[精品译文推荐]“追求更多”的神话：为什么追求更多并不能让你幸福快乐？

muzhe · 发表于 2010-12-6 20:37

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来源The Myth of More: Why It Won’t Make You Happier
译者心中有爱，鲜花盛开

We’re taught that, in almost every area of life, having more is the key to happiness.

　　我们总是被告知，在生活的各个领域，拥有更多是幸福快乐的关键

Not satisfied with your job? That’s because you want more money.

　　对你的工作不满意？这是因为你想要更多的工资。

Unhappy with your home? You want more space

　　对你的家不满意？那是因为你想要更大的房子。

Bored of your gadgets and DVDs and computer games? You want more of them.

As you’ve probably experienced in your own life, though, simply having more doesn’t tend to make you any happier. If you’ve ever received a pay raise – only to end up increasing your spending too – you’ll know that if you aren’t satisfied on $40,000 you’re unlikely to be satisfied on $50,000.

　　为你的小工具，ＤＶＤ和电脑游戏机而烦恼吗？那是因为，你想要更多的这些东西。

　　在你的生活中可能有过这样的经历，很容易的拥有更多，却并不能使你感到更幸福快乐。如果你曾经加薪，不过是减少开支，那么你就会明白，如果你对４０，０００美金不满意，那么对５０，０００美金也不会感到很满意。

　　

And if you’ve ever bought a new gadget or game, convinced that it’s going to make you happy, you’ll have noticed how quickly the thrill of “new” wears off.

　　如果你买了一个新的小工具或是一款新的游戏机，确信它会让你感到更快乐，那么很快你就会感受到“新”的感觉褪去的是如此之快。

　　

More Isn’t Always Better

追求更多并不总是意味着更好

Our society promises that more is the way forwards – particularly when it comes to countables, like money, possessions, and rungs of the career ladder.

　　我们的社会告诉我们追求更多可以推动社会向前发展，尤其是追求更多的是可以计数的东西，像金钱，财产，事业上升的阶梯。

　　

Sometimes, though, heaping up more just isn’t going to help. For instance, if you’re in a career that you don’t like, every step you take up the ladder is just taking you further and further in the wrong direction. You’re not getting any happier.

　　有的时候，积累的太多并不一定有帮助。比如说，如果你在从事一种你并不喜欢的事业，你一步一步顺着梯子向上爬，不过是让你在错误的方向走的越来越远。你不会感到更快乐。

　　而有时候，最初，拥有更多似乎是件好事，但是事情往往并不总是如此。如果你有赌博的癖好，你可能会觉得你拥有的钱越多就会越快乐。很快，你得到的钱越多，只会让你输掉的越多而已。

On a more everyday level, if you have more money you might upgrade to a bigger house with better furnishings … but you’ll also end up paying out more for home insurance, bills and maintenance, and working long hours just to keep up with your new lifestyle.

　　如果你有更多的钱，你可能会换一个配有更好家具的房子，但是你就不会支付更多的房屋保险，账单以及维护的费用，还得延长工作时间来维持你新的生活方式。

Even if you achieve the “become a millionaire” dream, you might find yourself dissatisfied: cut off from former friends, facing new hassles, worries and demands.

　　即使你成为“百万富翁”的梦想美梦成真，你会发现你还是不满意：会跟以前的朋友断了来往，面对新的困扰，烦恼，还会有新的欲望。

People assume that if you have accumulated money, then you are either using it in some unworthy way or you’re a miser, both of which are negative stereotypes.

　　假定你积存了很多的钱，那么你可能会以没有什么价值的方式用掉你的钱，或是成为一个吝啬鬼，无论哪种情况，都是一个负面的典型。

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How to Be Happy With Less

如何做到不拥有更多也快乐幸福

The secret, then, isn’t to keep chasing after more. It’s to figure out what you already have which is valuable, and make the most of that.

幸福快乐的秘密不是去追逐更多更多，而是清楚知道你所拥有的一切中，什么是最有价值的，把这最有价值的东西做到最好。

　　

One easy way to start is with a gratitude journal. You’ve probably seen “gratitude” being mentioned all over the place in recent years – for a good reason. It works. Studies have shown that writing down what you’re grateful for really does make you happier: in one, led by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, participants spent a few minutes each week writing.

幸福快乐的一个很简单的方法是开始写下感恩日志。为了一个很好的理由，近年来，在许多地方都能看到“感恩”的字样。罗伯特艾蒙斯和迈克尔麦卡洛进行了一个试验，参与者每周用几分钟写下使你感恩的事情，这个试验说明写下这些真正让你感恩的事情会使你更快乐幸福。

The first group listed five things for which they were grateful, the second noted down five things that annoyed them and the final group jotted down five events that had taken place during the previous week. [...] The results were startling. Compared to those in either the ‘annoyed’ or ‘events’ groups, those expressing gratitude ended up happier, much more optimistic about the future, physically healthier and even exercised significantly more.

　　第一组写下让他们感恩的五件事，第二组写下五件让他们烦恼的五件事，最后一组随机写下上一周发生的五件事。结果令人震惊，与后两组相比，第一组的人不是更快乐，也没有对未来更乐观，心理更健康，身体更强壮。

You can also deliberately go against the cultural pressure for more – and start thinking about how where less might make you happier, and how you can move towards that. For instance:

　　你可能会很谨慎地抵抗来自文化方面的压力，而去追求更多，开始思考：如何，哪里，拥有更少让你更快乐幸福，你如何向着这个方向努力。比如

　　

      * Less clutter: sell unwanted items on ebay, give them to charity, or recycle.

　　*减少杂乱无章的堆积物品：把不需要的物品在百度上出售，捐给慈善机构，或是循环使用。　　

      * Less stress: consider a career switch, or taking a slightly lower-paid but more relaxed job.

　 *减压：考虑换一个职业，或是换一份收入稍微低些，但是更轻松一些的工作；

      * Fewer commitments: stop saying “yes” to everything, and start only taking on the things which you can do wholeheartedly.

　　*少些承诺：不再对所有的事情说“行”，开始只做那些能够全心全意做的事情；

      * Fewer health issues: how about quitting smoking or drinking less?

　　*少做对健康有害的事情：戒烟或是少喝点儿酒怎么样？

And finally, look at what you value. If you’ve been chasing more money, or a fancier job title, what’s the motivation behind it? Perhaps what you really want is to feel that you’re making a contribution (and maybe volunteering is a better way forwards). Or perhaps you want to be certain that your family are safe and secure (and shifting to a smaller home would give you some financial breathing space and peace of mind).

　　最后，自省一下自己的价值。如果你追逐更多的金钱或是更有趣的工作，想想背后的动机何在？也许你只是像感觉到自己正在做贡献。（或许，从事志愿者活动是一种更好的方式）。或许，你需要确知你的家是安全无虑的（试试换一个更小的房子，或许让你能在经济方面喘口气，心更能够平静）

Don’t get caught up in the trap of chasing after more in the belief that it’ll make you happy. Instead, look at all the good things you already have – and all the wonderful parts of your life, like your family and friends, which can’t be totted up on a balance sheet.

　　试着让自己摆脱拥有了还想追求更多的陷阱，会让你快乐些。代之以享受自己已经拥有的好的东西，更多想想自己生活中精彩的部分，比如说你的家人和朋友，虽然这些都不会出现在你的账单上。

Take the time to enjoy all that, and you’ll be far happier than if you spent every spare minute trying to cram in more.

　　花点儿时间欣赏享受所有这一切，这样做会比你用尽每分每秒去得到更多要快乐的多。

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[精品译文推荐]“追求更多”的神话：为什么追求更多并不能让你幸福快乐？

马上注册，结交更多好友，享用更多功能，让你轻松玩转社区。

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