A. Happiness has traditionally been considered an elusive and evanescent thing. To some, even trying to achieve it is an exercise in futility. It has been said that "happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." B. Social scientists have caught the butterfly. After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources: genes, events and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our founders' promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness. Psychologists and economists have studied happiness for decades. They begin simply enough—by asking people how happy they are. C. The richest data available to social scientists is the University of Chicago's General Social Survey, a survey of Americans conducted since 1972. This widely used resource is considered the scholarly gold standard for understanding social phenomena. The numbers on happiness from the survey are surprisingly consistent. Every other year for four decades, roughly a third of Americans have said they're "very happy," and about half report being "pretty happy." Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they're "not too happy." Psychologists have used sophisticated techniques to verify these responses, and such survey results have proved accurate. D. Beneath these averages are some demographic differences. For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap has narrowed or may even have been reversed. Political junkies might be interested to learn that conservative women are particularly blissful: about 40 percent say they are very happy. That makes them slightly happier than conservative men and significantly happier than liberal women. The unhappiest of all are liberal men; only about a fifth consider themselves very happy. But even demographically identical people vary in their happiness. What explains this? E. The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have tracked identical twins who were separated as infants and raised by separate families. As genetic carbon copies brought up in different environments, these twins are a social scientist's dream, helping us disentangle nature from nurture. These researchers found that we inherit a surprising proportion of our happiness at any given moment—around 48 percent. (Since I discovered this, I've been blaming my parents for my bad moods.) If about half of our happiness is hard-wired in our genes, what about the other half? It's tempting to assume that one-time events—like getting a dream job or an Ivy League acceptance letter—will permanently bring the happiness we seek. And studies suggest that isolated events do control a big fraction of our happiness—up to 40 percent at any given time. F. But while one-off events do govern a fair amount of our happiness, each event's impact proves remarkably short-lived. People assume that major changes like moving to California or getting a big raise will make them permanently better off. They won't. Huge goals may take years of hard work to meet, and the striving itself may be worthwhile, but the happiness they create dissipates after just a few months. So don't bet your well-being on big one-off events. The big brass ring is not the secret to lasting happiness. G. Vocation is central to the American ideal, the root of the aphorism that we "live to work" while others "work to live." Throughout our history, America's flexible labor markets and dynamic society have given its citizens a unique say over our work—and made our work uniquely relevant to our happiness. When Frederick Douglass rhapsodized about "patient, enduring, honest, unremitting and indefatigable work, into which the whole heart is put," he struck the bedrock of our culture and character. H. And according to the General Social Survey, nearly three-quarters of Americans wouldn't quit their jobs even if a financial windfall enabled them to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. Those with the least education, the lowest incomes and the least prestigious jobs were actually most likely to say they would keep working, while elites were more likely to say they would take the money and run. We would do well to remember this before scoffing at "dead-end jobs." I. Assemble these clues and your brain will conclude what your heart already knew: Work can bring happiness by marrying our passions to our skills, empowering us to create value in our lives and in the lives of others. Franklin D. Roosevelt had it right: "Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." In other words, the secret to happiness through work is earned success.
填空题41. Having big goals may bring happiness, but the happiness will disappear after a few months.
填空题42. In a study that lasted for 40 years, about 33% of the Americans interviewed say that they are very happy and the researchers find that their replies are true.
填空题43. Identical twins brought up in different families are perfect for the social scientists in their studies of the sources of happiness.
填空题44. Most Americans prefer to work even if they are financially rich enough to live well in the rest part of their lives.
填空题45. With the knowledge of the sources of happiness, social scientists believe that people can make better their lives and the lives of their friends.
填空题46. Scientists have found that nearly 50% of happiness is inherited from one's parents.
填空题47. The degree of happiness differs from one to another, men to women, conservative men to liberal women, and so on.
填空题48. In America, a citizen usually can decide the work he likes to do and therefore, one's work is quite relevant to his happiness.
填空题49. Though one-time event controls our happiness, the impact usually does not last for a long time.
填空题50. Only about 20% of the liberal men investigated respond that they are very happy.