關於幸福：什麼讓我們真正幸福？
We know money can't buy happiness (or can it?), and we all have the right to pursue it. But what are some things we don't know about this emotional state we all strive for? We tracked down several recent studies to reveal six things you don't know about happiness.
我們知道，錢不能買來幸福（也許可以？），我們都有追求幸福的權力。關於我們爲之努力奮鬥的幸福，還有哪些我們不知道的事情呢？我們搜尋了幾項最近的研究，向你揭示六件關於幸福你不知道的事。
1. Money can buy happiness--sort of
錢可以買到幸福——某種程度上
Making more money will boost more than just your income. According to a 2010 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a person's level of happiness and emotional well-being increased along with their paycheck-but capped out at about $75,000 a year. People who made more than that didn't get any happier after they hit that 75k mark.
掙更多的錢不僅僅會讓你的荷包鼓起來。一項2010年發表在美國國家科學院會議記錄上的研究表明，人們的幸福指數和快樂感會隨着他們收入的增長提高，而當年收入達到7.5萬美元時出現臨界點。也就是說，當一個人的年收入達到7.5萬美元時，你的幸福感並不會隨着收入的增長而繼續增加。
2. Meditate to beat the blues
冥想可以對抗抑鬱
Several studies have linked regular meditation to actual physical changes in the brain that are similar to what anti-depressant drugs (or so-called 'happy pills') do. People who meditate are not only happier and nicer to others, but research shows that the areas of their brain that respond to stress actually corporations and even the U.S. Marines are all now reportedly using meditation to increase productivity.
一些研究發現，定期冥想會讓大腦產生一些真實的物理變化，這種作用和抗抑鬱藥物（俗稱“快樂膠囊”）類似。定期冥想的人不僅會更快樂，對待他人更溫和，研究還表明他們大腦內對壓力做出反應的區域會縮小。據稱，目前一些大公司，甚至包括美國海軍陸戰隊都正在運用冥想來提高工作效率。
Too busy to find time for meditation? It doesn't take much! Studies show that people who practice mindful meditation-sitting quietly with your eyes closed and repeating a word or "mantra" over and over-for just 20 minutes a day reap significant benefits.
太忙了沒有時間冥想？其實並不用花很多時間！研究顯示，練習冥想時閉上雙眼，靜靜坐着，反覆唸誦一個詞語或者像“唸咒語”一樣，每天只需20分鐘就可以讓你獲益匪淺。
3. Skinny wife, happy life
妻子越苗條，婚姻越幸福
In a somewhat strange 2011 study, researchers in Tennessee revealed that marriages are happier when the wife is thinner than her husband. The researchers studied the BMI or body mass index of nearly 170 newlywed couples to come to this conclusion.
在2011年一項有點奇怪的研究裏，田納西的研究人員發現妻子比丈夫苗條時，婚姻更幸福。研究人員調查了170對新婚夫婦的身體質量指數後得出了這個結論。
We don't recommend comparing yourself to your man, but we love the idea of staying fit as a couple-not just for the obvious health benefits, but also for the bonding experiences.
我們並不主張讓夫妻倆盲目比較體重，但我們認爲夫妻雙方保持健康苗條的身材不僅有利於健康，也有益於婚姻關係。4. Reason to put a ring on it?
結婚的人更幸福
Despite the divorce rate, there may be something to the phrase 'wedded bliss.' A recent study posed the question, are married people happier than their single counterparts? Essentially, yes. Researchers in Michigan found that un-married people showed a decline in happiness as time went on whereas those that had tied the knot, did not.
雖然離婚率居高不下，婚姻的快樂依然存在。一項最近的研究提出了這個問題，已婚人士比單身人士更幸福嗎？答案是肯定的。密歇根的研究人員發現，隨着時間的推移，未婚人士的幸福感會逐漸降低，而那些已婚人士則不會。
5. Age isn't just a number
年齡不僅僅是一個數字
Maybe you thought you were happy getting your driver's license, graduating college, or landing your dream job. But those teen and 20-something milestones are nothing compared to the feelings of elation that the ripe-young age of 33 brings. A U.K. based website found that 70-percent of people over 40 surveyed said they were happiest at that age and felt that was when they were able to attain 'true' happiness.
也許當你拿到駕照，從大學畢業或者獲得夢寐以求的工作時，你曾經認爲自己是幸福的。但這些青少年或者20多歲的里程碑時獲得的喜悅，和33歲這種輕熟年紀相比簡直不值一提。一家英國的網站發現，40歲以上參與調查的人中，有70%的人認爲自己在40歲的年齡段最幸福，而且只有到了40歲他們纔可能獲得“真正地”幸福。
6. Facebook failure
社交網絡的失敗
Psychology students at Stanford found that the social network may be making us sad. Why? Because others seem so happy in comparison. The studies examined how college students evaluated moods, and by scrolling through attractive pictures, braggy status updates, accomplished BIOS, and seemingly 'perfect lives' on Facebook, the students became miserable and depressed about their own lives. The researchers reasoned it to the human need of not just wanting to be happy, but wanting to be happier than others.
斯坦福大學心理系的學生髮現，社交網絡可能會讓我們鬱悶。爲什麼呢？因爲相比之下，別人看上去都過得很快樂。這項研究調查了大學生評價情緒的方法。調查對象瀏覽吸引人的照片，不斷更新自我炫耀的狀態，填寫個人資料，在Facebook上看起來擁有“完美生活”，而學生們對於自己的生活則感到痛苦和沮喪。研究人員認爲，這是因爲人們不僅需要幸福，還想比他人更幸福。
