忙碌的工作生活让很多人觉得疲惫不堪,但是据芝加哥大学的研究人员研究发现忙碌的人更加快乐。 1 s8 v/ h2 ^2 B/ g& e2 b+ _. ?( p% a
The secret to happiness is keeping busy, research has found.
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Keeping the mind occupied with tasks - no matter how meaningless - staves off negative emotions, the study found.
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7 A) W% d- y- u However, the bad news is that humans seem hard-wired to be lazy in order to save energy, according to Professor Christopher Hsee, a behavioural scientist at Chicago University.
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In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one.
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7 D* ~- x8 b5 C3 B5 ] They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar.
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Two-thirds (68 per cent) chose the lazy option.' S( w {* @& h. R
7 p. Z3 t( R U Those who had taken the walk reported feeling happier than those who had stayed put.6 W& ~; q0 F0 C# u) w, G0 A
& C, R' M4 n2 {$ n* w. P( B Prof Hsee concluded keeping busy helped keep people happy.4 n G- l# u0 {) m! l/ l
( J7 a$ X* ] p( @9 S He said the findings, reported in the journal Psychological Science, had policy implications.# O. S; M* U8 k8 S5 x
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"Governments may increase the happiness of idle citizens by having them build bridges that are actually useless", he proposed., q: G3 D/ a% O
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At the individidual level, he advised: "Get up and do something. Anything. Even if there really is no point to what you are doing, you will feel better for it."1 Y( w. M! f# ` \+ R8 ^
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He added: "Incidentally, thinking deeply or engaging in self-reflection counts as keeping busy, too.5 U' \% j- `, f' B- e7 D' r0 X
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"You do not need to be running around, – you just need to be engaged, either physically or mentally." |