英語美文欣賞：通往幸福快樂的4條捷徑之路(雙語)

4 Shortcuts to Happiness That Boost Your Mood Immediately

通往幸福快樂的4條捷徑之路

Traditionally， most strategies for becoming happier that we learn about in life take a serious amount of time to implement。

按照常理來說，生活中多數抵達幸福的路徑都耗時太多。

It takes years of education and then hard work in order to achieve career success。 It takes years of meeting people and interacting with them in order to find someone special， and to boot， not only do these strategies take a long time， but they don’t always make us that much happier （or that added happiness doesn’t last very long）。

功成名就需要數年的教育時間和辛勤勞作來做鋪墊。尋找對的人也需要歷經相遇相知的數年過程，此外，暫且不論耗費的時間，其結果是否皆大歡喜仍不常在把握中（也許突如其來的歡樂只是過眼雲煙）。

However， there are also what we might call shortcuts to happiness： actions that， if taken， can create an immediate and noticeable boost in our mood。 They make us happier instantly。 The problem is that many of the popular shortcuts either don’t really work that well （for example， checking your Facebook account non-stop）， or they work in the short run， but create more harm than good in the long run （for example， consuming lots of alcohol）。

然而，世上仍有一種常人稱之為捷徑的幸福路：若沿著它走，就會即刻給你的情緒帶來顯著效果。我們也會立即變得歡愉。難的是有些常見的捷徑並不起著理想的效果（比如，不停地刷臉書），或者它們只能帶來短暫歡愉，並且從長遠的角度來分析弊大於利（比如，酗酒）。

The good news is that there are reliable shortcuts to happiness that are well-validated by psychological research and empirical data。 These methods actually work and they work well for just about anybody。 I’d like to share with you 4 of the top shortcuts to happiness， which you can start using as soon as you’ve finished reading this。

所幸在充分的心理研究和可靠資料下，世上還真有抵達幸福的堅實捷徑。這些方式對任何人都能起到切實的作用。我願意將最顯著的4條與大家分享，願大家在看完後能有所用。

1。 Practicing Gratitude

練習感恩

You will always find both happy and unhappy people living in very similar conditions。 For instance， there are rich people who are happy， but there are also rich people who are unhappy。 The same goes for poor people。

你常常會發現在任何相同的環境裡都會有快樂的人和不快樂的人。比方說，有快樂的富人，也有不快樂的富人。窮人中也是這樣的情況。

The main differentiating factor doesn’t seem to be the external appearance of their life， but rather their level of gratitude。 Happy people are grateful for whatever they have in life， big or small， and they know to appreciate life as it is。 This is what makes them feel good on a regular basis。 By deliberately practicing gratitude， you can enjoy the same positive emotions and be happy with your life。 This doesn’t mean that you’ll stop wanting to improve your life—it’s perfectly possible to enjoy life as it is while seeking to improve it at the same time。

產生差別的主要原因並非生活的外在因素，而是自身的感恩程度。快樂的人會對生活裡的一花一樹有所感激，不管其重要與否，並且他們懂得領略當下的人生。這就是快樂的人總是若然自得的原因。練習感恩，你就能同樣感受到積極的情緒，也會對人生感到滿意。這並不是說你得打消改善生活的念想——而是要將感恩和提升兼併。

How do you practice gratitude？ Several times each day， look at your life and try to identify the positive things about it。 As you do so， let yourself become fully aware that you might not have had those things in the first place and that it’s amazing you have them now。

要怎樣練習感恩呢？每日數次回顧你的生活，努力找出其中的正能量。這樣做的目的在於讓自己充分懂得，雖然沒有在第一時間擁有到那些東西，但幸運的是此刻你已經握住了。

Think about it： you probably have a nice place to live， a warm meal to put on the table every day， a TV。 a microwave， a smartphone， many chances to travel， and a ton of social opportunities。 These are things that just a century ago most folks couldn’t even imagine， or would have had to really struggle to obtain。 Not to mention all the small pleasures of life： a sunshine， a warm cup of tea， a nice song and so on。 That’s something to be grateful for。

試想想：也許你已經有了好的居住環境，每天餐桌上都有熱乎乎的食物。電視，微波爐，智慧手機一應俱全，能四處旅遊，還有無盡的社會機遇。這些東西若放在100年前，好多人想都想不到，於他們來說即使要得到還得付出大量精力。更何況你還擁有生活中的各種小情趣：一縷陽光，一杯熱茶，一支樂曲等。這可都是值得感恩的事物。

2。 Being Present

活在當下

To be present means to have your focus oriented towards the activity you’re doing and the environment you’re in， instead of being in your head daydreaming or lost in your thoughts。 It means to fully experience the moment at hand。

活在當下的意思就是將你的精力放在你正從事的活動中和你所處的環境裡，而非遊走在白日夢裡或無限遐想中。這意味著你要充分體驗當下的時光。

The interesting thing is that when we become present and we let reality flood our senses， all of a sudden we relax and we feel happy。 Our problems fly away， our worries take a backseat， and we simply experience reality with delight。 This is one of the many reasons why it’s worth practicing living “in the moment”。

有趣的是一旦我們活在當下後，真實的細節充滿感官，人瞬間就會感到輕鬆、愉悅。困擾不見了，擔憂也消失了，我們要做的就是悠然自得地體驗當下。這也是為什麼要堅持練習“活在當下”的眾多原因之一。

The basic instructions for becoming present are simple： as you’re doing a certain activity， you shift your focus from internal to external； you focus your attention on the activity and the context， thus letting go of thoughts that take you away from the present moment。 For instance， when you walk down the street， you may be inclined to daydream or dwell on your problems instead of being present， so this is a great time to practice this technique。

體驗當下的基準很簡單：當你正從事某件活動的時候，把對內部的注意力轉移到外部；將其集中到所屬活動和環境中，放開那些讓你脫離現實的想法。比如，當你走在街上時，就會不自覺地陷入幻想和困擾中，而不是去欣賞途中的風景，所以這時就是你練習的大好時機。

Shift your attention externally： notice the feeling of your body and of your feet touching the ground as you take each step。 Notice the buildings you pass by， notice the people you pass by。 Listen to the sounds around you。 Immerse yourself in this sensory experience and you are now being present。

將注意力轉移到外部：注意身體的感觸，每邁出一步都要體驗到腳與地面的觸感。細數擦肩而過的每幢建築和行人。聆聽周圍的聲音。將自己投入到有真實感覺的體驗中，如此便是活在當下。

3。 Helping Others

幫助他人

Something psychologists have known for quite a while now is that we human beings have a deep， strong desire to contribute to something bigger than ourselves。 We want to help the world， we want to help others， and when we do so， we feel happy。

長久以來，心理學家已獲知有種深深的強烈的感情一直潛伏在人類的感知中，驅使人類去完成超越自身的夢想。我們想要幫助這個世界，幫助他人，一旦做到了我們就會感到快樂。

In addition to the fact that helping somebody in itself makes us feel good， if this action is met with appreciation or kindness from that person， it will makes us feel even better。 Fortunately， helping others is something that’s easily available at any time。 And that makes it a viable shortcut to happiness。

幫助他人除了在本質上能使我們感到快樂外，如果在給予幫助後能得到他人的感激和仁慈，我們會感到更加良好。幸運的是，幫助他人是任何時候都能實現的舉動。因此，這無疑成了幸福捷徑的上乘之選。

Right now you can go out and buy something nice for a person in your life and then give it to them， or you can go to the website of a charity organization and make a donation to support a cause you believe in。 There is no shortage of opportunities to help others， and I encourage you to take action when you can。 It’s guaranteed to brighten your day， and somebody else’s as well。

現在你就可以出門為你身邊的人買點適用的東西，贈與他們，你也可以上網加入一個慈善組織，對你信任的活動做點捐贈。幫助他人的機會源源不斷，我也鼓勵你一旦有能力就付出行動。務必會贈人玫瑰，手有餘香。

4。 Physical Exercise

體育鍛煉

Just about anybody who goes jogging， works out， dances， or plays any type of sports on a regular basis can tell you that these activities make them feel good。 They generally feel serene， centered and content for hours after doing them。 This is because all these activities are centered around physical exercise： when you exercise your body， your mind triggers the release of chemicals in your body that improve your health in the long term。 These also give you an instant mood boost—endorphins， for example， are your body’s natural feel-good drug。

任何有規律地進行慢跑、健身、舞蹈或任意形式鍛鍊的人都會告訴你這些運動能讓他們感覺舒適。鍛鍊過後的數小時內，他們一般都會感到閒適、專注以及滿足。因為這些運動都繞著物理鍛鍊展開：當你鍛鍊的時候，身體會產生一種化學物質，這種物質從長遠看能夠提升你的身體素質。同樣也會即刻產生一種及時情緒促進劑——比如，內啡肽，一種自然的興奮劑。

When you’re feeling down， one of the best things you can do is a bit of physical exercise。 It will swiftly make you feel a lot better。 Of course， it’s always a good idea to also identify the core causes of your negative feelings and deal with them， but that’s something that can take time。 It helps a lot if you can first boost your mood quickly， so then you can analyze the problem with more lucidly and seek the best possible solution for it。 This is why I encourage you to make physical exercise of whatever type you are likely to enjoy the most a part of your daily routine—the benefits are astounding。

當你感覺低落的時候，最好的解決辦法之一就是適當的體育鍛煉。這能讓你的心情好轉。當然，找到關鍵的消極因素，作出處理也是不錯的主意，但那通常會耗費時間。如果你能在第一時間迅速調整心情，那麼你就可以更明確地分析問題，找出最合適的解決方案。這就是我力薦你們運動的原因，任何種類的鍛鍊都行得通，只要那是你們日常生活中最喜歡的——其益處驚人。

Happiness really doesn’t have to be something you defer for years and years。 You don’t need to achieve a certain lifestyle in order to be happy： that’s just a myth。 You can be happy right now and enjoy every single day of your life by using simple， tried and tested strategies。

快樂從不需要年復一年地鋪墊。你也不用為了快樂而專門定製一種生活方式：那只是誤導。你只要簡單地利用一些嘗試過的有效策略就能抵達幸福，享受生活中的每一天。