如何快速获得幸福快乐 英语美文欣赏 通往幸福快乐的4条捷径之路
4 Shortcuts to Happiness That Boost Your Mood Immediately 通往幸福快乐的4条捷径之路 Traditionally, most strategies for becoming happier that we learn about in life take a serious amount of time to implement. 按照常理来说，生
4 Shortcuts to Happiness That Boost Your Mood Immediately
通往幸福快乐的4条捷径之路
Traditionally, most strategies for becoming happier that we learn about in life take a serious amount of time to implement.
按照常理来说，生活中多数抵达幸福的路径都耗时太多。
It takes years of education and then hard work in order to achieve career success. It takes years of meeting people and interacting with them in order to find someone special, and to boot, not only do these strategies take a long time, but they don’t always make us that much happier (or that added happiness doesn’t last very long).
功成名就需要数年的教育时间和辛勤劳作来做铺垫。寻找对的人也需要历经相遇相知的数年过程，此外，暂且不论耗费的时间，其结果是否皆大欢喜仍不常在把握中（也许突如其来的欢乐只是过眼云烟）。
However, there are also what we might call shortcuts to happiness: actions that, if taken, can create an immediate and noticeable boost in our mood. They make us happier instantly. The problem is that many of the popular shortcuts either don’t really work that well (for example, checking your Facebook account non-stop), or they work in the short run, but create more harm than good in the long run (for example, consuming lots of alcohol).
然而，世上仍有一种常人称之为捷径的幸福路：若沿着它走，就会即刻给你的情绪带来显著效果。我们也会立即变得欢愉。难的是有些常见的捷径并不起着理想的效果（比如，不停地刷脸书），或者它们只能带来短暂欢愉，并且从长远的角度来分析弊大于利（比如，酗酒）。
The good news is that there are reliable shortcuts to happiness that are well-validated by psychological research and empirical data. These methods actually work and they work well for just about anybody. I’d like to share with you 4 of the top shortcuts to happiness, which you can start using as soon as you’ve finished reading this.
所幸在充分的心理研究和可靠数据下，世上还真有抵达幸福的坚实捷径。这些方式对任何人都能起到切实的作用。我愿意将最显著的4条与大家分享，愿大家在看完后能有所用。
1. Practicing Gratitude
练习感恩
You will always find both happy and unhappy people living in very similar conditions. For instance, there are rich people who are happy, but there are also rich people who are unhappy. The same goes for poor people.
你常常会发现在任何相同的环境里都会有快乐的人和不快乐的人。比方说，有快乐的富人，也有不快乐的富人。穷人中也是这样的情况。
The main differentiating factor doesn’t seem to be the external appearance of their life, but rather their level of gratitude. Happy people are grateful for whatever they have in life, big or small, and they know to appreciate life as it is. This is what makes them feel good on a regular basis. By deliberately practicing gratitude, you can enjoy the same positive emotions and be happy with your life. This doesn’t mean that you’ll stop wanting to improve your life—it’s perfectly possible to enjoy life as it is while seeking to improve it at the same time.
产生差别的主要原因并非生活的外在因素，而是自身的感恩程度。快乐的人会对生活里的一花一树有所感激，不管其重要与否，并且他们懂得领略当下的人生。这就是快乐的人总是若然自得的原因。练习感恩，你就能同样感受到积极的情绪，也会对人生感到满意。这并不是说你得打消改善生活的念想--而是要将感恩和提升兼并。
How do you practice gratitude? Several times each day, look at your life and try to identify the positive things about it. As you do so, let yourself become fully aware that you might not have had those things in the first place and that it’s amazing you have them now.
要怎样练习感恩呢？每日数次回顾你的生活，努力找出其中的正能量。这样做的目的在于让自己充分懂得，虽然没有在第一时间拥有到那些东西，但幸运的是此刻你已经握住了。
Think about it: you probably have a nice place to live, a warm meal to put on the table every day, a TV. a microwave, a smartphone, many chances to travel, and a ton of social opportunities. These are things that just a century ago most folks couldn’t even imagine, or would have had to really struggle to obtain. Not to mention all the small pleasures of life: a sunshine, a warm cup of tea, a nice song and so on. That’s something to be grateful for.
试想想：也许你已经有了好的居住环境，每天餐桌上都有热乎乎的食物。电视，微波炉，智能手机一应俱全，能四处旅游，还有无尽的社会机遇。这些东西若放在100年前，好多人想都想不到，于他们来说即使要得到还得付出大量精力。更何况你还拥有生活中的各种小情趣：一缕阳光，一杯热茶，一支乐曲等。这可都是值得感恩的事物。
2. Being Present
活在当下
To be present means to have your focus oriented towards the activity you’re doing and the environment you’re in, instead of being in your head daydreaming or lost in your thoughts. It means to fully experience the moment at hand.
活在当下的意思就是将你的精力放在你正从事的活动中和你所处的环境里，而非游走在白日梦里或无限遐想中。这意味着你要充分体验当下的时光。
The interesting thing is that when we become present and we let reality flood our senses, all of a sudden we relax and we feel happy. Our problems fly away, our worries take a backseat, and we simply experience reality with delight. This is one of the many reasons why it’s worth practicing living “in the moment”.
有趣的是一旦我们活在当下后，真实的细节充满感官，人瞬间就会感到轻松、愉悦。困扰不见了，担忧也消失了，我们要做的就是悠然自得地体验当下。这也是为什么要坚持练习“活在当下”的众多原因之一。
The basic instructions for becoming present are simple: as you’re doing a certain activity, you shift your focus from internal to external; you focus your attention on the activity and the context, thus letting go of thoughts that take you away from the present moment. For instance, when you walk down the street, you may be inclined to daydream or dwell on your problems instead of being present, so this is a great time to practice this technique.
体验当下的基准很简单：当你正从事某件活动的时候，把对内部的注意力转移到外部；将其集中到所属活动和环境中，放开那些让你脱离现实的想法。比如，当你走在街上时，就会不自觉地陷入幻想和困扰中，而不是去欣赏途中的风景，所以这时就是你练习的大好时机。
Shift your attention externally: notice the feeling of your body and of your feet touching the ground as you take each step. Notice the buildings you pass by, notice the people you pass by. Listen to the sounds around you. Immerse yourself in this sensory experience and you are now being present.
将注意力转移到外部：注意身体的感触，每迈出一步都要体验到脚与地面的触感。细数擦肩而过的每幢建筑和行人。聆听周围的声音。将自己投入到有真实感觉的体验中，如此便是活在当下。
3. Helping Others
帮助他人
Something psychologists have known for quite a while now is that we human beings have a deep, strong desire to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. We want to help the world, we want to help others, and when we do so, we feel happy.
长久以来，心理学家已获知有种深深的强烈的感情一直潜伏在人类的感知中，驱使人类去完成超越自身的梦想。我们想要帮助这个世界，帮助他人，一旦做到了我们就会感到快乐。
In addition to the fact that helping somebody in itself makes us feel good, if this action is met with appreciation or kindness from that person, it will makes us feel even better. Fortunately, helping others is something that’s easily available at any time. And that makes it a viable shortcut to happiness.
帮助他人除了在本质上能使我们感到快乐外，如果在给予帮助后能得到他人的感激和仁慈，我们会感到更加良好。幸运的是，帮助他人是任何时候都能实现的举动。因此，这无疑成了幸福捷径的上乘之选。
Right now you can go out and buy something nice for a person in your life and then give it to them, or you can go to the website of a charity organization and make a donation to support a cause you believe in. There is no shortage of opportunities to help others, and I encourage you to take action when you can. It’s guaranteed to brighten your day, and somebody else’s as well.
现在你就可以出门为你身边的人买点适用的东西，赠与他们，你也可以上网加入一个慈善组织，对你信任的活动做点捐赠。帮助他人的机会源源不断，我也鼓励你一旦有能力就付出行动。务必会赠人玫瑰，手有余香。
4. Physical Exercise
体育锻炼
Just about anybody who goes jogging, works out, dances, or plays any type of sports on a regular basis can tell you that these activities make them feel good. They generally feel serene, centered and content for hours after doing them. This is because all these activities are centered around physical exercise: when you exercise your body, your mind triggers the release of chemicals in your body that improve your health in the long term. These also give you an instant mood boost—endorphins, for example, are your body’s natural feel-good drug.
任何有规律地进行慢跑、健身、舞蹈或任意形式锻炼的人都会告诉你这些运动能让他们感觉舒适。锻炼过后的数小时内，他们一般都会感到闲适、专注以及满足。因为这些运动都绕着物理锻炼展开：当你锻炼的时候，身体会产生一种化学物质，这种物质从长远看能够提升你的身体素质。同样也会即刻产生一种及时情绪促进剂--比如，内啡肽，一种自然的兴奋剂。
When you’re feeling down, one of the best things you can do is a bit of physical exercise. It will swiftly make you feel a lot better. Of course, it’s always a good idea to also identify the core causes of your negative feelings and deal with them, but that’s something that can take time. It helps a lot if you can first boost your mood quickly, so then you can analyze the problem with more lucidly and seek the best possible solution for it. This is why I encourage you to make physical exercise of whatever type you are likely to enjoy the most a part of your daily routine—the benefits are astounding.
当你感觉低落的时候，最好的解决办法之一就是适当的体育锻炼。这能让你的心情好转。当然，找到关键的消极因素，作出处理也是不错的主意，但那通常会耗费时间。如果你能在第一时间迅速调整心情，那么你就可以更明确地分析问题，找出最合适的解决方案。这就是我力荐你们运动的原因，任何种类的锻炼都行得通，只要那是你们日常生活中最喜欢的--其益处惊人。
Happiness really doesn’t have to be something you defer for years and years. You don’t need to achieve a certain lifestyle in order to be happy: that’s just a myth. You can be happy right now and enjoy every single day of your life by using simple, tried and tested strategies.
快乐从不需要年复一年地铺垫。你也不用为了快乐而专门定制一种生活方式：那只是误导。你只要简单地利用一些尝试过的有效策略就能抵达幸福，享受生活中的每一天。
Apply the potent shortcuts to happiness I’ve talked about, and I’m certain that you’ll experience remarkable results.
照着我所说的几种幸福捷径走下去，我确信你定会有意想不到的收获。
