Study: Happiness May Lead to Wealth

 Money may not buy you happiness, but happiness can improve your financial bottom line.

A study by researchers from University College London finds that young people who report a higher level of happiness and satisfaction with their lives earn higher levels of income later in life. The impact is significant: using a 5-point scale, a 1-point jump at age 22 made a $2,000 difference in yearly salary at age 29, or $8,000 between the happiest and gloomiest brackets.

While the study did not find a direct cause and effect, it did show that happier teens were more likely to get a college degree, find a job and be promoted more quickly than their more dour¹ peers. Even when comparing brothers and sisters, the happier siblings² fared better financially.

The data came from a long-term survey of more than 10,000 American teens at ages 16, 18 and 22, and compared their annual incomes at age 29. The researchers say their findings, published in the Proceedings³ of the National Academy of Sciences, show that creating emotionally healthy home environments is important not only because happiness is a universally shared goal, but also because it has economic benefits for individuals and society as a whole.

1 dour   

adj.冷酷的，严厉的；（岩石）嶙峋的；顽强不屈

参考例句：

• They were exposed to dour resistance.他们遭受到顽强的抵抗。
• She always pretends to be dour,in fact,she's not.她总表现的不爱讲话，事实却相反。

2 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

3 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