澳經濟學家發明幸福計算公式大綱
Marriage is worth £18,000 to men, but just £9,000 to women, according to an Australian economist who claims he has discovered a formula to determine the cost of happiness.
Paul Frijters, a professor at Queensland University of Technology, has calculated a formula he claims delivers the Monetary equivalent of the value of various milestones in life.
The figures represent a lump sum a person would need to receive out of the blue in order to make him or her as happy as marriage would over a lifetime.
When it comes to divorce, a man would be so devastated it would feel as if he had lost £61,500. A woman would be far less traumatised, feeling as though she had only lost £5,000.
Prof Frijters, who was this year named the best economist aged under 40, has tracked major life events of 10,000 people since 2001.
He said: "These are real people to whom unexpected things happen.
"They were not selected because these things would happen and because of that, we can accurately compare their happiness before and after."
Australians were asked to describe how satisfied they were with their lives on a scale of 0 to 10.
The most common number given was eight - but the answer changed after, and sometimes in anticipation of, major life events and also sudden changes in income.
That enabled Prof Frijters to put cash values on the effects of happiness of major events such as marriage, divorce and illnesses.
He said: "Losing a loved one has a much bigger effect than gaining a loved one. There's a real asymmetry between life and death.
"This shouldn't surprise us. Human beings seem primed to notice losses more than gains."
The death of a partner or child caused a woman £73,000 loss, while to a man, a similar loss was worth more than £350,000, according to the calculations.
Prof Frijters said: "This isn't the value of the life that's lost, that would be much higher of course.
"This is just the effect on the happiness of one person flowing from a death."
Asked why his calculations show men much more affected by life's events than women, the professor could not give a reason, but said: "We know for instance that marriage improves the lives of men much more than women."
Professor Frijters concluded that money had a greater effect on happiness than previously thought.
TABLE
Marriage woman - £8, 726.25 man - £17, 675.68
Birth of child woman - £ 4, 866.77 man - £18, 236.39
Divorce woman - £4, 977.08 (loss) man - £61, 116.46 (loss)
Death of a loved one woman - £73, 204.86 (loss) man - £350, 830.36 (loss)
Illness woman - £28, 124.61(loss) man - £201, 264.68 (loss)
Moving house woman - £1, 453.80 (gain) man - £8, 947.11 (loss)
澳大利亞一名經濟學家日前稱他發現了一個幸福計算公式。根據該公式，婚姻對於男性的價值相當於1.8萬英鎊，對於女性相當於九千英鎊。
昆士蘭科技大學的保羅•弗裏吉特斯教授計算出了一個據稱可用來衡量人生中的里程碑事件的影響所對等的金錢價值的公式。
這些數目代表一個人需要一下子得到這麼多金錢才能獲得和婚姻給他（她）一生所帶來的同等幸福感。
離婚對於男性來說是個毀滅性的打擊，會讓他們覺得就像損失了6.15萬英鎊，而對於女性的影響則要小得多，僅相當於損失了五千英鎊。
今年獲評四十歲以下傑出經濟學家的弗裏吉特斯教授從2001年起對一萬名受訪者的重要人生事件進行了追蹤研究。
他說：“這些都是真人真事。”
“我們沒有刻意挑選受訪者，因爲這些事情總會發生，也正因爲這一點，我們能精確地比較他們在事發前後的幸福感。”
這些澳大利亞的受訪者被要求按照0分至10分對他們的生活滿意度進行評級。
最普遍的評分爲8，但受訪者在經歷某個人生重要事件之後評分會發生變化，有時在預料會發生某個重要事件或收入發生突然變化時，評分也會有變。
根據該結果，弗裏吉特斯教授用金錢衡量了重大人生事件的幸福效應，如結婚、離異和疾病等。
他說：“失去一個愛人比得到一個新歡所產生的影響大得多，生與死之間確實存在不對等性。”
“我們不應該感到驚訝。與得到的東西相比，人們總是更在意失去的。”
根據該公式計算，伴侶或孩子的逝去對於女性來說相當於損失7.3萬英鎊，而對於男性來說則相當於損失了35萬英鎊以上。
弗裏吉特斯教授說：“這不是逝去的生命本身的價值，那當然更高。”
“這僅僅是失去某個親人對於人們幸福感的影響。”
在被問及爲什麼重大人生事件對於男性的影響大於女性時，弗裏吉特斯教授表示無法解釋，但他說：“我們知道，結婚對於男性生活的改善大於女性。”
弗裏吉特斯教授總結稱，金錢對幸福感的影響超過預期。
重大人生事件的價值：
結婚：女性/8, 726.25英鎊，男性/17, 675.68英鎊
孩子出生：女性/4, 866.77英鎊，男性/18, 236.39英鎊
離異：女性/-4, 977.08英鎊，男性/-61, 116.46英鎊
親人去世：女性/-73, 204.86英鎊，男性/-350, 830.36英鎊
生病：女性/-28, 124.61英鎊，男性/-201, 264.68英鎊
搬家：女性/-1, 453.80英鎊，男性/-8, 947.11英鎊
Vocabulary:
lump sum：a single sum of money that serves as complete payment（一次付的款項）
out of the blue：suddenly and unexpectedly（突然地）
traumatise：to cause a trauma in the mind（受傷害，受精神創傷）
feel as though：覺得，彷彿
asymmetry：lack of balance or symmetry（不對稱，不均等）
