Everybody wants to be happy. Thus, the onslaught of lists enumerating¹ various happy-making suggestions: Learn to let go! Live in the present! Don't sweat the small stuff!

每个人都渴望快乐的生活。于是，各种关于幸福秘诀的清单纷纷出炉：学会放手！活在当下！莫在小事上纠结！

Which is all fine and good — there's clearly nothing wrong with a positive outlook. But that list has been done to death ... and aren't those peppy platitudes² slightly obvious anyway? Instead, we offer an alternative list of habits — more concrete and backed by science — employed by those who've successfully located the bliss³ button.

这些建议当然不错——毕竟每个人都想要有积极的人生。只是它们的内容都被说滥了……那些陈词滥调难道不是显而易见的吗？所以，今天我们给大家提供一份不一样的清单——它们就是那些幸福的人正在践行着的秘诀，这些秘诀更具体，且有科学依据。

1. They go to parks

漫步公园

One study found that people who live in cities with more green space feel better than those surrounded by man-made materials. How much better? The happiness jump associated with green space is equal to about one-third the boost in well-being⁴ that people get from being married. In a similar vein⁵, another study found that a five-minute dose of nature improves self-esteem; green areas with water were found to be the most beneficial.

研究表明，住在城市绿地附近的人要比整日身在人造材料中的人幸福感强烈。有多幸福呢？打个比方说，与绿地相邻的人，其幸福感的提升幅度大概有人们结婚时幸福感的三分之一。同样，另有研究证明，亲近自然哪怕五分钟，也有利于自尊心的提升；若绿地还能伴水那更是最好不过了。

2. They live in Scandinavian countries

生活在北欧国家

Okay, so your place of residence may not be a habit so much as a circumstance, but this is interesting. According to the United Nations General Assembly's second World Happiness Report, Denmark is the happiest country, followed by Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada. Note that all of these are generally northern countries, what's the deal? See number 3.

好吧，也许你觉得居住的地方只能算环境因素，称不上是习惯，但事实并非如此。根据联合国大会发布的第二份全球幸福指数报告，幸福度最高的国家是丹麦，其次是挪威、瑞士、荷兰、瑞典和加拿大。注意，这些国家绝大多数都位于北欧。为什么会这样呢？看看下一条你就知道了。

3. They practice 'hygge'

践行“修噶”文化

Huh? Pronounced HYU-gah, Danes make it through their long dark winters with a healthy dose of this to maintain their position as the happiest place in the world. With no real equivalent in the English language, hygge is a cultural concept that revolves⁶ around intimacy⁷, gratitude⁸ and family; it's a kind of emotional coziness. As described by one Dane, "It's like a feeling, and it's big at Christmastime. The candles, the food, being with your family." But it lasts all year.

啥？“修噶”读作“HYU-gah”，有了它，丹麦人才能度过漫漫冬夜。因为它，丹麦得以一直是世界上最幸福的国家。“修噶”是一个涉及亲密、感恩与家庭的文化概念，是一种精神层面的温馨舒适，英语中没有与之对应的词。有丹麦人这样描述“修噶”：“它可以说是一种感受，尤其是圣诞期间和家人围坐在一起时，伴着摇曳的烛光和丰盛的食物，这种感受尤为强烈。”不过对丹麦人来说，这种感受可以持续一整年。

4. They have satisfying jobs — and if not, they quit

有一份满意的工作——不满意就辞职

It's no surprise that workers who are happy with their work are happy with their lives. And in fact, a Gallup poll found that workers who were happily engaged and enthusiastic⁹ about work were happiest in life, with 71 percent of them describing themselves as “thriving." And it's probably not that surprising that only 42 percent of poll respondents who said they were disconnected from their work described themselves as thriving. What's surprising is that 48 percent of those unemployed¹⁰ see themselves as thriving; that's 6 percent more than those with jobs; for many, being unemployed is happier than having a crummy job.

工作顺利的人，生活也同样幸福，这不足为奇。美国盖洛普民意测验（Gallup poll）显示，那些工作专注有激情的人，生活中也是最幸福的，其中认为自己“朝气蓬勃”的人达71%。所以，当那些认为无法全身心投入工作的人中，只有42%认为自己有朝气，也在情理之中了。但令人惊讶的是，调查中有48%的无业者认为自己很有朝气，这比有工作的人还多出6%；对大多数人来说，与其干一份糟糕的工作还不如歇业在家。

5. They smell the flowers

嗅花香

No, this isn't an homage¹¹ to the “stop and smell the roses” cliché; it's not about taking time for the delights in your life (although stopping and smelling the roses is a grand thing to do). It's about floral scents¹³ and the effect they have on mood. Much research has been conducted on how floral scents can influence behaviors. In one set of experiments, researchers found that a floral-scented room led to increased happiness and friendliness¹⁴. One researcher noted¹⁵ that the floral smell is an emotion manipulator and improves the mood. "The floral odors can make you happy; floral odors promote social interaction, social approach kinds of behaviors," said Jeannette Haviland-Jones, of Rutgers University.

这么做可不是为了践行“停下脚步，享受生活”这一陈词滥调，它与花时间享受生活无关（虽然这确实很棒）。它就是与花的香气有关——利于调节情绪。许多有关于花香如何对行为产生影响的研究都证明了这一点。比如，研究者通过实验发现，处在花香四溢的房间里，人们的幸福感与亲切感会随之上升。一位研究者认为，花香能够操纵情绪，改善心情。美国罗格斯大学的珍妮特·哈维兰德-琼斯说：“花香除了能够让人心情愉快，还能促进人际交往这种社会行为。”

6. They get dirty

亲近泥土

Commence making mud pies. Medical researchers in the U.K. found evidence that “friendly” bacteria found in soil may activate¹⁶ the immune system, boost the brain compound serotonin and help ward¹⁷ off depression.

开始学着玩泥巴吧。英国的医学研究者证实，泥土中存在的一些有益菌能够增强我们的免疫系统功能，促进大脑五羟色胺化合物（注：神经递质，能够影响情绪）的生成，帮助人们摆脱忧郁。

7. They exercise

适度锻炼

We know you didn't want to hear that, but fret¹⁸ not. The good news is that middle-aged¹⁹ women don't have to run marathons or go all-out for the emotional benefits of physical activity to kick in. And in fact, a study found that moderate intensity²⁰ exercise — as opposed to intense exercise — caused more women to report later that they were in a better mood and to have greater feelings of energy, psychological well-being and "self-efficacy."

我们知道，你不想听这个陈词滥调，不过先别急。好消息是，中年女性为获得情绪上的放松，不用非要跑马拉松或是参加其他令人疲惫的体育活动。实际上，有研究表明，适度的锻炼要比剧烈运动更能让女性身心愉悦、活力充沛、精神充实；她们的“自我效能（注：指人们对自身能否利用所拥有的技能去完成某项工作行为的自信程度）”也会更强。

8. They don't try to be … happy?

不去刻意追寻快乐

Oops. Now that we've told you the secrets for happiness, we're here to dash your dreams. A prominent study shows that making happiness a personal goal will actually stand in the way of your achieving it. The researchers found that women who valued happiness more reported being less happy and more depressed²¹ than women who didn't place much importance on the goal.

呃，既然已经把快乐的秘诀都告诉你了，我们再来将你的梦想打破。有个著名的研究表明，将追求快乐作为个人目标只会阻碍你获得快乐。研究人员发现，重视快乐的女性却很少能感受快乐，甚至会比那些不太在意追求快乐的人更忧郁。

"Wanting to be happy can make you less happy," said study researcher Iris²² Mauss. "If you explicitly²³ and purposely focus on happiness, that appears to have a self-defeating quality."

研究者艾丽斯·莫斯表示：“一味追求快乐反而会让你变得不快乐。如果你过于明确‘追求快乐'这一目标，最终只会尝到挫败的滋味。”

So if you really want to be happy, try forgetting about it.

所以说，如果你真想变得快乐，就忘了这事吧。