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幸福之路:金钱不是万能
Wellbeing is not just about money – if you can see a tree you're likely to be happier.
幸福并不只是金钱的问题——如果你能看到一棵树你可能会更快乐。
Deprived areas of the country do not contain the unhappiest citizens, research by the government revealed as official statistics showed that one in eight people were struggling to manage financially during the economic slowdown.
这个国家的贫困地区没有最不幸福的公民,由政府研究发布的官方统计数据显示,八分之一的人都在在经济放缓期间努力挣钱。
Speaking at the launch of the the latest release of data from the Office for National Statistics, David Halpern from the Cabinet Office pointed out that reported life satisfaction in Hartlepool was higher than in Blackburn despite similar levels of deprivation.
来自国家统计局最新数据发布会上,内阁办公室的David Halpern指出,尽管历经相似的衰退但报告中哈特尔普尔的生活满意度要高于布莱克本。
"Look at Rutland, which is similarly wealthy to Wokingham. Yet levels of life satisfaction are much higher. Rutland is built near lakes. So we think environment does make a difference to happiness. It seems that if you can see a tree you are happier," said Halpern.
“看看拉特兰郡,和伯克郡沃金厄姆区一样富裕。然而生活满意度要高得多。拉特兰郡是建立在湖泊附近。所以我们认为环境的确会影响到幸福。看来,如果你能看到一棵树你会更快乐,” Halpern说。
The ONS data showed life satisfaction had dipped slightly – in contrast to gross domestic product, which has risen since 2009.
英国国家统计局数据显示,生活满意度有轻微下降——与自2009年以来已经上升的国内生产总值相比。
Instead, researchers said real household actual income, which takes into account government spending, better reflected national happiness.
相反,研究人员说算进政府支出的家庭实际收入能更好地反映国民幸福度。
This measure grew between 2002 and 2008 but has fallen to near 2005 levels. However, many recognise that enhancement of wellbeing is about more than money. The ONS pointed out that mental health remains an important issue, with 20% of the population reporting "some kind of psychological distress". The former cabinet secretary Lord O'Donnell announced he would head a commission, funded by the Legatum Institute, to help work out what affected happiness.
这个幸福度在2002年和2008年之间有所增长但已降至接近2005年的水平。然而,许多人认识到健康的加强不仅仅涉及到金钱。国家统计局指出,心理健康一直是一个重要的问题,人口报告中20%的人处在“某种心理痛苦中”。前内阁秘书Lord O'Donnell宣布他将领导由列格坦研究所资助的委员会帮助找出影响幸福的因素。
Academics have long focused on measuring subjective emotions – usually through surveys. People consistently report that what determines happiness includes physical and mental health, the strength of family and community ties, autonomy and a sense of control over one's life, and leisure time.
学者一直专注于观测主观情感——通常通过调查。人们一贯报告说决定幸福的因素包括生理和心理健康、家庭和社区关系的融洽度、自治和对个人生活的一种自制力,以及休闲时间。
Layard said: "In fact, a person's happiness is much more strongly related to their emotional health as a child. This is not a current focus in the educational system. Instead we are cutting back on child mental health services. We are struggling to develop support for a child's emotional side. It's clearly more important than intellectual achievement for happiness."
莱亚德说:“事实上一个人的幸福感与他们儿童时期的心理健康更密切相关。这不是目前教育系统的重点关注对象。相反,我们还在减少儿童的心理健康服务。我们正在努力开发孩子感性的一面。很显然成就幸福来说这比知识更重要。”
Andrew Oswald, professor of economics at Warwick University, said that in the next 20 years "happiness will have won out".
安德鲁奥斯瓦德,华威大学经济学教授说在未来的20年“幸福会胜出”。
"This August, Ben Bernanke, the US Federal Reserve chairman, said that economics was about wellbeing … asking Americans how secure they feel in their jobs. For someone like me who has sat here for 20 years watching these debates it's nothing short of a revolution."
“今年8月,美联储主席本•伯南克说经济学是关于幸福的…询问美国人在他们的工作是否感到安全。对于那些像我这样已经在这坐了20年看着这些辩论的人来说这简直就是一场革命”。