who paid by credit card tended to select chips, cookies, and other junk food. The theory: Shelling out cash is more psychologically painful, so people are less likely to spend it on unhealthy goods.

　　一项启示性的研究显示，想在便利店做出正确的选择，用现金吧。对1000个家庭的分析发现，那些用信用卡付账的顾客似乎更易选择薯片、饼干和其他垃圾食品。理论：花现金才更会肉疼，人们也就不会多买那些垃圾食品了。

　　人们只有在他们决定做一个幸福的人时，生活才会变得更幸福。为了能尽快减轻压力，慢慢来并考虑考虑下面的事：

　　Lack of direction creates stress. And it’s lack of direction, not lack of time, that’s the problem when it comes to personal achievement. Everyone has the same 24-hour days and 7-day weeks.

　　缺失方向会产生压力。是缺失方向而不是缺少时间，这就是在涉及到个人成就时的问题所在。我们每个人都一样，一周只有7天一天同样有24小时。

　　Whenever you want to achieve something keep your conscious clear. Focus and make sure you know exactly what it is you want and why. No one can hit their target if they don’t know what their target is.

　　无论何时你想达成什么，都要保持头脑清醒。专注并清楚明了地知道什么是你想要的，还有原因。如果不知道目标是什么，那么没人能达成目标。

　　The essence of personal productivity is to do the important things rather than the urgent things. In other words, put first things first. Focus on the essential and eliminate the rest.

　　Progression is not automatic or inevitable. Every step of personal growth requires sacrifice and work. Every step is part of an ever-improving, ever-ascending life path. Every step is an accomplishment that should be celebrated. You know you will never get to the absolute peak (perfection), but when you celebrate the journey this truth only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

　　进步不是自己送上门的，也不是必然的。个人成长的每一步都需要牺牲和付出。每一步都是自我完善、自我提升的人生历程的一部分。每一步都是应该庆祝的一份成就。你知道你永远不能达到绝对的顶峰（完美），但是当你庆祝这段旅程，快乐和攀登的荣耀会更有真实感。

　　Because every day, people hurt you, offend you, forget you, snub you, step on you, or reject you. But if you choose to forgive these people and let these things go at the end of each day, you cleanse your heart. You wake up the next morning refreshed and free of negativity. Refuse to carry old regrets, mindsets, and distractions into each new day.

　　因为每天有人会伤害你、冒犯你、忘记你、冷落你、侵犯你或是拒绝你。但是如果你选择原谅他们，在一天结束时忘掉这些事，你就净化了你的心灵。第二天早上醒来精神抖擞，消极情绪尽散。不要把过去的遗憾、心态和心烦意乱带到每一个新的一天。

　　Behind every stressful feeling is an untrue thought. Before the thought you weren’t suffering, but after the thought you began to suffer. When you recognize that the thought isn’t true, once again there is no suffering. When you change your thoughts, you change your life.

　　在每一种紧张感觉背后是一种不真实的想法。在形成这想法之前，你没有很痛苦，但形成这种想法后，你就开始受罪了。当你认清这种想法不是真实的时候，那么也就没有伤害了。当你改变了你的想法，你改变了你的生活。

　　Stress is but a wall between two peaceful gardens - the garden where you are and garden where you want to be. You must scale the wall that’s in your way, gathering lessons as you climb, before letting go as you descend to the other side. You will only lose if you never climb or you never let go.

　　压力就是隔在两座宁静花园里的一道墙--一座你现在所在的花园和一座你想要去的花园。你必须衡量好挡着你去路的那道墙，在你攀爬的过程中吸取教训，当你在另一头往下走时才可以放手。如果你从不攀爬，或从不放手，你只有失败。

　　The pursuit of optimal fitness is a journey, a constant struggle, a lifestyle. It’s a gradual process where intensity during each exercise session, what you eat every single day, and patience over years is what’s required.

　　对完美体型的追求是一段旅行，一段持久的斗争，一种生活方式。这是一个循序渐进的过程，每一训练阶段难度的增加、每天吃的饮食，这些都需要你持久的耐心。

　　But as you know, the longest journey always begins with a single step. It’s all about taking that step and then stepping one day at a time, committing yourself to a daily intake of 30 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted exercise and a reasonably healthy diet.

　　但是就像你知道的，最长远的旅行总是由第一步开始的。所有关乎的是迈出那一步，然后每天前进一次，承诺自己每天有30到60分钟不受打扰的练习时间，和一份相当健康的饮食。

　　Put yourself at the top of your priority list. There is no person on Earth who deserves your kindness and attention more than you. When you love yourself first, everything else falls into place.

　　把自己放在优先事项的顶端。在这地球上没有人能比你自己更值得拥有你的善良和注意。只有你先爱自己，其它一切才会自动跟来。

　　So treat yourself every day. Give yourself something special - like laughter, good conversation, meditation, quiet reading, an hour to work on a passion, a long walk, etc. You are worth it.

　　所以每天待自己好一点。给自己一些与众不同的--像笑声、愉悦的对话、沉思、安静的阅读、花一小时在自己热爱的事情上、一段长长的漫步等等。你值得拥有。

　　Organize, don’t agonize. Keep your space ordered and your schedule under-booked. Create a foundation with a soft place to land, a wide margin of error, and room to think and breathe…安排有序，不要折磨自己。保持空间条理有序、计划表仍有空档。让自己有缓冲的空间，做事留有余地，有思考和呼吸的空间……So you have the flexibility to explore the possibilities for happiness in each and every day.

8种特别的方式让生活更美好（在线收听）