關於幸福的8個傳說 你都信嗎？

Decades of research on the science of happiness shows that there’s a big—and potentially life-altering—difference between what you think will make you happy and the things that actually do, argues University of California, Riverside psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, in her fascinating new book The Myths of Happiness.
加利福利亞大學教授 Sonja Lyubomirsky在她的新書《幸福的傳說》中指出，根據長期關於幸福的科學研究發現，在你覺得可以讓你幸福和實際讓你幸福的事物之間有着巨大差異，這樣的差異有可能改變你的生活。

Myth: The right marriage will provide endless happiness.
傳說：正確的婚姻會帶來無盡的幸福

Science says: The average person picks up a sizeable boost in happiness when he or she gets married, but this only lasts about two years. After that, the former newlywed reverts back to his or her happiness level before the engagement.
科學表明：一般人在結婚時的幸福感會爆棚，但這隻會持續2年左右。只會，新婚夫婦的幸福水準就會將回到結婚之前的水平。

Boost your bliss: Delight in your partner’s good news. According to Lyubomirsky, “the closest, most intimate, and most trusting relationships appear to be distinguished not by how partners respond to each other’s disappointments, but how they react to the good news.” When your husband shares that he’s getting promoted, reacting with joy and asking enthusiastic questions signals that you care. Being silently supportive or pointing out downsides (“Oh, you’ll have to work on weekends?”) undermines happiness.
提升幸福度：爲伴侶的好消息感到高興。Lyubomirsky說“最親密最緊密和信任度最高的關係，絕對不是靠伴侶間對對方失落時的迴應體現出來的，而是他們對對方好消息時的態度。” 如果你丈夫說他升職了，不妨表現出你的喜悅，多問一下熱情的問題表現出你的關心吧。沉默的迴應或是指出不好的那一面（啊，那你豈不是週末要加班）只會降低幸福感。

Myth: Your “dream job” will make you happier at work than you currently are.
傳說：你夢想的工作會讓你在工作時比現在更開心

Science says: You adapt to all new experiences, and so any joy from a new work environment will likely fade with time. If you've gained responsibility, your expectations and aspirations will increase too, which can detract from happiness. One classic study tracked job satisfaction before and after a voluntary job change among high-level managers whose average salary was $135,000. Researchers found that managers experienced a burst of happiness right after the new job, but within a year, satisfaction plummeted to their pre-move levels.
科學表明：你已經適應了新環境，所以很多新環境帶來的快樂也逐漸隨着時間消失。如果你有足夠的責任心，你的期望和雄心也會增加，這會減少幸福感。曾有一個經典研究，對平均薪資達到13萬五千美金的高層經理人在換到心儀工作前後的滿意度做過調查，結果發現剛換工作時他們的幸福感會爆棚，一年之後，就會降低到跳槽前的水平了。

Boost your bliss: To avoid taking a new job for granted, Lyubomirsky advises “re-experiencing” what it was you didn’t like about your previous work. If you used to make a lot less money, spend one week a month living on your old salary. If you worked nights, periodically make yourself stay at work late. Mentally transporting yourself to where you didn't want to be will help you find more happiness in your current role.
提高幸福度：不要把新工作當做理所當然，Lyubomirsky建議“不妨重新體驗”你對之前工作不滿的地方。如果你以前賺的比較少，那麼就花一週時間花光原來的月薪。如果你總是加班很晚，那就定期讓自己加會班。這種有意識的強迫自己做自己不想做的事情，可以幫助你在現任工作中找到更多的幸福。Myth: A bigger salary makes you happier.
傳說：薪資越高越幸福

Science says: What your friends, family members, and colleagues make relative to your salary seems to affect your happiness more than what you make, no matter how much it is. For example. Lyubomirsky describes one study that found people prefer to live in a world where they make $50,000 and others earn $25,000 than in one where their annual salary is $100,000, but others make $200,000.
科學表明：你的朋友，家庭成員以及同事的薪資似乎比你自己的薪資更加影響你的幸福度哦，這與金錢多少無關。比如Lyubomirsky描述了一個研究發現，人們都喜歡活在一個自己賺5萬其他人賺2萬5，而不是自己賺1萬其他人賺2萬的世界裏。

Boost your bliss: One way to “buy” happiness is to use money to buy another limited resource: time. Paying people to do time-consuming chores (paint the house, fix the plumbing) allows you to spend your time doing other things that make you happy, such as spending time with your family, volunteering, and enjoying a show.
提升幸福度：“買”來幸福的一個方法就是拿錢去買無價之寶：時間。花錢請人來做一些費時間的瑣事（粉刷屋子，修理水管），你就大可利用這些時間做別的事情來讓自己開心起來，比如和家人在一起，做一些志願者工作或是欣賞一次演出。

Myth: A bigger house will boost your happiness.
傳說：大房子能提升幸福感

Science says: If that mega-square foot home means you have to take out a barely affordable mortgage, it may not give as much pleasure as you’d hope. Research shows that eliminating negative experiences (like, worry associated with debt) makes you three to five times more happy than creating a positive experience (like, splurging on something). According to Lyubomirsky, “pleasure from the house can’t come close to matching the pain and worry of eking out monthly mortgage payments.”
科學表明：如果那種大的房子意味着你需要貸款，也許就不能給你所希望的那麼多幸福感了。然而，研究發現消除消極（比如擔心還貸）會讓你比亂花錢這樣的事情多出三到五倍的幸福感哦。Lyubomirsky說：“房子所帶來的滿足感無法彌補每月超支消費的痛苦和擔心。”

Boost your bliss: Research increasingly shows that experiences, not things, make us happy. And “it appears that the happiest people are those who are most skilled at wringing experiences out of everything in which they invest their money, whether it’s a guitar, a plane ticket, a camera, cake decorating lessons, or running shoes.” You’ll be happier with your material possessions when you make fun memories out of them—a road trip in a new car, a family party on your new deck.
提升幸福感：多數研究發現，是經歷而非事件真正讓我們開心。“似乎最開心的那些人就是最擅長把花錢幹了什麼都寫出來的人，無論是買了把吉他，機票，相機，蛋糕課程還是跑步鞋。”一旦這些給你帶來了快樂的回憶，那就能讓你無比幸福了-比如開着新車旅行，或是在新的遊艇上家庭聚會。Myth: You’re happier after you reach a big goal.
傳說：完成大目標之後會更加開心

Science says: Many studies show that people who are striving toward a goal are actually happier than when they accomplish it. This, Lyubomirsky writes, “contradicts one of the primary myths of happiness, which tells us to wait for happiness until we realize our dreams.” Pursuing goals gives us pleasure by creating structure, deadlines, and opportunities to learn new skills.
科學表明：很多調查發現很多人在奔着目標前進的過程，似乎比達到目標之後更加開心。Lyubomirsky寫到：“有關幸福最原始的傳說莫過於告訴我們要在實現夢想之後纔會等來幸福，當然不是這樣。”追求目標的過程也能給我們帶來快樂，比如計劃，最後期限以及尋找機會來學習新技能。

Boost your bliss: Savor every “subgoal” (performing well at an audition) you accomplish on the path to your bigger goal (becoming a Broadway actress). “Instead of focusing too much on the finish line in the first place, we should focus on—and enjoy as much as possible—carrying out the multiple steps necessary to make progress,” Lyubormirsky says.
提升幸福度：在通往大目標（成爲百老匯女明星）的路上來享受每個“小目標”（試演表現出色）。“與其一開始就把注意力過多的放在終點——倒不如儘可能的去享受——把每一小步都看成是通往前方的必經之路吧。”Lyubormirsky說道。

Myth: Every day with your kids should be filled with happiness.
傳說：和孩子們在一起的每一天都是幸福的

Science says: “In the last two decades, the family has undergone seismic cultural shifts, and one such shift is the push to spend more time, and more quality time, with our children,” says Lyubomirsky. But this has led to chronic levels of anxiety, can’t-keep-up perfectionism, and burnout. Research actually shows that there’s a difference between daily levels of happiness and the 10,000-foot view of the joy of having a family. While a number of studies that compare happiness and satisfaction levels of parents and nonparents find that parents are less happy, Lyubomirsky writes that when people are asked about their biggest regrets in life, not having children (or, more children) is bigger than having had them.
科學表明：Lyubomirsky說“在過去的四十年裏，家庭有着巨大的文化轉移，其中一個轉變就是需要多花時間，更多寶貴的時間和孩子們在一起。” 但這也會帶來週期性的焦慮、缺失感以及筋疲力盡。實際上研究發現擁有家庭的幸福和日程生活中的小幸福有着本質的差別。一系列的研究發現，在有孩子和沒孩子的夫妻之間的幸福滿足感中，有孩子的好像不那麼幸福。 Lyubomirsky 說如果問人們生活中最後悔的事情是什麼，沒有要孩子（或者更多的孩子）似乎比要孩子更容易讓人後悔。

Boost your bliss: See the big picture. Adults who looked back on their relationships with their children, suggest you ask yourself: “What are you doing to create lasting, loving relationships with your children when they are 5? 10? or 15?” They advise you see your children providing continuity, meaning, attachment, and greater purpose in life. You should also try to get away from your kids as you can; loving your children isn’t the same as loving parenting, especially when your kids are young.
提升幸福感：目光長遠一些，大人們正透過孩子觀察着自己的情感關係，你不妨也問問自己，“在孩子5歲，10歲和15歲的時候，你準備做什麼來保持和孩子間持久的愛？” 他們會建議你需要給孩子持久有意義的關懷，以及人生中的目標。你也需要時不時遠離孩子，愛孩子和愛父母不一樣，尤其在孩子還小的時候。Myth: A major crisis drains happiness more so than everyday annoyances.
傳說：大危機似乎比日程瑣事更容易減少幸福

Science says: Although most of us believe that significant events, such as a car accident or a job layoff, can affect your happiness more than daily hassles, it turns out that the mundane has a bigger impact. Researchers say this is because we’re extremely motivated to reach out to our community when we are coping with crises, but we don’t seek social support for little things, like a kid’s temper tantrum or a terrible commute.
科學發現：我們大部分人都認爲大事情，比如車禍或是失業會比日常瑣事更容易影響你的幸福感，但實際上瑣事影響才更大。研究者發現在處理危機時，我們總是積極尋求身邊人的幫助，但一些瑣事，比如小孩突然發脾氣或是糟糕的交通則往往不需要動用我們的社會支持。

Boost your bliss: Address these seemingly small issues, counsels Lyubomirsky, by talking with friends, reframing events in a more positive light, or finding time to recharge and regenerate.
提升幸福感：Lyubomirsky說，不妨把這些瑣事都說出來，告訴朋友，或是在更積極的情況下看待這件事，或是找時間來調整修復一下吧。

Myth: Once you hit a certain age, your best years are behind you.
傳說：一旦到了某個年紀，最好的年歲就沒有了。

Science says: Although most people believe that happiness declines with age, Lyubomirsky says that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Three recent studies showed that the peak of positive emotional experience occurred at age 64, 65, and 79. “When we begin to recognize that our years are limited, we change our perspective about life,” she writes. “The shorter time horizon motivates us to become more present-oriented and to invest our time and effort into the things in life that really matter.”
科學發現：儘管很多人認爲幸福隨着年齡的增長逐漸減少，Lyubomirsky說這絕對不是真的。近期三個研究發現人生最幸福的三個年齡點分別爲64,65和79歲。“當我們意識到時間有限，我們就會改變對生命的看法。”“剩下來的時間越少就越會激勵我們更加看重現在，然後去花時間和經歷在真正重要的地方。”

Boost your bliss: Use your memories to boost—not detract from—your happiness. Research shows that people are happier when they relish and luxuriate in the positive memories of happy past events, but don’t try to dissect the details too much. On the other hand, deliberately analyzing painful memories (a bad breakup, a job layoff) to make sense of them and get past them increases happiness.
提升幸福度：用回憶來增加而不是減少幸福。研究發現在人們回想過去快樂積極的時光時會更加幸福，但也不要過多的去回想那些細節。另一方面，仔細分析痛苦的回憶（一次糟糕的分手，失業）來從中學習，好讓自己迅速翻篇增加幸福感。