Polls show Americans are no happier today than they were 50 years ago despite significant increases in prosperity, decreases in crime, cleaner air, larger living quarters and a better overall quality of life.

　　Happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

　　Happiness does not come via prescription drugs. Nor will money or prosperity buy happiness for many of us. Money that lifts people out of poverty increases happiness, but after that, the better paychecks stop paying off sense-of-well-being dividends, research shows.

　　One route to more happiness is called "flow," an engrossing state that comes during creative or playful activity, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has found. Athletes, musicians, writers, gamers, and religious adherents know the feeling. It comes less from what you're doing than from how you do it.

　　To be happy, make lists of things for which you're grateful in your life, practice random acts of kindness, forgive your enemies, notice life's small pleasures, take care of your health, practice positive thinking, and invest time and energy into friendships and family. "Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes," according to Easterbrook. "If it makes world a better place at same time, this is a real bonus."

　　参考译文

　　有了快乐的钥匙,我们为什么不用它

　　民意测验显示,美国人并不比50年前更快乐,虽然美国经济比那时更景气,犯罪率更低,空气更干净,住房更宽敞,整体生活质量更高。
 
　　快乐50%%由遗传决定,明尼苏达州大学的研究员大卫·莱肯说。其余50%%的挑战很大程度上取决于我们的决心,心理学家赞同这一说法。正如亚伯拉罕·林肯曾经说的 大部分人想多快乐就有多快乐。

　　快乐不是来自处方药,也不是金钱和经济景气所能为我们买到的。研究表明,帮助人们脱离贫困的金钱的确能增加我们的快乐,但是之后,更高的薪水却不能让我们继续保持良好的自我感觉。

　　心理学家迈阿里·基科赞米哈维发现,一条通向更多快乐的路被称作 流 ,是在从事有创造性或者好玩的活动的过程中产生的一种引人入胜的状态。运动员、音乐家、作家、游戏玩家和宗教信徒体验过这种感觉。这种感觉不是来自于做的是什么,更多是来自怎样做。

　　要想快乐,把你在生活中需要感激的东西列个清单,时不时地行行善举,原谅你的敌人,留意生活中的小快乐,关照自己的健康,积极思维,在友谊和家庭上投入时间和精力。 研究表明,那些知道感恩的人,乐观的和宽容的人对生命有更好的体验,能获得更多的快乐,受更少的打击,有着更高的收入。 伊斯特布鲁克说, 如果这样做的同时能够让这个世界更美好,这真是一个额外收获。