Money will make you happier.

錢會讓你更快樂。

There are certain expenditures that have a direct link to our increased happiness, and it's ones that are spent on things that enhance our experiences.

有些支出與我們幸福感的提升有著直接的聯繫，而這些支出都花在了能提升我們體驗的事情上。

And so, understanding how to use money to enhance your happiness is very, very important. My partner and I knew that we wanted to leave our hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.

是以，瞭解如何利用金錢來提高自己的幸福感是非常非常重要的。我和我的伴侶知道，我們想離開家鄉南卡羅來納州的哥倫比亞。

So, we decided to sell 90% of our things and hit the road and really stack up the experiences instead of buying more possessions as we lived our lives the way that we wanted to live them.

是以，我們決定賣掉 90% 的東西，上路旅行，真正積累經驗，而不是購買更多的財產，因為我們的生活方式就是我們想要的生活方式。

If you want to use money to become happier, I say all the time, experiences are greater than stuff.

如果你想用錢來讓自己變得更快樂，我一直在說，經歷比東西更重要。

And all the research supports this.

所有的研究都證明了這一點。

Happiness isn't on any shelves.

幸福不在任何貨架上。

We can't order it online.

我們無法在網上訂購。

But there are things that we want.

但有些東西是我們想要的。

There are goals that we have.

我們有自己的目標。

There are things we want to see in our life that money can help us achieve.

在我們的生活中，有些事情是我們希望看到的，而金錢可以幫助我們實現這些願望。

Can the way we choose to spend or not spend our money unlock the greatest happiness in our lives?

我們選擇花錢或不花錢的方式，能否為我們的生活帶來最大的幸福？

This is your Brain on Money. So, the saying about money and happiness is among scientists, somewhat cynical but true, is that if money doesn't buy you happiness, you're spending it the wrong way.

這就是你的 "金錢大腦"。關於金錢和幸福，科學家們有這樣一種說法，雖然有點憤世嫉俗，但卻是事實：如果金錢不能給你帶來幸福，那麼你就花錯了地方。

It could buy you happiness.

它能為你買來幸福。

It's just that right now we're spending it in a way that isn't focused on happiness.

只是現在我們花錢的方式並不注重幸福。

It's focused on things that we think are going to make us happy and are not.

它專注於那些我們認為會讓我們快樂的事情，而事實卻並非如此。

Handling money creates an experience of euphoria that can last for hours.

處理金錢會帶來持續數小時的興奮體驗。

And we get stuck in this mindset of consumption.

我們陷入了這種消費思維。

It's one of the ways that we're wired to do things wrong about money.

這也是我們在金錢問題上做錯事情的原因之一。

Spending money on gadgets and possessions can give us an immediate sense of gratification, but doesn't usually lead to long-term happiness.

把錢花在小玩意兒和財物上能給我們帶來直接的滿足感，但通常不會帶來長期的幸福。

Why do we feel compelled to do it? In our brain, we have mechanisms that operate very short-term.

為什麼我們不得不這樣做？在我們的大腦中，有一種非常短期的運作機制。

You enjoy it for the moment, and then you go back to reality.

你享受這一刻，然後回到現實。

Think back to as a child, you got a really shiny toy.

回想一下小時候，你得到了一個非常閃亮的玩具。

You have that initial burst of joy.

你有最初的喜悅。

This is so cool and so exciting.

這真是太酷了，太令人興奮了。

And then pretty soon you forget about it, and it breaks.

然後很快你就把它忘了，它就壞了。

That shiny new object will lose its luster, and you will not have a long-lasting happiness associated with that.

那個閃閃發光的新東西會失去光澤，你也不會是以獲得長久的快樂。

And as a matter of fact, it could backfire and make you feel worse.

事實上，這可能會適得其反，讓你感覺更糟。

You enjoy it for the moment, but then because that's all it is, is a short-lived thing, it basically fades away.

你享受它的那一刻，但因為它只是一個短暫的東西，所以它基本上會消失。

You have a spike of happiness for a moment, and then you go back to reality. Now, there are ways to fix that.

你會有一瞬間的幸福感，然後又回到現實。現在，我們有辦法解決這個問題。

Even though our brain has evolved to enjoy short-term purchases, research has shown that spending money on experiences instead of possessions can have a bigger impact on our happiness over time.

儘管我們的大腦已經進化到可以享受短期購物的程度，但研究表明，把錢花在體驗上而不是財物上，隨著時間的推移，會對我們的幸福感產生更大的影響。

What part of the brain is at work here?

大腦的哪個部分在起作用？

So, if you have the option to buy a memory of a vacation that you can tell as a story again and again, you get to enjoy it every time you load the memory and share it and store it and share it and store it and share it many, many times.

是以，如果你可以選擇購買一個可以反覆講述的度假記憶，那麼每次加載記憶、分享記憶、存儲記憶、分享記憶、存儲記憶、分享記憶，你都能享受其中的樂趣。

It's a long-term investment in an experience.

這是對一種體驗的長期投資。

So every time you connect back to that, you experience a little bit of the happiness.

是以，每當你與它連接起來，你就會體驗到一點點幸福。

Versus a purchase, you buy something, and you can feel good in that moment.

與購物相比，你買了東西，那一刻你會感覺很好。

You might feel good when you see it, but over time, you see it over and over, that happiness diminishes.

當你看到它時，你可能會感覺很好，但隨著時間的推移，你一次又一次地看到它，這種快樂就會減少。

It is not the same as an experience. There are certain expenditures that have a direct link to our increased happiness, and it's ones that are spent on things that enhance our experiences.

這與體驗不同。有些支出與我們幸福感的提升有著直接的聯繫，而這些支出都花在了能提升我們體驗的事情上。

So, for example, let's say that you bought a mountain bike, and now you get to go out into nature and have that experience.

比如說，你買了一輛山地自行車，現在你可以到大自然中去體驗了。

Well, that mountain bike will make you happier every time you're using it.

那麼，山地自行車會讓你在每次使用時都更加快樂。

So yes, there's research that shows that if you spend money on material goods, you don't experience as much happiness or satisfaction in the long run as if you spent it on experiences like going sailing, going on a trip, spending time with family.

是以，是的，有研究表明，如果你把錢花在物質產品上，從長遠來看，你所體驗到的幸福感和滿足感還不如你把錢花在航海、旅行、與家人共度時光等體驗上。

However, I think it really depends on someone's individual money personality. One of the ways to do it is just to really for a week, decide, I'm just going to pay attention to what are the things that I absolutely love to do?

不過，我認為這確實取決於個人的金錢個性。其中一種方法是，真正地花一週時間，決定我只關注哪些事情是我絕對喜歡做的？

What are the things where I lose myself in doing them?

哪些事情會讓我在做的過程中迷失自我？

And what feels important to me?

什麼對我來說很重要？

If you are a person that has valued saving money, great.

如果你是一個重視省錢的人，那就太好了。

I would also encourage you to think about how are you maybe using some of those funds to create experiences?

我還鼓勵你們思考如何利用這些資金來創造體驗？

What would it be like to do something with your family, your partner, your friends?

和家人、伴侶、朋友一起做些什麼會是什麼感覺？

That could be a memory that you have for a lifetime. Knowing what we do about how our brains work, how do we make the most of our time and money when we're looking for happiness?

這可能會讓你終生難忘。瞭解了我們的大腦是如何工作的之後，當我們尋找幸福時，如何充分利用我們的時間和金錢呢？

Of course, it's impossible to avoid some purchases, and some of our possessions, like owning a home, can be important for our long-term financial health and happiness.

當然，我們不可能避免購買一些東西，而且我們的一些財產，比如擁有一套住房，對於我們長期的財務健康和幸福可能非常重要。

But how do we get the most happiness out of our discretionary spending?

但是，我們怎樣才能從可自由支配的支出中獲得最大的快樂呢？

From an early age, I learned that life is about the stories that we share.

從很小的時候起，我就知道生活就是我們分享的故事。

And there are very few stories that you're going to be able to share off this coffee maker that you bought or this car that you finally got in your driveway.

你買了咖啡機，或者終於在車道上買了一輛車，但能與人分享的故事卻很少。

So, think about a concert that you've been to, whether it was now or when you were a teenager.

所以，想想你去過的音樂會吧，不管是現在還是青少年時期。

Think about the best dinner that you've had, the best vacation you've been on.

想想你吃過的最美味的晚餐，你去過的最棒的假期。

These are experiences that pay dividends time and time again. So when I'm talking about things like spending money on a vacation or spending money to get the car of your dreams, that's great if and when your personal finance needs are met.

這些經歷會一次又一次地帶來紅利。是以，當我談到花錢去度假或花錢去買夢想中的汽車等事情時，如果你的個人財務需求得到了滿足，那就再好不過了。

So everybody is different, but in general, we want to think about making sure that you have an emergency fund available and funded in a way that feels good for you.

是以，每個人的情況都不一樣，但總的來說，我們要考慮確保你有一筆應急基金，並以一種讓你感覺良好的方式提供資金。

And we also want to think about, is this purchase, whether it's an experience or whether it's a thing, actually something that I can afford? So for those of you who are saying, great, I want to save up my money and do an experiential trip with my family and my loved ones, but I'm not able to right now, the good news is right now, there might be a creative way to create those types of connections that you're craving.

同時，我們也要想一想，這次購買，無論是一次體驗還是一件東西，我是否真的負擔得起？所以，對於那些說 "太好了，我想攢錢和家人、夫妻來一次體驗式旅行，但我現在沒錢 "的人來說，好消息是，現在也許有一種創造性的方式，可以讓你們建立起渴望的聯繫。

We can connect and bond with friends and loved ones in ways that maybe don't necessarily involve spending money. A question that I ask my clients is, will this financial decision bring me closer to my wellness?

我們可以通過一些不一定需要花錢的方式與朋友和親人建立聯繫和紐帶。我問客戶的一個問題是，這個財務決定會讓我更接近健康嗎？

The way that you're spending your money, is it going to improve your life when it comes to your finances, your emotions, your physical health?

你花錢的方式是否能改善你的生活，包括財務、情感和身體健康？

You want to make sure that you're bringing utility to your life, and experiences do that better than anything you can buy.

你要確保為生活帶來實用性，而體驗比任何你能買到的東西都更能做到這一點。