幸福难 解释幸福更难

 　　Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen revealed recently that before going to sleep she mentally ticks off the things for which she is thankful. This must be a cumbersome¹ exercise: the long-limbed beauty is the world’s highest-paid clothes horse; is married to a rich, handsome American football star ; she has two gorgeous children; features in Forbes’ annual power list; and, in her spare time, is a UN goodwill² ambassador for the environment.

　　巴西超级名模吉赛尔邦辰(Gisele Bündchen)最近披露，每天睡觉前，她都会在心里数一数自己感恩的事情。这对她肯定是件繁重的任务：这位长腿美女是全球收入最高的“衣架子”；嫁给了一位富有、英俊的美国橄榄球明星；育有两位漂亮子女；跻身于《福布斯》(Forbes)最具影响力人物的年度榜单；抽得出空的时候还是联合国(UN)环境亲善大使。

　　She is obviously clued up about happiness research, too, which extols³ the benefits of counting one’s blessings⁴ — usually in a “gratitude journal”. This kind of ledger⁵ is bound to figure in a series of evening classes launched this week across the UK by a group called Action for Happiness. The six-week self-improvement course, endorsed⁶ by the ** Lama, claims to harness the science of happiness, which has charmed its way into policymaking.

　　她显然对有关幸福的研究也十分了解。这类研究高度赞扬感恩（通常是写在一本“感恩日志”中）的效益。在最近英国各地推出的一个晚间课程中，这种日志肯定会被提及。这一持续六周的课程由一个名为“争取幸福”(Action for Happiness)的组织推出，得到了达赖喇嘛(** Lama)的认可。该课程声称运用了“幸福科学”，后者凭借其魅力，已受到政策制定圈子的注意。

　　幸福难 解释幸福更难

　　Also this week, the Office for National Statistics published its geographical⁷ league table of personal wellbeing in the UK, compiled by quizzing 165,000 people on how satisfied they are with life. Fermanagh in Northern Ireland is the jolly table-topper; London is steeped in melancholy⁸. Since the ultimate goal in life for most people is to be happy, the logic⁹ goes, governments should find ways of increasing civic¹⁰ contentment.

　　同样在最近，英国国家统计局(Office for National Statistics)发布了英国各地个人福祉排行榜。该排行榜的依据是对16.5万人的生活满意度调查。结果是北爱尔兰的弗马纳郡喜获第一，而伦敦弥漫着抑郁情绪。由于大多数人的终极目标就是幸福，合乎逻辑的结论是，政府应该想办法提高公民的满足感。

　　But the science of wellbeing has turned out, over the past 15 years, to be a keenly disputed field of psychology¹¹ whose practitioners¹² have struggled to elucidate¹³ the nature of nirvana, let alone put numbers to it. Meanwhile, happiness has become a central issue in public health. A 2014 study of 3,000 older people, led by Professor Andrew Steptoe at University College London, found that participants who said they enjoyed life saw a slower rate of physical decline than their curmudgeonly¹⁴ peers , even taking into account other factors such as income, smoking and drinking.

　　不过，有关福祉的科学在过去15年里成了心理学一个极具争议的领域。其从业者甚至难以阐明涅槃状态的特征，更别说对它加以量化研究了。与此同时，幸福已成为公共健康的核心问题。2014年伦敦大学学院(University College London)安德鲁斯特普托(Andrew Steptoe)教授领导开展的一项研究发现，即使把收入、吸烟和饮酒等其他方面的因素考虑在内，那些表示自己享受人生的参与调查者，生理上的衰退速度也慢于脾气不好的同龄人。

　　Scientists have been hunting the precise mechanism¹⁵ through which a positive state of mind exerts a beneficial effect on our biology. Barbara Fredrickson, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, published a startling paper in 2013 suggesting that the genomic profile of deeply contented¹⁶ people differed measurably from those of others, possibly influencing im洀甀渀攀 function. The finding provoked publicity¹⁷ and then controversy¹⁸; one reanalysis using Prof Fredrickson’s data failed to reach the same conclusion.

　　科学家一直在寻找积极心态产生有益生理影响的精确机制。2013年，美国北卡罗来纳大学(University of North Carolina)心理学教授芭芭拉弗雷德里克森(Barbara Fredrickson)曾发表一篇令人震惊的论文，提出深层次满足的人群的基因组图谱与其他人显著不同，这可能会影响免疫功能。这一发现得到了广泛报道，随即引发了争议；根据弗雷德里克森教授的数据重新开展的一项分析未能得出相同结论。

　　None of which should stop us from trying to discern the elements of a happy life. This is the goal of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, which combines re猀攀愀爀挀栀 on happiness with practical recommendations. It defines happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive wellbeing, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile”. Contentment stems not from material wealth, as the rich keep reminding us, but from relationships and personal development. Compassion¹⁹ and altruism²⁰ seem central.

　　所有这一切都不应阻止我们努力找出幸福生活的要素。这正是美国加利福尼亚大学伯克利分校(University of California, Berkeley)至善科学中心(Greater Good Science Center)的目标。该中心把有关幸福的研究与实用建议相结合。它对幸福的定义是“喜悦、满足或积极健康的体验，再加上人生美好、充实而有价值的感觉”。正如富裕人群一直在提醒我们的，满足感并不来自物质财富，而来自人际关系和个人发展。同情心与无私似乎是核心要素。

　　And this is, perhaps, the most helpful pointer furnished by science: true happiness is rarely a succession of immediate²¹, individual pleasures, such as sex, drugs and chocolate. Indeed, many experiences deemed enriching — raising children, mastering an instrument, donating a kidney — require pain and sacrifice. Happiness appears to be linked to living a life of purpose and meaning; the ONS survey now asks residents whether their lives feel worthwhile.

　　而这也许正是科学提供的最有帮助的指标：真正的幸福极少是一个接一个直截了当的、个人的愉悦体验——比如性、毒品和巧克力。的确，许多被视为充实的人生体验——抚养子女、掌握一种乐器、捐赠一个肾脏——都需要痛苦和牺牲。幸福似乎与带着目标和意义生活存在关联：如今，英国国家统计局的调查会问居民是否感觉活得有价值。

1 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

2 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

3 extols   

v.赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone extols his noble qualities. 人人称颂他的崇高品德。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Dance Art is an art in which sentiment enlightens genuineness, extols benevolence, and arouses beauty. 舞蹈艺术是以情启真、以情扬善、以情唤美的艺术。 来自互联网

4 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 ledger   

n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿

参考例句：

• The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺，然后又埋头写起分类帐。
• She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的，家庭分类账记得清楚详细。

6 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

8 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

9 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

10 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

11 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。

12 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

13 elucidate   

v.阐明，说明

参考例句：

• The note help to elucidate the most difficult parts of the text.这些注释有助于弄清文中最难懂的部分。
• This guide will elucidate these differences and how to exploit them.这篇指导将会阐述这些不同点以及如何正确利用它们。

14 curmudgeonly   

adj.小气的，不和悦的

参考例句：

• Under Mr Obama nobody will dare to seem so curmudgeonly. 在奥巴马时代，没有人敢表现得如此小气。 来自互联网

15 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

16 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

17 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

18 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

19 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

20 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

21 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。