Would winning the lottery make you happier? - Raj Raghunathan

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Milenka Okuka

Will winning the lottery make you happier?

Da li bi vas dobitak na lutriji učinio srećnijim?

Imagine winning a multi-million dollar lottery tomorrow.

Zamislite da sutra na lutriji dobijete nekoliko miliona dolara.

If you're like many of us, you'd be ecstatic,

Ukoliko ste kao mnogi od nas, bili biste ushićeni,

unable to believe your good luck.

ne verujući u svoju sreću.

But would that joy still be there a few years later?

Ali da li bi ta radost i dalje bila tu nekoliko godina kasnije?

Maybe not.

Možda i ne.

A famous study of 22 lottery winners showed that months after winning,

Čuveno istraživanje s 22 dobitnika lutrije pokazalo je da mesecima nakon dobitka,

their average reported levels of happiness had increased no more

njihovi prosečni prijavljeni nivoi sreće nisu porasli više

than that of a control group who hadn't won the lottery.

nego kod kontrolne grupe koja nije dobila na lutriji.

Some were actually unhappier than they had been before winning.

Neki od njih su zapravo bili nesrećniji nego što su bili pre dobitka.

And later studies have confirmed that our emotional well-being,

Kasnija istraživanja su potvrdila da naše emotivno blagostanje,

how often and how intensely we feel things like joy,

koliko često i koliko intenzivno osećamo stvari poput radosti,

sorrow,

tuge,

anxiety,

napetosti

or anger,

ili besa,

don't seem to improve with wealth or status beyond a certain point.

ne poboljšavaju se sa bogatstvom ili statusom nakon određene tačke.

This has to do with a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation,

Ovo ima veze sa pojavom koja se naziva hedonističkom adaptacijom

or the hedonic treadmill.

ili hedonističkom trakom za trčanje.

It describes our tendency to adapt to new situations

Ona opisuje našu naviku da se privikavamo na nove situacije

to maintain a stable emotional equilibrium.

kako bi održali stabilnu emotivnu ravnotežu.

When it comes to feeling happy,

Što se sreće tiče,

most of us seem to have a base level that stays more or less constant

većina nas kao da ima osnovni nivo, koji manje-više ostaje konstantan

throughout our existence.

tokom našeg postojanja.

Of course, the novelty of better food,

Naravno, novine u vidu bolje hrane,

superior vacations,

odličnih odmora

and more beautiful homes

i lepših mesta za život

can at first make you feel like you're walking on air,

isprva mogu da vas nateraju da se osećate kao da lebdite,

but as you get used to those things,

ali kako se privikavate na te stvari,

you revert to your default emotional state.

vraćate se na svoje standardno emotivno stanje.

That might sound pretty gloomy,

To možda zvuči veoma tmurno,

but hedonic adaptation makes us less emotionally sensitive

ali hedonistička adaptacija nas čini manje emotivno osetljivima

to any kind of change,

na sve vrste promene,

including negative ones.

uključujući i one negativne.

The study with the lottery winners

Istraživanje sa dobitnicima na lutriji

also looked at people who had suffered an accident that left them paralyzed.

posmatralo je i ljude koji su doživeli nesreću zbog koje su bili paralizovani.

When asked several months after their accidents how happy they were,

Kada su ih upitali nekoliko meseci nakon nesreće koliko su srećni,

they reported levels of happiness approaching their original baseline.

naveli su nivoe sreće koji su se bližili njihovom prvobitnom osnovnom nivou.

So while the hedonic treadmill may inhibit our enjoyment of positive changes,

Iako hedonistička traka za trčanje može da umanji naše uživanje u pozitivnom,

it seems to also enable our resilience in recovering from adversity.

čini se kao i da nam omogućava otpornost tokom oporavka od nevolje.

Postoje i drugi razlozi zašto nas dobitak na lutriji

There are other reasons that winning the lottery

may not make us happier in the long run.

možda neće usrećiti na duge staze.

It can be difficult to manage large sums of money,

Može biti komplikovano raspolagati velikim svotama novca

and some lottery winners wind up spending or losing it all quickly.

i neki dobitnici na lutriji ga brzo potroše ili protraće.

It can also be socially isolating.

Može doći i do društvene izolacije.

Some winners experience a deluge of unwelcome requests for money,

Neki dobitnici dobiju more neželjenih zahteva za davanje novca,

so they wind up cutting themselves off from others.

tako da se odseku od drugih.

And wealth may actually make us meaner.

A novac nas može učiniti i zlobnijima.

In one study, participants played a rigged game of monopoly

U jednom istraživanju, učesnici su igrali nameštenu partiju Monopola,

where the experimenters made some players rich quickly.

gde su vođe eksperimenta neke igrače brzo učinile bogatim.

The wealthy players started patronizing the poorer players

Bogati igrači počeli su da popuju siromašnijim igračima

and hogging the snacks they were meant to share.

i da za sebe grabe grickalice koje je trebalo da dele.

But just because a huge influx of cash

Ali samo zato što velik priliv novca

isn't guaranteed to bring joy into your life

ne donosi zagarantovanu radost u naš život,

doesn't mean that money can never make us happier.

to ne znači da novac nikada ne može da nas učini srećnijim.

Findings show that we adapt to extrinsic and material things,

Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da se prilagođavamo

spoljašnjim i materijalnim stvarima,

like a new car or a bigger house,

poput novog automobila ili veće kuće,

much faster than we do to novel experiences,

mnogo brže nego što je to slučaj sa novim iskustvima,

like visiting a new place or learning a new skill.

poput posete novog mesta ili učenja nove veštine.

So by that reasoning,

Tom logikom,

the more you spend money on experiences rather than things,

što više novca trošite na iskustva, umesto na stvari,

the happier you'd be.

bićete srećniji.

And there's another way to turn your money into happiness:

Postoji i drugi način da svoj novac pretvorite u sreću:

spend it on other people.

trošite ga na druge ljude.

In one study, participants were given some money

U jednom istraživanju, učesnicima je dato nešto novca

and were either asked to spend it on themselves or on someone else.

i pitali su ih da ga potroše na sebe ili na nekoga drugog.

Later that evening, researchers called up these participants

Kasnije iste večeri, istraživači su pozvali te učesnike

and asked them how happy they were.

i pitali ih koliko su bili srećni.

The happiness levels of those who had spent the money on others

Nivoi sreće onih koji su novac potrošili na druge

were significantly greater than that of those who had spent it on themselves.

bili su značajno veći od onih koji su novac potrošili na sebe.

And that seems to be true around the world.

Čini se da je to istina širom sveta.

Another study examined the generosity of over 200,000 people from 136 countries.

U drugom istraživanju ispitana je darežljivost

preko 200 000 ljudi iz 136 zemalja.

In over 90% of these countries,

U preko 90% ovih zemalja,

people who donated tended to be happier than those who didn't.

ljudi koji su donirali bili su mahom srećniji od onih koji nisu.

But this may all be easier said than done.

Ali možda je sve ovo lakše reći nego uraditi.

Let's say a million dollars falls into your lap tomorrow.

Recimo da vam sutra u krilo padne milion dolara.

What do you do with it?

Šta biste uradili sa njima?