and a researcher in the field of the science of happiness.

也是幸福科學領域的研究人員

I spent over a decade at Harvard trying to understand

我在哈佛花了超過十年，試著了解

how we can increase levels of happiness in our own lives.

我們如何在生活中提升快樂的程度

And what we found is we can actually learn practical tools for raising your levels of happiness

我們發現，其實可以學習實用的方法來提升快樂的程度

to make it so that you not only feel greater levels of optimism and hope,

來達成，所以你不僅提升正面思考的程度

But you start to believe your behavior matters.

而且你開始意識到行為的重要

Raising your levels of optimism will not stop you from having MS,

提升正面思考程度不能讓你避免得到多發性硬化症（MS, Multiple Sclerosis）

or stop someone you love from having MS.

或讓你愛的人不得到同樣的病

What we're looking for, is how do we increase the quality of life that people have.

我們所希望的是，找到提升人們生活品質的方法

I think we get happiness and success backwards. Most of us think, "if I get a job I'll feel happier.

我想我們把幸福跟成功的順序顛倒了。 我們認為：如果我有工作，我就會快樂一點

I'll feel happy when I feel better."

等我狀態好一點了，我就會快樂一點

In each of those moments happiness is off in the future, after success.

在上述的時刻，快樂都是成功之後的未來式

But the problem is, success for the brain is a moving target. So every time you hit that success moment

問題是，成功對大腦來說是變動目標。當你達到當初的成功目標

what does our brain do? Changes the goalpost of what success looks like.

我們的大腦會怎麼做？ 它改變當初預設成功的樣子

So you get into that school or you feel better for a little bit or you get that job

你進入目標的學校、你覺得心情好一點，或你得到想要的工作

but that doesn't make us happy forever.

都不會讓你永遠幸福

If you prioritize happiness now,

如果你現在調整幸福的順序

if you raise your levels of optimism,

提高正面思考程度

connect more deeply with your social support networks,

跟你的家人、朋友（社會支持網絡）有更深的連結

and see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat,

把壓力視為挑戰，而非威脅

we can then increase all of your success outcomes.

我們就能提升成功的結果

The easiest step somebody can take, is if they're feeling depressed,

最簡單的步驟，是當人們感到沮喪

or if they're feeling negative in the moment , their brain is constantly scanning for

或有負面情緒的時候，大腦會持續搜尋

"what's going on wrong in my world?" If we can flip it, and get their brain to

人們發生過的錯誤。如果我們可以避免，控制大腦

look for what's going on right in their world, some incredible things happen.

尋找我們做過正確的事，令人難以置信的事會發生

If you just say out loud three things that you're grateful for, that are new that have

如果你大聲說出三件過去24小時內新發生的

happened over the past 24 hours, and you keep this habit going for 21 days in a row,

感謝的事，然後同樣的事持續21天

we can actually rewire your brain for higher levels of optimism.

我們就可以用正面思考更新大腦

If you give me 2 minutes a day, we can get you to journal about

每天給我2分鐘，我可以找關於

a meaningful experience, that transforms your brain's ability to look for meaning in your life.

有意義的事如何改造大腦尋找生命意義能力的期刊

Or if we have you meditate for 2 minutes a day -- just watch your breath go in and out --

或者你每天靜坐2分鐘，只要觀察自己的呼吸吐氣

we can actually rewire your brain to decrease the stress you feel from multitasking all day long.

我們可以減低大腦一整天下來一心多用感到的壓力

My favorite thing to do

我最喜歡做的

is to get somebody to write a 2-minute email praising or thanking somebody in their life.

是叫一個人花2分鐘寫一封讚美或感謝他身邊某個人的email

If you can find a way of connecting to other people -- opening up to them, allowing them to be greater friends to you --

如果你可以找到跟別人連結的方式，敞開心胸、讓他們成為你的好朋友

what we find is not only does that improve your own levels of happiness,

我們發現，這樣做不只提升你自己的幸福程度

but it deepens that bond which is the greatest buffer against depression

更加深人們的連結，那是面對憂鬱時的最佳緩衝

and the greatest source of meaning within our own lives.

也是我們生命意義的最佳來源

Why don't we all just choose happiness? We have all the information, we have all the education

為什麼我們不都選擇變得幸福？我們有全部所需的資訊、教育

but it doesn't create the transformation we want. The reason is something called activation energy.

但這還不能創造我們希望的轉變，因為「活化性能量」

In order to catalyze a change in your life

要催化生命中的轉變

it requires an initial investment of energy. But if we lower the amount of energy

需要一開始能量的投入，但如果我們讓它降低

-- that barrier to you doing a new positive habit -- we can significantly increase your likelihood of doing it.

這是讓你養成正向習慣的阻礙，但能大大提升你去實行的可能性。

For me one of the things I wanted to do was I wanted to start exercising in the morning

依我的例子，我想要開始在早上運動

but I could not get myself to do it. So I made it 20 seconds easier in the morning

但我沒辦法逼自己達成，所以我前一晚穿著運動服睡覺

to go exercise. By just going to sleep in my gym clothes.

讓隔天早上輕鬆20秒

And what I found was, when I woke up in the morning, the path of least resistance

我發現，當我起床時，抵抗的過程

moved away from just staying in the bed towards wanting to go exercise.

從賴床變成想起床做運動

When we're feeling overwhelmed, that's usually because our brains are overloaded with information.

當我們覺得無力招架，通常是因為我們的大腦充斥著過多資訊

So one of the things I actually have people do

這時候我會叫大家

when they feel overwhelmed is to actually just write out a list of all the things that

確實地寫下他們感到

they're stressed or worrying about, then pick one action that you know you could

壓力或擔心的事情清單，然後採取知道可以減輕

do to decrease your stress on one of those. And as soon as your brain accomplishes that

其中一個壓力的措施，當你的大腦完成這項任務

small task, your brain records a victory. Once you've recorded a victory,

它會紀錄這次成功，當這次成功被紀錄下來

it makes the next step easier, and then the next step easier,

下一步就會輕鬆一點，後一步更輕鬆一點

and what we find is you can actually accomplish those huge audacious goals you've set for yourself

我們發現，由一個自己可以控制的小步驟開始

by initially starting with the smallest manageable action that you can do.

你會漸漸完成自己設下的遠大目標

If you're going to do one thing, I want you to smile. What we found is if you start to smile

我希望你微笑，因為我們發現當你開始微笑

your brain actually releases neurochemicals that make you happier immediately.

你的大腦立刻分泌讓你快樂的神經化學物質

Not only does it change your mindset, actually makes you more optimistic and makes you feel better

這不只改變你的心情，也會讓想法正面，心情變好

but it ripples out to the people around you.

進而影響你身邊的人

You want to see how powerful you actually are?

你想看看其實自己多有影響力嗎？

Try something as simple as smiling.

試試像微笑這樣簡單的事

Happiness is a choice. It's a choice about how we decide to focus our brain's attention in the world.

幸福是種選擇，是種我們決定要大腦專注在什麼事情上的選擇

The more we can focus on the things that provide hope in our lives,

我們越專注於生命中帶給我們希望

the ways that we can change our lives, the choices that we can make,

改變我們生活的事情上，專注於我們做的選擇

the more powerful our brains become

我們的大腦就會變得越有力量

And the happier we become.

我們也會變得更幸福