Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness
If you want to be happier, forget spending dollars -- and focus on how you spend your time.
Sure, a bigger house and a fancier car might briefly put a smile on your face.
Yet academic studies suggest that simply amassing more stuff won't bring a permanent increase in your happiness.
So what will? I dug through some of the work done by economists and psychologists, and came up with these nine tips.
? 1 Make time for friends. According to a 2006 report by the Pew Research Center in Washington, 43% of married people say they are "very happy," versus 24% for those who aren't.
"Married people spend less time alone," notes David Schkade, a management professor at the University of California at San Diego. "There are parts of your brain that are stimulated by the presence of other people. You're more active and energetic and engaged."
For the same reason, seeing good friends on a regular basis can also bolster happiness.
"The data is coming in thick and fast on the value of friendships," says Andrew Oswald, an economics professor at Warwick University in England.
"The data suggest that making your friends a priority will have more bang for your buck than making your next promotion a priority," he notes.
? 2 Forget the pay raise. While regularly hitting the town with friends will likely increase your happiness, you probably won't get the same boost from spending hours at the mall.
True, you are initially thrilled when you buy that new dress or that flat-screen television. But the thrill quickly fades and you start hankering after something else.
The same thing happens when you get a pay raise. Soon enough, you are taking the extra money for granted and you're feeling dissatisfied again. Experts refer to this as "hedonic adaptation" or the "hedonic treadmill."
? 3 Don't trade up. Research indicates that, once folks achieve a fairly basic standard of living, it takes a lot of additional money to bring about even a small increase in reported happiness.
Yet your income and wealth could still loom large -- if you start comparing yourself with those around you. For instance, if you moved to a neighborhood you can barely afford, you would likely be disgruntled.
The reason: You will be surrounded by wealthy families, and that will be a constant reminder of your relative financial standing.
"If you can look out your window and see neighbors with lower incomes, you'll be happier," Prof. Oswald says. "People are very keen to move into the elite neighborhoods. They don't realize that they won't be as happy as they expect. That's the curse of being human."
? 4 Keep your commute short. Moving into a ritzy neighborhood would be even more harmful to your happiness if it means a longer commute.
It turns out that commuting is one of life's least pleasurable activities. While we're usually pretty good at adapting to hardships, it's hard to adjust to commuting because it is so unpredictable. One day, you will breeze into work. The next day, you will sit steaming in traffic for 45 minutes.
To make matters worse, a longer commute means less time for leisure. And the research says we enjoy leisure more than work.
? 5 Count your blessings. Your pleasure from your new house and your latest pay raise may subside. But you may be able to revive some of the good feelings by taking a few minutes to count your blessings.
Remember how wealthy neighbors can make you feel poor? What matters is what you focus on. Instead of obsessing over your neighbors' riches, try focusing on the riches you have -- and that will likely make you feel happier.
? 6 Enjoy a good meal. In surveys, eating ranks as one of our favorite pastimes.
"It's a relatively pleasant activity and it satisfies a basic need," Prof. Schkade notes. "But if you aren't focused on it, you won't enjoy it as much. This is why the French enjoy their food more. They are less likely to eat alone and they are less likely to be doing something else at the same time."
? 7 Challenge yourself. Leisure is more pleasurable than work. But you should also think about how you spend your leisure time.
After a long day at the office, you might be inclined to stagger home and collapse in front of your new flat-screen television. But in fact, the research suggests you'll be happier if you are more active.
Suppose you start a new exercise program. The key: Set goals that are challenging yet achievable, because you will enjoy the sense of progress.
Also look to change your exercise program occasionally, so the pleasure you receive doesn't start to fade.
As an added bonus, regular exercise will leave you healthier, and that should further increase your happiness. According to the Pew Research Center report, a mere 6% of those who describe their health as excellent also say they are "not too happy." By contrast, among those who say their health is poor, 55% report that they are "not too happy."
? 8 Volunteer. If you want to help yourself, try helping others -- by engaging in charitable activities.
"Not only does it make you feel valuable, but also you see other people doing good deeds, and that makes you feel better," Prof. Schkade says. "It makes you realize the world can be a good place."
? 9 Give it time. Surveys have found that reported happiness tends to be U-shaped through life, with folks becoming increasingly grumpy as they approach their 40s and then recovering from there.
Maybe our happiness gradually declines as we fail to fulfill our youthful ambitions, only to revive once we accept our lot in life. Alternatively, maybe this midlife unhappiness reflects the time pressures faced by those in their 40s, as they juggle work and family.
But whatever the reason, you are likely to grow happier as you grow older. Not sure any of the first eight tips will do the trick? Maybe you just need to give it time.
如何投资幸福？
如果你想变得更快乐，忘了花钱这件事吧--留心如何享受你的生活，才是真的。
诚然，一所更大的房子，一辆更靓的轿车，或许能暂时博你一笑。
然而，学术研究显示，仅仅靠积累更多的财富，并不会永久性地增加你的幸福感。
那什么才能做到这一点呢？我反复研究了一些经济学家和心理学家的工作成果，得出了九点秘诀。
1. 留点时间给朋友。根据华盛顿佩尤研究中心(Pew Research Center) 2006年的一份报告，43%的已婚人士表示他们“非常幸福”，而在未婚人士当中，这一比例仅为24%。
“已婚人士独处的时间较少，”加利福尼亚大学圣地牙哥分校管理学教授大卫?施卡德(David Schkade)说。“人脑中有部分组织会因为其他人的存在而受到刺激。你会变得更活跃，精力更充沛，做事情更投入。”
同样地，定期与好朋友碰面也可以提升幸福感。
“对于友谊的价值，我们总是能很快找到大量资料加以证明，”英国华威大学(Warwick University)的经济学教授安德鲁?奥斯维德(Andrew Oswald)说。
他指出，资料显示，比起把自己的下一步晋升放在第一位，把朋友放在第一位会让你觉得更有意义。
2. 忘了加薪吧。虽然与朋友们定期到城里转转可能会增加你的幸福感，但是如果你花上好几个小时在商店里购物可能就未必能得到相同的幸福感了。
诚然，当你刚买下那件新衣服或者那台平板电视的时候，你会感觉很棒。但这种兴奋的情绪很快就会消逝，你又会开始渴望别的什么东西。
你在获得加薪的时候也会如此。不消多少时间，你就会认为加薪是想当然的事，你又会感到不满足。专家称这种现象为“享乐适应”(hedonic adaptation)或是“快乐水车”(hedonic treadmill)。
3. 千万别“嫌贫爱富”。研究显示，一旦人们达到了基本生活标准，即便要使自己的幸福感增加那么一点点，也要额外付出大量的金钱。
然而，你的收入和财富可能还远远不够－－如果你开始将自己与周围的人相比较的话。比如说，如果你搬到一个你只能勉强支撑的社区，你就会感到心情很糟。
原因很简单：你四周都是富裕的家庭，这会时时提醒你，你没多少钱。
“如果你从窗外望去，看到的都是收入比你低的邻里，你会感到更幸福，” 奥斯维德教授说。“人们总是渴望搬到精英社区。他们并未意识到，他们不会像期待中的那样幸福。”
4. 减少花在路上的时间。如果搬进豪华社区还意味着来回奔波的时间更长了，那可能会进一步伤害你的幸福感。
研究显示，通勤是生活中最令人沮丧的活动之一。虽然我们通常很容易适应辛苦的状况，但是人们很难适应通勤的变幻无常。前一天，你在上班途中还是一路畅通，而另一天，你就有可能遇上交通阻塞，被严严实实地堵上45分钟。
雪上加霜的是，来回奔波的时间增加意味着休闲时间的减少。研究显示，我们更享受休闲、而不是工作的乐趣。
5. 想想高兴的事情。你从新房子，或是最近一次加薪中得到的快乐可能会逐渐消退。但是，如果你花上几分钟想些高兴的事情，你可能会重新找回一些幸福的感觉。
还记得富裕的邻居是怎么让你感到贫穷的吗？其实，重要的是你所关注的东西。试着把注意力放在你拥有的财富上，而不是对邻居的财富念念不忘，这样可能会让你感觉更幸福。
6. 享用美食。调查发现，吃是人类的最大消遣之一。
“吃是一种相对令人愉悦的行为，它可以满足一种基本的需求，”施卡德教授说。“但是，如果你不把精力集中在食物上，你就不会享受太多的乐趣。这也是为什么法国人能更好地享用美食的原因。他们很少自己吃饭，他们在吃饭的时候也很少同时做着其他事情。”
7. 挑战自我。休闲比工作更加令人愉悦。但是，你也应该想想如何度过你的休闲时光。
在办公室忙了一整天后，你可能会拖着疲惫不堪的身体回到家中，直接倒在你那台新的平板电视面前。但实际上，研究表明，如果你多做运动，你会感到更快乐。
假设你开始了一项锻炼计划。关键是：制定具有挑战、但又可以实现的目标，因为你会享受不断进步的感觉。
同时，试着不时地调整一下锻炼计划，这样你从中得到的快乐才不会消退。
定期锻炼还有一个好处，你会变得更健康，进而会增加你的幸福感。根据佩尤研究中心的报告，在那些声称自己健康状况极好的人当中，只有6%的人同时表示他们“并不是太幸福”。相比之下，在那些声称自己健康状况不好的人当中，这一比例高达55%。
8. 参加志愿活动。如果你想帮助自己，先试着帮助别人--让自己投身到慈善活动中去。
“这不仅会使你感到自己有价值，你也会看到其他人在做好事，这会让你感觉更好，”施卡德教授说。“这会使你认识到，世界还是一个美好的地方。”
9. 让时间决定一切。调查发现，人生中的幸福感呈U型走势。人在接近40岁的时候，脾气通常会越来越暴燥，而在40岁以后，又会逐步恢复。
或许，因为我们没能实现年轻时的抱负，我们的幸福感逐渐下降了，而一旦我们接受了人生的现实，我们的幸福感才会恢复。或许，中年人的不幸福感反映了他们面临的时间压力，因为他们要为工作和家庭奔波。
但是，无论是什么原因，随着年龄的不断增长，你可能会感到更幸福。不大确定上面八个诀窍行不行得通是吗？也许，你只需要把一切交给时间来决定。
Jonathan Clements
