經濟學人·世界2018特輯
HAPPINESS
Happy now
現在開心嗎？
Modern life can bothadd toandsubtract fromwell-being
現代生活對人們幸福感的影響可能有正有負
Bill Ridgers
比爾·瑞傑斯
《世界2018》英文版副主編
In 2018, Americans are expected to take 554m business trips—3.1% more than the year before, predictsthe Global Business Travel Association, a trade group. That should be a cause for happiness.Business travel reflects economic confidence. And when firms arebullish[1], the population as a whole tends toshare their gleebecause people are less likely tofret[2]aboutlosing their job. They may also have more money to spend on nice things.
據國際商務旅行協會預計，2018年美國商務旅行總數將高達5.54億次，比2017年增加3.1%。這本應讓人欣喜，商務旅行反映了經濟信心，倘若企業看好經濟，整個社會都將更加樂觀，因為人們不太會擔心失業，也有更多錢來買好東西。
[1]bullish(adj.)
1）giving your opinions in a powerful and confident way 樂觀的；充滿信心的
2）A bullish financial market is one in which share prices are rising. 股票行情看漲的；牛市的
[2]fret：to be nervous or worried 煩躁不安；苦惱，發愁
She spent the dayfretting about/overwhat she"d said to Nicky.
她為對尼基說的話而擔心了一整天。
Yet pity the poorroad warrior[3]. Those extra miles will mean more health problems, according to a study by academics atthe University of Surreyin Britain andLund Universityin Sweden. Among other ailments, the 「hypermobile」 suffer frompremature ageingand an increased risk ofheart attacks. They will alsosuccumb[4]tomore emotional stress, caused byisolation,lonelinessandoverwork. In large organisations frequent business travellers can be three times more likely tomake a claim ontheir health insurance for a psychological problem than theirdesk-bound[5]colleagues.
但請對這些可憐的差旅人士報以憐憫之心。英國薩里大學（Surrey University）和瑞典隆德大學（Lund University）的學者研究顯示，更多里程意味著更多健康問題。「極端頻繁的差旅」會使人過早衰老，心臟病發作幾率更高，患上其他疾病的風險也更大。他們還面對孤立、孤獨和過度工作帶來的額外情緒壓力。大型組織中，經常出差的人士因心理問題索償健康保險的概率比不出差的同事高三倍。
[3]road warrior：馬路勇士，指經常旅行的人，特別是出公差的人
[4]succumb：to die or suffer badly from an illness 感染；病死；生病；受病痛折磨
Thousands of cows havesuccumbedto the disease in the past few months.
過去幾個月里幾千頭奶牛都得了這種病。
[5]deskbound：used to refer to someone who has to work in an office, sitting at a desk 需要伏案工作的，做辦公室工作的
When it comes to happiness, the modern worldgives with one hand and takes with the other. A fine example is another thing that affects people at work,greater connectivity. By the end of 2018, a third of the world"s population will own a smartphone, forecastseMarketer, a research firm. And workers now have adizzyingnumber of ways toremain bonded to their offices.
在快樂方面，現代社會一面給予、一面奪走。其中一個很好的例子是更高的互聯性。互聯性也對職場人士有著深遠影響，據研究機構eMarketer預測，截至2018年底，全世界三分之一的人將擁有智能手機。如今，將員工和其工作場所連接起來的方式多得讓人目眩。
Some management scholars argue that this has resulted ina better work-life balance. As small tasks, such as answering an urgent e-mail, can be done quickly at home, workers need spend fewer hours at their desks and can increase their time with the family.Try telling that to spouses whose meals are interrupted by their partners" constantlybleepingphones. More researchers now tend to warn of the dangers of employees being 「always on」. The unread e-mails people carry around in their pocket, or place on their bedside table at night, havebecome a source of anxiety. A competitive culture, in which employeesdash off[6]missives[公函;公文]late at night to prove they are still hard at work, does not help.
某些管理學學者認為，這將讓人們能更好地平衡工作和生活。如今，回復緊急郵件這樣的小任務能迅速在家完成，這能讓人們減少在辦公桌後花的時間，從而有更多時間和家人共處。這話你去跟那些吃飯時配偶手機響個不停的人去說吧。更多研究者現在更傾向於警告「永遠在線」對員工造成的危害。未讀郵件會讓人產生焦慮，無論是平時揣在兜里還是晚上放在床頭柜上都一樣。而不少公司文化還讓員工競相在深夜匆忙完成公文，這更是加深了他們的焦慮。
[6]dash off：to write something quickly, putting little effort into it 匆忙寫下，隨手寫下
Shedashed the letter offin five minutes.
她用5分鐘時間匆忙寫了那封信。
The evidence clearly suggests thatconstant connectivity is harming productivity, argues Annie McKee of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of 「How to be Happy at Work」. When people are unable to switch off from the office, theybecome less smart and more cynical, she says. No wonder. In a study conducted in 2015 by Erin Reid of Boston University, professional-services firms were unable to tell which of their staff were working 80 hours a week and which 50.
《如何在職場得到快樂》（「How to be Happy at Work」）一書作者——賓夕法尼亞大學的安妮·麥基認為，證據清晰地顯示，時時在線有損生產力。無時無刻都在處理公事會讓人們智商下降，並且更加憤世嫉俗。波士頓大學葉林·雷德於2015年進行的一項研究發現，專業服務公司無法分辨自己哪些員工每周工作80小時和哪些每周工作50小時。
In 2018 more organisations willtake notice. Many bosses realise it isself-defeating[7]toexpect 24-hour fealty. Some will give guidelines onout-of-officeworking. Daimler, a carmaker, has a system that allows workers to delete e-mails automatically when they are on holiday. Today"s younger employees are less likely toput up witharelentlesswork culture, thinks Ms McKee.
2018年將會有更多機構注意到這個現象。許多老闆將會意識到，期望員工24小時在線會弄巧成拙。一些公司將制定關於在辦公室之外工作的指引。汽車製造廠商戴姆勒的系統允許員工度假時設置自動刪除郵件。麥基認為，現在年輕一些的員工也不大會忍受索求無度的工作文化。
[7]self-defeating：used to describe something that causes or makes worse the problem it was designed to avoid or solve 自我挫敗的；適得其反的；弄巧成拙的
self-defeatingregulations
弄巧成拙的規定
The importance of work to well-being is well documented. Since 2006,the American Psychological Association (APA)has reported on the most common causes of stress among Americans. Until recently,work had always been considered the greatest cause for anxiety. Over the past ten years stress among Americans has gradually decreased; in 2016 it was at its lowest since the survey began. But in 2017 anxiety was on the increase again. This time, the main driver was notworkormoney, butpolitics.
有充足文獻表明，工作對幸福感十分重要。自2006年以來，美國心理學會（American Psychological Association，APA）就在報告最廣泛影響美國人的壓力源。直到最近，工作都是焦慮的最主要成因。過去十年間美國人受到的壓力逐漸下降，2016年達到了這個調查有史以來的最低值，在2017年又有所增加，然而這次最重要的影響因素不是工作或是金錢，而是政治。
Stress seems to have beenexacerbated[8]by social media. Those without social-media accountsworry less aboutthe political future than those with one, according to the APA.Two out of fiveAmerican adults say thatpolitical discussionson platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have produced anxiety. According toJohn Cacioppo, a loneliness expert at the University of Chicago,social media work well for those who already have an abundance of friends and family to interact with. Indeed, for such people, Facebook and the restare likely to add to their happiness. But theyhave the opposite effect on the lonely. For them, these are merely a way to watch other people socialising, whichentrenches[9]isolation.
社交媒體似乎對壓力起到了推波助瀾的作用。根據美國心理學會的調查，沒有社交賬戶的人對政治未來的擔憂比有社交賬戶的人少。每五個美國成年人中就有兩個認為，臉書和推特等平台上的政治討論讓他們感到焦慮。芝加哥大學研究孤獨的專家約翰·卡喬波認為，社交媒體對已經有不少親朋好友可以來往的人來說挺有用，事實上，對此類人來說，臉書等可能增加其幸福感。但對孤獨的人卻不然，社交媒體不過讓他們目睹其他人進行社交，這徒然增加了他們的孤獨感。
[8]exacerbate：to make something that is already bad even worse 使惡化；使加重；使加劇
[9]entrench：to firmly establish something, especially an idea or a problem, so that it cannot be changed 使處於牢固地位，使根深蒂固，牢固確立（尤指觀念、問題）
Help may be at hand. Pharmacologists are working on drugs that might help the brain overcome the social blocks that reinforce loneliness. It is possible that the initial results of a trial will be released in late 2018. That could be alifesaver. Several studies have linked the stress of loneliness to early death. Changing that would be a cause for happiness indeed.
他們也許將會得到幫助。藥物學家在研製的一些藥物也許能讓大腦克服社交障礙，降低孤獨感。初步的實驗結果可能在2018年下半年發布。幾項研究顯示，孤獨帶來的壓力和過早死亡有關，這些藥物可能將挽救不少人的生命。這的確是件值得高興的事情。
中文翻譯來源：《財經》雜誌
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