新聞新知~關於「快樂」的研究
全頁朗讀 |
停止朗讀 |新聞新知
快樂是天生的？還是間接影響到的？
中文翻譯：
對於人們「快樂感」的研究，大多數的學者都同意以下這個對快樂的定義：人們的快樂層級有一定的平衡點，就像是馬桶水箱裡的浮球。水位有時會下降至枯竭，但可以確定的是，水終究會回到原來的平面~就像人的心情一樣。但澳洲的一個新研究認為那不是對的。這研究認為：我們嫁給誰？我們優先完成哪些目標？我們做了多少工作？等等各種因素，會永久改變我們的快樂層級。
這個研究發表在Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences期刊中，研究對象為6萬名德國人，經過25年的縱向分析，結果發現這群人不同於傳統刻板印象有平均的快樂指數。研究發現，大多數的人在這25年期間，曾有過巨大的改變。大約40%的人表示，快樂指數(level of happiness)約改變25%,此外12%的受訪者反應他們的快樂指數提高(或下降)50%，而以上這些改變是永久性的改變。
是什麼樣的原因所造成的？主要原因為：「受測者所做的決定」和「生活方式」。舉例來說，研究發現，跟一個神經質的人結婚，這是個使快樂指數降低的巨大原因。研究領導者墨爾本大學的Bruce Headey指出，跟一個神經質的夥伴合作，快樂指數遠比跟情緒穩定的夥伴來的低。確定的是，有一個神經質的配偶，所拖累的快樂指數程度，比自己是神經質所拖累的要少，但都顯著被拖累。更糟的是，那不代表已經習慣就沒事了，那些有情緒不穩定配偶的人，快樂指數仍舊比配偶雙方皆正常調適的人低。
一般人總認為工作量少就會比較快樂？但這研究不這麼認為。這研究顯示工作不足者的快樂指數比過量工作者低。事實上，沒有足夠工作的人，他的快樂指數跟單身者一樣低。研究亦顯示，男女都一樣，從事比他們預期時薪少的工作，快樂指數等同於還沒結婚、或是沒有伴侶者。不意外地，沒有工作的人，快樂指數降最多，尤其是男性。
另一方面，重心放在工作的人，快樂指數低於重心放在家庭者。此外，將生活目標放在利他者，為快樂指數最高者。研究亦顯示，「設法優先成功」和「物質目標」對生活滿意度有害。配合以上各種條件，那些有強烈宗教信仰者比沒有的更加快樂。
接著談到體重，每天運動的德國人比不運動者快樂，但體重不足者比體重過重甚至肥胖者不快樂。這其中也許因為文化差異，使的美國與德國之間，對於身體印象有所不同，但仍有某些相同的模式出現。肥胖的女性較不快樂，但稍微超重一點的則不會。研究指出，對女性而言，「肥胖」比「缺少伴侶」所減少的快樂指數更多。
當然，這其中會有「先有雞還是先有蛋」的爭議。像是：真的是運動使人快樂的嗎？亦或是不快樂、憂鬱的人難以融入社交活動和養成運動習慣。此外有些神經質者也只好接受神經質的伴侶。換句話說，你的不快樂是在上述原因之前，而非這些原因造成。
要解答這個問題前，先回歸這個研究的目的。為何要做快樂的研究？經濟學家和政策擬定者目前將「快樂」視為達到「成功的社會」的衡量工具。由於物質財富似乎會限制人們快樂的增加和維持能力，因此他們正試圖確定社會需朝什麼樣的目標邁進。假如所有人的快樂指數都被他們的基因、幼童記憶所預先確定，那經濟學家和政策擬定者還需要介入嗎？這個研究假設經濟學家和政策擬定者必須介入。
就是如此，假如研究結果可以讓他們更快樂。
英文原文：
In the burgeoning field of happiness research, most scholars have favored the idea that a person's level of happiness has a set point, like the float ball in a toilet tank. Sometimes everything goes down the drain, but sure enough, water eventually rises back to the same level — as will any one person's happiness. But a new study out of Australia suggests that's not true. Who we marry, how we prioritize our goals and how much work we do can permanently change our happiness levels.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were arrived at by an analysis of a 25-year longitudinal study of 60,000 Germans (who, contrary to the stereotype, seem to have about average happiness). It found that most people reported large changes in life satisfaction over that period of time. Almost 40% of people said that their level of happiness had changed by about 25%, and 12% of respondents said their life satisfaction had moved up or down by 50%. And these contentment shifts were permanent.
What brought them about? A lot of it depended on the choices the participants made and the way they lived. The study found, for example, that marrying a person who was neurotic was a huge downer. "Individuals with relatively neurotic partners are significantly less happy than those with more emotionally stable partners," says the study, whose lead author is Bruce Headey of Melbourne University. To be sure, having a neurotic spouse was less of a drag on happiness than being neurotic yourself, but it was still significant. Even worse, it wasn't something people got accustomed to; those with unstable spouses remained less happy than those with well-adjusted ones.
Always thought you'd be happier if you worked less? Not according to this study, which found the underemployed much less content than the overemployed. In fact, not having enough work was almost as much of a downer as being single. "For both men and women, doing fewer paid hours of work than they want apparently has close to the same impact on life satisfaction as not being married/partnered," the study notes. Not surprisingly, being unemployed had the worst impact, particularly for men. (Long-term unemployment is already a known driver of permanently lowered happiness.)
On the other hand, people whose careers were most important to them were less happy than those whose families were more important, and those whose major life goals were altruistic in nature were the happiest of all. "It appears that prioritizing success and material goals is actually harmful to life-satisfaction," notes the study. In tandem with that, those with strong religious faith were happier than those without. (More on Time.com: Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy?).
Then there's weight. Germans who exercised regularly were happier than those who didn't, but men who were underweight are less gleeful than men who were merely overweight or even obese. There could be cultural differences in body image between Germans and Americans, but some of the same patterns emerge. Women who were obese were relatively unhappy, but merely overweight women were not. "For women, being obese actually reduces life satisfaction more than not having a partner," the study says.
Of course there is a bit of a chicken/egg conundrum here. Is it the exercise that's making people happy or the other way around? “Some unhappy or depressed people may find it difficult to engage in social activities or regular exercise, and some neurotic individuals may perhaps have to settle for neurotic partners,” notes the study. In other words, you were unhappy before these life choices, not because of them.
Why study happiness at all? Economists and people who make public policy are using it now as a measure of how successful a society is. Since material wealth seems to have limited ability to increase and maintain people's happiness, they're trying to ascertain what kind of goals should society be aiming for. If every person's satisfaction level is pre-determined by their genes and early childhood, should they even bother? This study suggests they probably should.
That is, if it makes them happy.
中文翻譯：
In the burgeoning field of happiness research, most scholars have favored the idea that a person's level of happiness has a set point, like the float ball in a toilet tank. Sometimes everything goes down the drain, but sure enough, water eventually rises back to the same level — as will any one person's happiness. But a new study out of Australia suggests that's not true. Who we marry, how we prioritize our goals and how much work we do can permanently change our happiness levels.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were arrived at by an analysis of a 25-year longitudinal study of 60,000 Germans (who, contrary to the stereotype, seem to have about average happiness). It found that most people reported large changes in life satisfaction over that period of time. Almost 40% of people said that their level of happiness had changed by about 25%, and 12% of respondents said their life satisfaction had moved up or down by 50%. And these contentment shifts were permanent.
What brought them about? A lot of it depended on the choices the participants made and the way they lived. The study found, for example, that marrying a person who was neurotic was a huge downer. "Individuals with relatively neurotic partners are significantly less happy than those with more emotionally stable partners," says the study, whose lead author is Bruce Headey of Melbourne University. To be sure, having a neurotic spouse was less of a drag on happiness than being neurotic yourself, but it was still significant. Even worse, it wasn't something people got accustomed to; those with unstable spouses remained less happy than those with well-adjusted ones.
Always thought you'd be happier if you worked less? Not according to this study, which found the underemployed much less content than the overemployed. In fact, not having enough work was almost as much of a downer as being single. "For both men and women, doing fewer paid hours of work than they want apparently has close to the same impact on life satisfaction as not being married/partnered," the study notes. Not surprisingly, being unemployed had the worst impact, particularly for men. (Long-term unemployment is already a known driver of permanently lowered happiness.)
On the other hand, people whose careers were most important to them were less happy than those whose families were more important, and those whose major life goals were altruistic in nature were the happiest of all. "It appears that prioritizing success and material goals is actually harmful to life-satisfaction," notes the study. In tandem with that, those with strong religious faith were happier than those without. (More on Time.com: Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy?).
Then there's weight. Germans who exercised regularly were happier than those who didn't, but men who were underweight are less gleeful than men who were merely overweight or even obese. There could be cultural differences in body image between Germans and Americans, but some of the same patterns emerge. Women who were obese were relatively unhappy, but merely overweight women were not. "For women, being obese actually reduces life satisfaction more than not having a partner," the study says.
Of course there is a bit of a chicken/egg conundrum here. Is it the exercise that's making people happy or the other way around? “Some unhappy or depressed people may find it difficult to engage in social activities or regular exercise, and some neurotic individuals may perhaps have to settle for neurotic partners,” notes the study. In other words, you were unhappy before these life choices, not because of them.
Why study happiness at all? Economists and people who make public policy are using it now as a measure of how successful a society is. Since material wealth seems to have limited ability to increase and maintain people's happiness, they're trying to ascertain what kind of goals should society be aiming for. If every person's satisfaction level is pre-determined by their genes and early childhood, should they even bother? This study suggests they probably should.
That is, if it makes them happy.
|
資料來源：
TIMES Magazine website：http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/05/were-you-born-this-unhappy-or-did-you-marry-into-it/ 期刊Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences原文： Long-running German panel survey shows that personal and economic choices, not just genes, matter for happiness
|
手機下載本訊息