哈佛幸福課 Harvard Course on Happiness

英文原文來自網路，郭愛華翻譯
摘自“台湾家庭第一协会”网站

人們都喜歡心理學，更具體地說，喜歡正向心理學，或者叫幸福心理學。有關幸福的研究似乎也同樣受到哈佛學生的青睞。有一年， Tal Ben-Shahar博士開了一門課，用他自己的話來說叫做，“如何獲取幸福”，結果註冊學生超過900人。
People love psychology. Let me clarify that. People love Positive Psychology sometimes called the psychology of happiness. And the study of happiness seemed to be pretty popular with Harvard students. That year, Tal Ben-Shahar’s class there on “How to get happy” (his words) packed them in at an estimated 900 students.

那麼教授有關幸福都給了些什麼建議呢？
Tal Ben-Shahar博士提出了六條，以下就是他的幸福生活六準則。
And what’s the professors advice on happiness?
Well he has six tips about the discovering happiness in your life:

1.接受自己全然為人
Give yourself permission to be human
懼怕、悲傷、焦慮等各種情緒本來就是人性的一部分，如果我們能夠接納自己的情緒，就能夠更容易地應對它們；相反，拒絕接納情緒，無論是正面的還是負面的，都只會帶來挫折和憂愁。
When we accept emotions — such as fear, sadness,or anxiety — as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

2.幸福就在快樂和意義的十字路口
Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning
無論你做什麼，不管是在工作還是在家裡，重要的是所作所為必須是對你個人來說又有意義又很享受的。當發現這樣並不現實的時候，就一定要給你自己一帖“幸福增強劑”–每周有意識地抽出時間去做一些讓你覺得既有意義又快樂的事情。
Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

3.選擇幸福
Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind
記住一點，幸福主要取決於我們的心態，而不是我們的生活狀態或者銀行賬號的情況。排除特殊的極端狀況，我們身心的健康取決於我們選擇什麼做生活的焦點（是還有半杯水呢，還是半杯水沒了），也取決於我們怎樣解讀外在現實。舉個例子，我們是把失敗看作災難呢，還是看作學習的機會？
Not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?

4.簡化生活
Simplify!
總的來說，我們都太忙，力圖在越來越少的時間中擠進去越來越多的事情。量會影響到質，做太多的事情往往會影響到我們的幸福感。簡單是福。
We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.

5.鍛鍊身體
Remember the mind-body connection
記住，身體和心靈是緊密相連的。我們的身體運動不運動直接影響到我們心靈的健康與否。經常鍛煉、適量睡眠和健康的飲食習慣都能夠改善我們身體和心靈的健康狀況。
What we do — or don’t do — with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep,
and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

6.凡事感恩
Express gratitude whenever possible
要隨時隨地感恩生活。我們常常把周圍的一切，包括家人、朋友、健康、教育等，看作理所當然。要學會欣賞和體味生活中一切的美好：可以是人，也可以是美味，或者是大自然，甚至只是一個淺淺微笑。一切都可以成為讓你回味無窮的禮物。
We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.