The pursuit of lasting happiness has long been a subject of interest for scientists and surveys alike.But what makes us really happy and what lasting benefits does happiness have?

長時(shí)間以來，對(duì)持久幸福感的追求一直是科學(xué)家和許多相關(guān)調(diào)查關(guān)注的目標(biāo)。但是什么使我們真正感到快樂?快樂又能帶來什么長久的益處呢?

Well, earlier this month, scientists from the University of Illinois found the people who are happy and positive about life live longer.

本月月初，來自伊利諾伊大學(xué)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些對(duì)生活持積極態(tài)度的快樂的人更長壽。

The researchers found "clear and compelling evidence" that happiness is key when it comes to better health and longer life spans.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)“清晰有力的證據(jù)”，能證明快樂是健康和長壽的關(guān)鍵因素。

Last month a British study, which tracked members of 40,000 households across the country, concluded that eating a family meal at least three times a week is the key to happiness because it helps build a strong bond between parents and their children.

上個(gè)月，英國某項(xiàng)追蹤調(diào)查了國內(nèi)4萬戶人家的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，每周至少和家人一起聚餐三次是快樂的關(guān)鍵因素，因?yàn)樗兄谠诟改负妥优g建立起強(qiáng)大的紐帶。

But happiness might be decided when you are born. Names can apparently predict how happy we are as individuals, with researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University claiming in 2009 that people called Judy and Joshua enjoy life the most. Ben, Andrew and Edward were seen as miserable names on the other hand.

但是，幸福與否也許在你出生之時(shí)就已經(jīng)注定了。2009年曼徹斯特城市大學(xué)的研究人員曾宣稱，可以通過名字預(yù)測(cè)我們的個(gè)人生活是否幸福。根據(jù)他們的研究，名叫朱蒂和喬舒亞的人生活最幸福，而本、安德魯和愛德華則是最悲慘的人名。

Married couples are most likely to be happy with their relationships, according to the study, which also found that the happiest relationships are those less than five years old between two university graduates who have no children.

根據(jù)這一研究，已婚夫婦最有可能對(duì)自身情感關(guān)系感到滿意。研究還發(fā)現(xiàn)，擁有最幸福的情感關(guān)系的人是那些大學(xué)畢業(yè)、沒有小孩、而且戀愛時(shí)間不超過五年的情侶。

Research has also suggested that happiness begins at 50. A study from Stony Brook University, New York, found that stress, anger and worry fade after your 50th. Women were also reported to suffer greater stress, worry and sadness at all ages.

此外，研究顯示幸福的人生從50歲開始。紐約石溪大學(xué)的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，壓力、憤怒情緒和煩惱在過了50歲之后就漸漸遠(yuǎn)去。但該研究也顯示，女性在各個(gè)年齡段都要承受更大的壓力、更多煩惱和悲傷。

Money makes the world go round, but it is not the key to happiness, according to other studies. In 2008, a survey from the Office for National Statistics found that British families were healthier and twice as well off as they were 20 years ago, but are no happier. However, other studies have found money can buy you happiness after all, but only if you spend it wisely. Indeed, that might be why a good holiday can boost your happiness levels "for up to two months" after - although the break has to be "very relaxing" to have such an effect.

其他的研究則發(fā)現(xiàn)，金錢讓世界運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，但不是幸福的要素。2008年，英國國家統(tǒng)計(jì)局的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，英國家庭的健康狀況比20年前更好，收入也是20年前的兩倍，但是英國人并沒有比20年前更幸福。但是，也有另外一些研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，金錢也可以買到快樂，但是前提是把錢用在正確的地方。誠然，這或許可以解釋為什么一個(gè)美妙的假期可以在“兩個(gè)月”后還能提升你的幸福指數(shù)，不過要達(dá)到這一效果你得在休假過程中“徹底放松”才行。