Everybody wants to be happy. Thus, the onslaught of lists enumerating various happy-making suggestions: Learn to let go! Live in the present! Don't sweat the small stuff!
每個人都渴望快樂的生活。于是，各種關于幸福秘訣的清單紛紛出爐：學會放手！活在當下！莫在小事上糾結！

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 platitudes 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 bliss button.
這些建議當然不錯——畢竟每個人都想要有積極的人生。只是它們的內容都被說濫了……那些陳詞濫調難道不是顯而易見的嗎？所以，今天我們給大家提供一份不一樣的清單——它們就是那些幸福的人正在踐行著的秘訣，這些秘訣更具體，且有科學依據。

1. They go to parks
漫步公園

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-being that people get from being married. In a similar vein, 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，住在城市綠地附近的人要比整日身在人造材料中的人幸福感強烈。有多幸福呢？打個比方說，與綠地相鄰的人，其幸福感的提升幅度大概有人們結婚時幸福感的三分之一。同樣，另有研究證明，親近自然哪怕五分鐘，也有利于自尊心的提升；若綠地還能伴水那更是最好不過了。

2. They live in Scandinavian countries
生活在北歐國家

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，也許你覺得居住的地方只能算環境因素，稱不上是習慣，但事實并非如此。根據聯合國大會發布的第二份全球幸福指數報告，幸福度最高的國家是丹麥，其次是挪威、瑞士、荷蘭、瑞典和加拿大。注意，這些國家絕大多數都位于北歐。為什么會這樣呢？看看下一條你就知道了。

3. They practice 'hygge'
踐行“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 revolves around intimacy, gratitude 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”讀作“HYU-gah”，有了它，丹麥人才能度過漫漫冬夜。因為它，丹麥得以一直是世界上最幸福的國家。“修噶”是一個涉及親密、感恩與家庭的文化概念，是一種精神層面的溫馨舒適，英語中沒有與之對應的詞。有丹麥人這樣描述“修噶”：“它可以說是一種感受，尤其是圣誕期間和家人圍坐在一起時，伴著搖曳的燭光和豐盛的食物，這種感受尤為強烈。”不過對丹麥人來說，這種感受可以持續一整年。

4. They have satisfying jobs — and if not, they quit
有一份滿意的工作——不滿意就辭職

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 enthusiastic 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 unemployed see themselves as thriving; that's 6 percent more than those with jobs; for many, being unemployed is happier than having a crummy job.
工作順利的人，生活也同樣幸福，這不足為奇。美國蓋洛普民意測驗（Gallup poll）顯示，那些工作專注有激情的人，生活中也是最幸福的，其中認為自己“朝氣蓬勃”的人達71%。所以，當那些認為無法全身心投入工作的人中，只有42%認為自己有朝氣，也在情理之中了。但令人驚訝的是，調查中有48%的無業者認為自己很有朝氣，這比有工作的人還多出6%；對大多數人來說，與其干一份糟糕的工作還不如歇業在家。

5. They smell the flowers
嗅花香

No, this isn't an homage 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 scents 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 friendliness. One researcher noted 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.
這么做可不是為了踐行“停下腳步，享受生活”這一陳詞濫調，它與花時間享受生活無關（雖然這確實很棒）。它就是與花的香氣有關——利于調節情緒。許多有關于花香如何對行為產生影響的研究都證明了這一點。比如，研究者通過實驗發現，處在花香四溢的房間里，人們的幸福感與親切感會隨之上升。一位研究者認為，花香能夠操縱情緒，改善心情。美國羅格斯大學的珍妮特·哈維蘭德-瓊斯說：“花香除了能夠讓人心情愉快，還能促進人際交往這種社會行為。”

6. They get dirty
親近泥土

Commence making mud pies. Medical researchers in the U.K. found evidence that “friendly” bacteria found in soil may activate the immune system, boost the brain compound serotonin and help ward off depression.
開始學著玩泥巴吧。英國的醫學研究者證實，泥土中存在的一些有益菌能夠增強我們的免疫系統功能，促進大腦五羥色胺化合物（注：神經遞質，能夠影響情緒）的生成，幫助人們擺脫憂郁。

7. They exercise
適度鍛煉

We know you didn't want to hear that, but fret not. The good news is that middle-aged 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 intensity 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."
我們知道，你不想聽這個陳詞濫調，不過先別急。好消息是，中年女性為獲得情緒上的放松，不用非要跑馬拉松或是參加其他令人疲憊的體育活動。實際上，有研究表明，適度的鍛煉要比劇烈運動更能讓女性身心愉悅、活力充沛、精神充實；她們的“自我效能（注：指人們對自身能否利用所擁有的技能去完成某項工作行為的自信程度）”也會更強。

8. They don't try to be … happy?
不去刻意追尋快樂

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 depressed than women who didn't place much importance on the goal.
呃，既然已經把快樂的秘訣都告訴你了，我們再來將你的夢想打破。有個著名的研究表明，將追求快樂作為個人目標只會阻礙你獲得快樂。研究人員發現，重視快樂的女性卻很少能感受快樂，甚至會比那些不太在意追求快樂的人更憂郁。

"Wanting to be happy can make you less happy," said study researcher Iris Mauss. "If you explicitly and purposely focus on happiness, that appears to have a self-defeating quality."
研究者艾麗斯·莫斯表示：“一味追求快樂反而會讓你變得不快樂。如果你過于明確‘追求快樂'這一目標，最終只會嘗到挫敗的滋味。”

So if you really want to be happy, try forgetting about it.
所以說，如果你真想變得快樂，就忘了這事吧。

英文來源：mnn.com
譯者：Aprilcat（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）
審校&編輯：杜娟