Can money make you happy? 金钱能买来幸福吗？_BBC

Can money make you happy? 金钱能买来幸福吗？

你同意“金钱买不来幸福”这个观点吗？一项新的研究结果发现在特定的环境中，有时花费金钱确实可以买来开心。本期《随身英语》讨论如何聪明、合理地安排支出以换来幸福和享受生活的时间。

课文内容 Vocabulary: money 词汇: 金钱 What would make you happy? Really happy? A nice holiday, lazing on a tropical beach? Maybe a blowout meal with friends at a swanky restaurant? Or possibly splashing out on a pair of the latest designer jeans? All these pleasures cost money so does that mean we need lots of cash to feel good or does the old saying 'money can't buy happiness' still ring true?

This well-worn adage has been put to the test by scientists in Canada. They found that when used in the right way, money can bring us happiness. They discovered that when you use money to free up time, by paying someone to do your chores for example, you are happier. In an experiment, individuals reported greater higher life satisfaction if they used $40 to save time rather than spend it on material goods such as a new pair of shoes. But surprisingly, the researchers found that fewer than a third of individuals spent money to buy themselves time each month.

In our hectic lives time is one thing we seem to be short of. People are reporting a 'time famine', where they get stressed over the daily demands on their time. Psychologists say stress over lack of time causes lower well-being and contributes to anxiety and insomnia. But in many countries now, as incomes are rising, there is an option to buy more time.