Would winning the lottery make you happier? - Raj Raghunathan

翻译人员: Molly Qian 校对人员: Qinyang Zeng

Will winning the lottery make you happier?

中大奖会让你更快乐吗？

Imagine winning a multi-million dollar lottery tomorrow.

想象一下，明天你中了上百万美元的彩票。

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

你可能会和大多数人一样欣喜若狂，

unable to believe your good luck.

不敢相信自己如此好运。

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

然而， 这份喜悦能延续至数年后吗？

Maybe not.

很难说。

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

一项针对22名彩票获奖者的著名调研显示，

这些人在赢得彩票的 数月后的平均幸福指数，

their average reported levels of happiness had increased no more

相对于未中奖的对照组，

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

并没有显著提升。

Some were actually unhappier than they had been before winning.

有些人甚至没有他们中奖之前快乐。

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

后续研究显示，我们的情感健康，

how often and how intensely we feel things like joy,

也就是我们体验如下情绪的频率与强度，

快乐、

sorrow,

悲伤、

anxiety,

焦虑、

or anger,

或愤怒，

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

在财富或地位提升到某个特定值之后，

不再随它们的增加而增加。

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

这与所谓的“享乐适应”

or the hedonic treadmill.

或“快乐水车”现象相关。

It describes our tendency to adapt to new situations

这个现象是指人们倾向于适应新的环境，

to maintain a stable emotional equilibrium.

维持情绪稳定。

When it comes to feeling happy,

在感受快乐的方面，

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

大多数人似乎会有一个基础水平。

这个水平在一生中保持相对稳定。

throughout our existence.

Of course, the novelty of better food,

当然，更美味的食物、

superior vacations,

更奢华的假期、

and more beautiful homes

以及更华美的住所

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

带给人们的新鲜感会让人飘飘欲仙，

but as you get used to those things,

但是当你对这些习以为常后，

you revert to your default emotional state.

你会回归你的基准情绪水平。

That might sound pretty gloomy,

这也许听起来令人沮丧，

but hedonic adaptation makes us less emotionally sensitive

但是享乐适应让人们的情绪不易受影响，

to any kind of change,

对任何变化，

including negative ones.

也包括负面变化。

The study with the lottery winners

对彩票中奖者的研究

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

也涉及了那些因事故瘫痪的人们。

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

在事故发生后几个月后， 询问他们的快乐水平，

they reported levels of happiness approaching their original baseline.

他们反馈，与事故发生前的基准值差不多。

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

所以，尽管“快乐水车”会 妨碍我们享受积极变化，

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

但它似乎也能帮助我们 从负面变化中恢复过来。

There are other reasons that winning the lottery

还有其他原因说明，长期看来，

may not make us happier in the long run.

中彩票并不会让人们更快乐。

It can be difficult to manage large sums of money,

管理一大笔金钱很难，

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

有些中奖者很快 就把钱花掉了或是输掉了。

It can also be socially isolating.

一大笔奖金也可能成为社交障碍。

Some winners experience a deluge of unwelcome requests for money,

有些中奖者会收到大量汹涌而至的 令人厌恶的借钱请求，

so they wind up cutting themselves off from others.

最终他们可能直接断绝与其他人的往来。

And wealth may actually make us meaner.

另外，财富的确会让人更加刻薄。

In one study, participants played a rigged game of monopoly

在某项研究中，玩家们参与了 一场作弊的大富翁游戏。

where the experimenters made some players rich quickly.

这场游戏中，研究人员让一些玩家迅速致富。

The wealthy players started patronizing the poorer players

有钱的玩家开始趾高气扬地对待较穷的玩家，

and hogging the snacks they were meant to share.

并且抢占本应该一起分享的零食。

But just because a huge influx of cash

虽然一大笔现金收入

isn't guaranteed to bring joy into your life

不能保证使你的生活幸福，

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

但是花钱确实能让人感到愉悦。

Findings show that we adapt to extrinsic and material things,

研究显示，人们适应外在的物质享受，

like a new car or a bigger house,

例如一辆新车或是一个大房子，

much faster than we do to novel experiences,

比适应新奇体验，

like visiting a new place or learning a new skill.

例如参观新景点或者学习新技能， 要快得多。

So by that reasoning,

因此，

the more you spend money on experiences rather than things,

相比于在物质上花钱，

在体验上的花费会让人更快乐。

the happier you'd be.

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

另一种能带给人们幸福感的花钱方式就是：

spend it on other people.

为别人花钱。

In one study, participants were given some money

在某项研究中，参与者们获得了一些钱，

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

被要求将其花在自己或其他人身上。

Later that evening, researchers called up these participants

当天晚上，研究者们打电话给这些参与者们，

and asked them how happy they were.

询问他们有多快乐。

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

为别人花钱的参与者的幸福程度远高于

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

那些花钱在自己身上的参与者们。

And that seems to be true around the world.

这看起来是放之四海而皆准。

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

另一项研究调查了 136个国家20余万人的慷慨程度。

In over 90% of these countries,

在超过90%的国家里，

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

有捐赠行为的人们 比那些不捐赠的要更快乐。

But this may all be easier said than done.

但这可能知易行难。

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

我们来假设下，明天你将获得100万美元。

What do you do with it?

你会拿它做什么呢？