To Be a Super Financer

　　爱钱，更爱幸福

　　Over the past few decades we have seen big jumps in economic growth in countries such as the U.S. and Japan, but only small increases in reported happiness. Surveys of lottery winners and people in the Forbes 100 list have found they are not much happier than the average person.

　　在过去的十几年，像美国、日本的经济增长迅速，但是幸福感却只有小幅增切。研究表明：中彩票者和福布斯前100位的富豪并不比普通人快乐多少。

　　So you can be happier, no matter what your income level.

　　所以无论你的收入有多少，你都可以变得更快乐。

　　Stop comparing. When people make relative-income comparisons, they frequently look at those who have more-and get upset when their income compares unfavorably, according to a study by Andrew Oswald of England's Warwick University. Even if our incomes are rising, we tend to become less happy if the incomes of others are rising even more. Never measure your financial achievements against anything except your own goals.

　　不要攀比。根据英格兰沃里克大学的安德鲁·奥斯的研究显示·当人们在收入上相互比较的时候，他们所关注的往往是谁拥有更多的收入，当他们的收入比别人少时则显得很沮丧。即便是自己的收入在增加，如果他人增加得更多，我们也不会高兴。不要把金钱上的成就看成是你人生的目标。

　　Be grateful. Professor Sonia Lyubomirsky of University of California Riverside had subjects write down five things they were thankful for. "Gratitude seems to be incompatible with some negative emotions. It's hard to feel envious or greedy or bitter when you're grateful," Lyubomirsky explains. One group wrote on a weekly basis; the other group three times a week; and a control group didn't write at all. Only the group that did the exercise once a week experienced a significant rise in gratitude.

　　心怀感激。加州大学河滨分校的索尼娅·柳博米尔斯基教授曾布置过这样一个课题，她要求学生写下五件感激之事。柳博米尔斯基解释了这么做的理由：“感恩的心和消极的情绪是格格不入的。当你心存感激时，嫉妒、贪婪和痛苦的感觉就会远离”。其中一组每周写一次，另外一组一周写三次，对照组则什么也不写。最后，只有一周写一次的那个小组的人的感激心情有显著的上升。

　　Don't make money a top priority. People who say money is one of their most important goals score lower for mental health, according to a variety of studies conducted over the past decade by Dr. Tim Kasser, associate psychology professor at Knox College, and Dr. Richard Ryan, psychology professor at the University of Rochester. Money-seekers suffer a greater risk of depression; have more anxiety and lower self-esteem; experience more physical, behavioral and relationship problems; and score lower on indicators testing for vitality (feeling alive and vigorousl and self-actualization. The problems were not caused by being affluent but by making money a primary goal in life.

　　不要把钱当做头等重要的事情。根据诺克斯大学心理学副教授提姆·卡塞博士和罗切斯特大学心理学教授理查德·赖安博士在过去十几年来的研究结果显示，那些把钱当做重要目标之一的人在心理健康方面的得分是较低的。这些人一般更容易情绪消沉，常常焦虑，只有少得可怜的自尊，并会导致身体、行为举止和人际关系方面的诸多问题。他们在生命力(感觉活泼和精力旺盛)和自我完善的测试中，往往也得分较低。以上种种问题并不是因为富裕本身引起的，而是由于这些人把金钱当做了人生的首要目标。

　　Be conscious of how you talk about money. The way we explain things to ourselves has a big impact on our happiness, says author David Myers, professor at Michigan's Hope College. Instead of saying, "I can't afford it," say, "I choose to spend my money on other things. n Think of yourself as an empowered person making wise choices based on your values and priorities-instead of a self-pitying victim who views life in terms of what she can't have.

　　知道怎样谈论金钱。密歇根的霍普学院的教授作家大卫说，我们向自己说明一件事情的方式对我们的幸福有很大的影响。“我买不起”换一句话可说成“我想把钱花在其他东西上。”把自己想象成一个有能力按照自己的价值观和偏好做出明智选择的人，而不是那个不能左右生活的自怨自艾的可怜虫。

　　Focus on essential psychological needs. Money scored last on the list of psychological needs that create happiness and fulfillment, according to a study by Kennon Sheldon, psychologist at the University of Missouri——Columbia. What are the four most essential needs? Autonomy-feeling your actions are self-chosen and setf-endorsed, competence-feeling effective in what you do; self-esteem; and a sense of closeness with others. The University of Chicago's National Opinion: Research Center found that people with five or more close friends are 50 percent more likely to describe themselves as "very happy" than respondents with fewer friends.

　　注重必要的心理需求。据密苏里州哥伦比亚大学的心理学者肯尼·谢尔登的研究显示，在那些能够创造幸福和成就感的心理需求列表中，金钱排在最后一位。最为必要的4个需求是什么?自治一一感觉你的行动都是自己选择和自己认可的;能力——感觉自己所做得是有意义的;自尊;与他人亲密的感觉。芝加哥大学全国意见研究中心发现，那些拥有 5个或者更多亲密朋友的人比起那些朋友较少的人，在把自己描述为“非常快乐”的几率要高出50%。

　　Help others. Professor Lyubomirsky has done studies in which students Were asked to practice altruism, doing five acts of kindness a week for six weeks. The participants reported a significant rise in happiness. Kind acts, she says, not only make you feel better about yourself, but foster a sense of interdependence and cooperation.

　　帮助他人。柳博米尔斯基教授曾做过这样的研究，让他的学生去练习帮助他人，在一周内做5件善事，连续做6周。这些参与者报告说他们的幸福感显著提高了。她说，友善的行为不仅仅让你自我感觉更好，并且培养了互相帮助、合作的意识。

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）