In recent years, researchers have attempted to use a variety of statistics and surveys to answer a question that's occupied countless generations of philosophers: What makes us truly happy?

近年來，研究人員試圖利用各種統計和調查方法去回答一個困擾了無數代哲人的問題：是什么令我們真正感到快樂？

While some evidence suggests that happiness may be linked, in part, to relative wealth--how we're doing compared to those around us--overall the old adage that money doesn't buy happiness seems to hold true.

雖然一些證據表明，快樂也許在某種程度上與相應的財富有關，我們的所作所為與我們周邊的事物相比較——總體來說，那句古老的格言“金錢買不來快樂”似乎是正確的。

"We are materially so much better off than we were 50 years ago, but we're not one iota happier," says Chris Peterson, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan.

“我們在物質上比50年前要好上許多倍，但是我們絲毫沒有感到更快樂，”密歇根大學的心理學教授克里斯·彼得斯這樣評價。

That's no surprise to happiness expert David Myers, who sees happiness as more closely correlated with people rather than things. "We humans have a deep need to belong to connect with others in close, supportive, intimate, caring relationships," he says. "People who have such close relationships are more likely to report themselves 'very happy'."

這對于快樂專家大衛 ·梅爾斯來說一點兒也不奇怪，他認為快樂與人本身緊密相連，程度遠勝于和事物之間的聯系。“我們人類對于歸屬感有深層的需要——與他人接觸時保持緊密的、相互支持的、親密無間以及相互關懷的關系，”他說，“擁有如此緊密關系的人們更有可能稱他們自己是‘非常快樂的’。”

We've compiled a list of seven factors that influence rates of happiness and depression. Many of these factors vary from city to city and region to region. Here's your chance to see how your city compares.

我們匯編了7種對快樂或沮喪程度有影響的要素。許多要素因城市和地區的差異而有所不同。現在你有機會看看你所在的城市對應著多少幸福。

Happily Married 幸福的婚姻

Is getting married one of the keys to a happy life? A report from the Pew Research Center suggests so--43 percent of married women and men reported being "very happy", while only 24 percent of unmarried men and women said the same.

結婚是快樂生活的關鍵之一嗎？佩尤研究中心的一份報告暗示了此點——43%的已婚人士表示他們“非常幸福”，而在未婚人士中這一比率僅為24%。

Interestingly enough, the happy halo that shines over married couples isn't the result of having kids--those with children were just as likely to be happy as those without.

十分有趣的是，縈繞在已婚夫婦身上的幸福光環并非是擁有孩子帶來的結果——有孩子的夫婦可能與沒有孩子的夫婦一樣幸福。

Rather, there seems to be something about marriage itself that boosts both men's and women's feelings of well-being in life.

更確切地說，似乎是婚姻本身刺激了男性和女性生活幸福安康的感覺。

"Recent research suggests that people become less depressed and less lonely after they get married," says Linda Waite, a sociology professor at the University of Chicago and author of The Case for Marriage.

“最近的研究暗示，人們在結婚后變得不再憂郁，孤獨感也逐漸減少，”芝加哥大學的社會學教授、《結婚問題》的作者琳達·懷特如是說。

After all, it's harder to be lonely when you've got a loved one to come home to every night.

畢竟，當你擁有一位每天晚上都回家的甜蜜愛人時，很難會感到孤獨的。

According to Waite, men benefit even more than women from having a life-long companion. "Women will talk to everyone," says Waite, "But most men tend to rely on their wives as their main confidant."

根據懷特的研究，男性從一生的伴侶中受益的程度要遠勝于女性。“女性會向所有的人傾訴，”懷特說，“但是大多數男性喜歡向妻子傾訴，把妻子當做主要的知己。”

In addition, women-typically the social planners in a relationship--ensure that the men stay connected to family and friends, another source of happiness.

另外，女性——典型的社交關系設計者——會保證男性與家庭和朋友之間密切相聯，而這兩者是快樂的另一源泉。

And what about all that nagging that wives are so famous for? Turns out it pays off. Men who are married drink less, smoke less, eat better, get more sleep, and engage in less risky behavior than their unmarried peers. The end result: Married men are healthier, and since health is linked to happiness, they're happier too.

那么主婦們名聲赫赫的嘮叨意味著什么呢？總結一句是付出總有回報。已婚男士比起單身貴族喝酒、抽煙都減少了，吃得更好了，睡眠更充分了，做冒險的事也少了。最終的結果是：已婚男士更加健康，而健康與快樂息息相關，于是他們更加快樂了。
　　
He Works Hard for His Happiness 為了幸福，努力工作

Does working make you unhappy or happy? The answer: It depends. Toiling away at a job you hate may eat away at your happiness over time. But overall, being unemployed is worse for your state of mind than being employed--at least, that is, if you're a guy.

工作能為你帶來幸福還是不幸？答案是：視情況而定。埋頭苦干一項你痛恨的工作可能會逐漸侵蝕你的快樂。但是總體來說，失業比不失業更影響一個人的精神狀態——至少，換句話說，如果你是個男性的話。

The Pew Research Center found that the percentage of men who said they were "very happy" was significantly lower for unemployed men (16 percent) than for employed men (37 percent). Unemployment had little impact on women's happiness.

佩尤研究中心(Pew Research Center)發現失業男性說他們“非常快樂”的比率（16%）要遠低于從業男性（37%）。然而，失業對于女性快樂指數的影響微乎其微。

The Pew researchers speculate that this is because more women than men are unemployed by choice, although the study didn't attempt to tease apart that difference.

佩尤的研究人員推測，那是因為比起男性，更多的女性選擇賦閑在家，盡管該研究并不想對這種差別進行嘲諷。

Chris Peterson, a happiness researcher at the University of Michigan, suspects there are other factors at play as well. "Other studies have found that if a man loses his job, it can have both short-term and long-term psychological effects, even if he finds another job with equal salary," he says. "For women it's not unemployment that leads to unhappiness, but divorce."

密歇根大學的快樂問題研究專家克里斯·彼得斯猜想應該還有其他要素在起作用。“其他的研究發現，如果一名男性丟掉了他的工作，即使他找到了相同薪水的另一份工作，都可能給他帶來短期和長期的心理影響，”他指出，“對女性來說，導致不快樂的因素并非失業，而是離婚。”

In addition, Peterson stresses that money matters less than you'd think. "The engaged custodian is more likely to be happy than the independently wealthy, unengaged millionaire," he says. "We didn't evolve to be retired and sit on the couch."

此外，彼得斯強調金錢對幸福的影響不像人們想象的那么大。他聲稱，“忙碌的管理者可能比獨立富有的、無所事事的百萬富翁更加快樂。我們進化不是為了自己閑下來或躺在沙發上享受。”
　　
Time for Family，Friends，and Community 與家人的天倫之樂、與好友的相聚、交往

In the growing field of happiness research, one thing is overwhelmingly clear. People who are socially engaged are more likely to be happy--and less likely to be depressed--than those who aren't.

在不斷增長的快樂研究領域里,有一件事情是絕對清楚的。忙碌于社會交往的人們比起那些沒有社交的人們多些快樂，少些憂郁。

In fact, Time Magazine poll found that the four most significant sources of happiness—children (77 percent), friendships (76 percent), contributing to the lives of others (75 percent), and spouse/partner (73 percent)—all involved spending meaningful time with other people.

實際上，《時代》雜志民意調查發現了快樂的4個最重要來源——孩子（77%）、友誼（76%）、為他人奉獻（75%）以及配偶或伴侶（73%），都涉及與他人共享美好時光這一點。

The problem: "We're so caught up with extraordinary work burdens, we don't have time to enjoy the people we love or contribute to the lives of others," says Post.

問題是：“我們的工作負擔如此沉重，我們沒有時間與所愛的人享受共度時光的樂趣，也沒有時間為他人奉獻。” 波斯特說道。

That time crunch is quite real, says John de Graaf, president of the public policy organization Take Back Your Time. "Compared to 30 years ago, the average family now spends an extra 500 hours per year working outside the home."

公共政策組織“找回你的時光”的負責人約翰·德·格拉夫說時間短缺帶來的危機是千真萬確的，“與30年前相比較，平均每個家庭現在每年多花500個小時在工作上。”

We're also spending more time getting to work and back.

我們也花了更多的時間往返于工作和回家的路上。

"Traffic is getting worse and we're not investing in mass transit," says de Graaf. "Most of the data I've seen shows that we've doubled our average commute times in the past generation."

“交通變得越來越糟糕，而我們沒有在大眾交通上投資，”德·格拉夫說，“我所看到的大多數據顯示我們平均每天花在往返上下班的時間比上一代翻了一番。”

Obviously, it depends on where you live--and where you work. Those most impacted: affluent families who chose even larger homes over living closer to work, and younger families who are priced out of homes of any size closer to centers of employment.

顯然，這取決于你住在何處，以及你在哪里工作。最受影響的人群：為了住大一些的房子而寧愿離工作地點遠一些的富裕家庭，以及被辦公中心附近高昂的房價擠到偏遠處居住的年輕家庭。
　　
How Happy Is Your City? Good Urban Design 你所在的城市有多幸福？良好的城市規劃

What does urban design have to do with happiness? More than you might think.

城市規劃與幸福有多大關系？ 遠勝于你所能想到的。

"The data strongly suggests that real community and real friendships are important keys to happiness," says Post. "Some cities make that possible in ways that others don't."

“有數據強烈顯示真正的社區和真正的友誼是幸福的關鍵，”波斯特說，“一些城市做到了，而有些城市并未做到。”

Post explains how urban design can facilitate social interaction--or work against it.

波斯特解釋了城市規劃能夠促進社會交互影響——或者起反作用。

"Forty years ago, neighborhoods had sidewalks, front porches, and parks-geographical opportunities for people to be socially engaged," he says. "In many communities today, we are lacking these things. We don't know our neighbors anymore. We just get into our car pods and never see anyone. We no longer have the opportunity to stumble upon happiness by being good neighbors in our communities."

“40年前，街區附近有人行道、前廊和公園——為人們從事社交提供了地理條件，”他說，“而今在許多社區里，我們缺少這些設施。我們與鄰居互不相識。我們只是鉆進了車廂里看不見任何人。我們再也沒有機會因為在社區中遇到了好鄰居而偶遇快樂。”

Good urban design and effective mass transportation can also determine how much time we spend commuting to work, and how much time we spend behind the wheel of a car running errands—both of which ultimately impact the amount of time we have for joyfully engaging with friends, family, and community.

良好的城市規劃和高效的大眾交通也能夠決定我們花在工作往返途中的時間，以及我們辦事時花在開車上的時間——兩者都將最終影響我們與朋友、家庭和鄰里之間共度的快樂時光有多長。
　　
Giving for Your Own Good 樂善好施

This may come as a surprise to the "Me Generation," but happiness doesn't come from living in a big house, buying the latest techno-gadget, and getting stamps from exotic locales in your passport.

這也許對“80后（Me Generation）”的人來說是不可思議的，但是快樂并非來自于住大房子，購買最新的科技產品，以及在你的護照上蓋上充滿異國情調的章。

In fact, a poll by Time Magazine found that helping others was a major source of happiness for 75 percent of Americans.

事實上，《時代》雜志民意調查發現，對于75%的美國人來說，幫助別人是快樂的主要來源。

"Volunteering is an opportunity to be socially engaged and contribute to the lives of others,” says Stephen Post, a professor at Case Western Reserve University who co-authored the book Why Good Things Happen to Good People with Jill Neimark. “It's not material goods that make us happy--it's having purpose and meaning in our lives."

“志愿活動為社會交往和奉獻他人提供了機會，”美國凱斯西保留地大學的教授、與吉爾·萊馬克合著《好事為何青睞好人》的作者斯蒂芬·波斯特說，“物質財富并不能為我們帶來快樂——生活有目的、有意義才使我們快樂。”

In fact, some recent research suggests that we're actually hard-wired for helping. Even thinking about helping others is enough to stimulate the part of our brain associated with feel-good chemicals like oxytocin.

事實上，最近的一些研究表明，我們實際上有幫助別人的本能。即使只是想象著幫助別人就已經足以刺激我們大腦某些部位，那些部位會產生讓人感覺良好的化學成分，比如說后葉催產素（腦下垂體后葉荷爾蒙的一種）。

Helping others doesn't just make us happier, there's also evidence it makes us healthier too. "Recent research out of England shows that cities with higher rates of volunteerism had the lower rates of depression and heart disease," says Post.

幫助別人并非僅僅讓我們更加快樂，有跡象顯示，它還能讓我們更加健康。“最近英格蘭的一項研究顯示，那些志愿者比率較高的城市抑郁癥和心臟病的發病率較低。” 波斯特說。

Don't have a lot of free time? No worries. People who volunteer just two hours per week (100 hours per year) enjoy lower rates of depression and better physical health.

沒有許多空余時間？別擔心。參加志愿活動的人們每周只須花費2個小時的時間（每年100個小時），就可以免抑郁癥的困擾，并且擁有更健康的身體。
　　
As Long As You Have Your Health 只要擁有健康

Perhaps it comes as no surprise to find that healthier people are happier than those who aren't as healthy. In fact, a report published by the Pew Research Center found that 48 percent of people who rated their health as "excellent" described themselves as "very happy", while only 15 percent of those who rated their health as "poor" said the same.

當你發現健康的人們比那些失去健康的人們更加快樂時，你也許一點都不覺得奇怪。事實上，佩尤研究中心發行的一份報告發現，說自己健康狀況“很好”的人們中有48%的人描述自己“很快樂”，而在那些說自己健康狀況“很差”的人們中這一比例只有15%。

After all, it's harder to be happy when living with chronic pain or illness or when faced with a potentially life-threatening condition.

畢竟，當人們長期受到病痛的折磨時，或者面臨著潛在的危及生命的狀態時，是很難快樂起來的。

While health is strongly tied to happiness, lack of health is even more strongly correlated with lack of happiness. Of those who rated their health as "poor", a whopping 55 percent described themselves as "not too happy", while only 6 percent of those in "excellent" health said the same.

雖然健康與快樂的聯系緊密，但是缺少健康與失去快樂的聯系或許更加緊密。對于那些說自己的健康狀況“很差”的人們，稱自己“不太快樂”的人的比例多達55%，而那些“非常”健康的人們中這一比例只有6%。

According to the Pew Research Center, health--along with religion and marriage--were among the strongest predictors of happiness, even when adjusting for a variety of other variables.

根據佩尤研究中心的調查，健康，連同宗教和婚姻——是快樂的最佳預言者，即便是有其他可變因素在起作用。
　　
Let the Sunshine In 讓陽光進來

The region of the country you live in can impact your risk of suffering from depression--at least from November through April.

你所居住的國家和地區可能會給你帶來抑郁的痛苦——至少從頭年的11月到來年的4月。

That's because those living in the northern part of the country are more at risk of suffering from seasonal affective disorder, a form of clinical depression brought on in the winter months by the shortening of the days and the later sunrise.

這是因為居住在北方的人們更可能受季節影響造成情緒紊亂，臨床上表現為一種抑郁癥，是由冬日里白天較短、日照較晚而帶來的病癥。

"In the United States, SAD is about five times more prevalent in the northern tier of states than in the far south," says Dr. Michael Terman, Director of the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at the Columbia University Medical Center.

哥倫比亞大學醫療研究中心光照治療和生物節律中心的主任,指出：“在美國，SAD（季節性情緒紊亂）在北部各州發生的比例是最南部各州的5倍。”

But SAD is just the tip of the iceberg, explains Terman. "Less severe 'winter doldrums' occur at least three times more frequently than winter depression. Even more people experience one or more symptoms of winter depression--such as overeating or oversleeping--even though their mood stays under control."

但是SAD（季節性情緒紊亂）只是冰山一角，特曼解釋說。“稍遜嚴重的‘冬季消沉'比冬季抑郁發生的頻率至少多3倍。然而更多的人經歷了一次或多次的冬季抑郁癥狀——譬如吃得過多或睡得過多——盡管他們的情緒處于控制之中。”

Whatever the degree of impairment, symptoms tend to resolve in the spring. "Certainly there is no lack of happiness up north for the six months from May to October," Terman says.

無論受傷害的程度有多深，到了春季，各種癥狀就逐漸消失了。“當然對于北部的人們來說，5~10月的6個月里是不缺少快樂的。”特曼說道。