月薪四万是种什么感受？

今天，微博的一个话题引发热议，#月薪四万是种什么感受#？网友说的好：过得好与不好，全凭自己内心的欲望去丈量。这都不是我们月薪三千考虑的事。

所以，今天的话题就是跟收入有关啦。

无注释原文：

This Is How Much Money You Should Be Making by the Time You're 40

MONEY

You might think your life would be better if you just had a bigger paycheck — but science finds that’s not necessarily true.

A study published last year found that once you make around $200,000, having more money won’t make you any happier. While this isn’t exactly peanuts — it’s nearly four times the 2015 U.S. median household income of $55,775 (according to Census data) — it’s not quite Scrooge McDuck piles of money, either.

The trick is hitting your optimal income by the time you hit 40. If you have a college degree, you can expect your income to climb sharply through your 20s and continue to rise at a slower rate once you hit your 30s, according to career expert Penelope Trunk. But after you hit 40, you essentially hit a pay ceiling that lasts for the remaining 25 years of your career, an analysis of data from PayScale.com has found. Raises workers get after 40 are often barely enough to keep up with inflation.

But don’t panic if you’re nowhere near $200,000 — or, for that matter, if 40 came and went some time ago. In fact, the researchers found that the “wealth benefit” — a sort of happiness buffer that protects people from negative emotions — begins to taper off at an annual income of around $80,000.

A separate study of whether or not money can really buy happiness came to a remarkably similar conclusion. They found that although how satisfied you are correlates with how much money you make all the way up the income spectrum, the influence that earnings have on happiness — that is, the emotions you experience on a day-to-day basis — peters out after your annual income hits about $75,000.

“We conclude that high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness,” the authors wrote. “Health, care giving, loneliness, and smoking are relatively stronger predictors of daily emotions.” Not, that is, how much you make.

What’s more, scientists have also discovered ways that you can elevate your happiness quotient by tackling a few factors that are under your direct control.

1. Adjust your expectations.

People who think they’re rich — and who spend accordingly — can sometimes do more harm than good to their well-being. In a 2015 study, researchers found that the prospect of a “pleasant but ordinary” vacation couldn’t hold the interest of people who traveled a lot. “Wonderful life events might provide high comparison standards to which people could specifically contrast their more mundane present experiences,” the authors theorized. In other words, if you’re expecting a T-bone steak or a big banana split, a hamburger patty or scoop of vanilla ice cream is going to seem kind of blah by comparison.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California Riverside, explained it this way to the Wall Street Journal: “If you have a rise in income, it gives you a boost, but then your aspirations rise too. Maybe you buy a bigger home in a new neighborhood, and so your neighbors are richer, and you start wanting even more.”

2. Get a handle on your debt.

Another often-overlooked variable that can affect your happiness regardless of your income is how much debt you have — and what kind it is.

“Low levels of debt are common and can be used for instrumental purposes of purchasing necessities such as a car,” wrote Louis Tay, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University, in a recent study. “By contrast, inordinate levels of debt that are not manageable can consume one’s life and attention.”

The findings suggest that some kinds of debt are worse than others. Credit card debt can be problematic, for instance. “It does suggest that there are different types of debt and not all debt is necessarily ‘bad’ for well-being,” Tay said.

And although earning more mitigates the stress of having debt, it doesn’t totally eliminate it — especially if you’re living beyond your means.

3. Distract yourself.

Finally, your well-being might improve if you can manage to focus less on money.

Hal Hershfield, an associate professor at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles, found that about two-thirds of people, when asked if they would rather have more time or more money, picked money. But here’s the interesting thing, he noted: “The people who chose time over money were happier.” They were more satisfied with their lives, he explained, and they experienced “greater well-being” — a finding that held regardless of age, income and other variables.

He theorized that this could be because people who would rather have more time place a greater priority on their enjoyment. “When you ask them what they wanted to do with that extra resource, it was things they wanted to do, rather than things they needed to do,” he said.

And that might just be the key to being happier — regardless of how much you make.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应

含注释全文：

This Is How Much Money You Should Be Making by the Time You're 40

MONEY

You might think your life would be better if you just had a bigger paycheck — but science finds that's not necessarily true.

你可能认为如果你有更多的薪水，你的生活会更好 - 但科学发现这不一定是真的。

表示“工资支票；工薪；工资”，英文解释为“Your paycheque is a piece of paper that your employer gives you as your wages or salary, and which you can then cash at a bank. You can also use paycheque as a way of referring to your wages or salary.”

A study published last year found that once you make around $200,000, having more money won't make you any happier. While this isn't exactly peanuts — it's nearly four times the 2015 U.S. median household income of $55,775 (according to Census data) — it's not quite Scrooge McDuck piles of money, either.

去年发表的一项研究发现，一旦你赚到20万美元左右，拥有更多的钱并不会让你更快乐。虽然这并不是一个小数目--大约是2015年美国家庭收入中位数55,775美元的四倍（根据人口普查数据）--但也不完全是史高治·麦克老鸭那样（遥不可及）的一大堆钱。

peanut本身表示“花生，花生米”，此处peanuts，复数形式，表示“无甚价值之物；（尤指）一小笔钱”，英文解释为“something so small it is not worth considering, especially an amount of money”举个🌰：

They pay people peanuts in that organization.

那家机构给的酬金微不足道。

census /ˈsensəs/ 表示“人口普查；（官方的）调查，统计；”，英文解释为“A census is an official survey of the population of a country that is carried out in order to find out how many people live there and to obtain details of such things as people's ages and jobs.”举个🌰：

The detailed assessment of the latest census will be ready in three months.

有关最新人口普查的详细评估工作将在3个月内就绪。

Scrooge McDuck是唐老鸭的舅舅史高治·麦克老鸭，它是卡尔·巴克斯创作的经典动画角色之一，被塑造成全世界最富有的鸭子，然而仍不断去扩充自己的财富，而且十分不爱花钱，爱钱如命。

The trick is hitting your optimal income by the time you hit 40. If you have a college degree, you can expect your income to climb sharply through your 20s and continue to rise at a slower rate once you hit your 30s, according to career expert Penelope Trunk. But after you hit 40, you essentially hit a pay ceiling that lasts for the remaining 25 years of your career, an analysis of data from PayScale.com has found. Raises workers get after 40 are often barely enough to keep up with inflation.

诀窍是在你40岁的时候达到你的最佳收入。根据职业专家佩内洛普·特伦克（Penelope Trunk）的说法，如果你有一个大学学位，你可以期望你的收入在20多岁时急剧攀升，一旦进入30多岁时继续以较慢的速度上升。但是，对PayScale.com的数据分析发现，在你进入40岁之后，基本上就遇到了一个将持续25年职业生涯的薪酬上限。工作的人在40岁以后得到的加薪往往勉强能够跟上通货膨胀。

1）表示“诡计；花招；骗局；把戏”，英文解释为“something that you do to make sb believe sth which is not true, or to annoy sb as a joke”

2）表示“技巧；诀窍；窍门”，英文解释为“a way of doing sth that works well; a good method”举个🌰：

The trick is to pick the animal up by the back of its neck.

窍门在于抓住动物的后脖颈把它提起来。

表示“通货膨胀”，英文解释为“a general, continuous increase in prices”如：high/low inflation 高/低通货膨胀。

But don't panic if you're nowhere near $200,000 — or, for that matter, if 40 came and went some time ago. In fact, the researchers found that the “wealth benefit” — a sort of happiness buffer that protects people from negative emotions — begins to taper off at an annual income of around $80,000.

但是，如果你还没有接近20万美元，或者已经超过40岁了，也不要惊慌。事实上，研究人员发现，“财富收益”--一种保护人们免受负面情绪影响的幸福缓冲区--在年收入达到8万美元左右时开始减弱。

表示“缓冲物；起缓冲作用的人”，英文解释为“something or someone that helps protect from harm”。

表示“逐渐变小；逐步减弱”，英文解释为“to become gradually smaller or weaker, or happen less often”举个🌰：

Her voice tapered off as she realized everyone was listening.

当她意识到大家都在听时，她的声音就越来越小了。

A separate study of whether or not money can really buy happiness came to a remarkably similar conclusion. They found that although how satisfied you are correlates with how much money you make all the way up the income spectrum, the influence that earnings have on happiness — that is, the emotions you experience on a day-to-day basis — peters out after your annual income hits about $75,000.

另一项关于金钱是否真的能买到幸福的研究得出了非常相似的结论。他们发现，尽管你的满意程度与你在收入范围中赚了多少钱有关，但收入对幸福的影响--即你每天经历的情绪--在你的年收入达到约75,000美元后逐渐消失。

spectrum /ˈspɛktrəm/ 1）表示“范围；各层次；系列；幅度”，英文解释为“a complete or wide range of related qualities, ideas, etc.”如：a broad spectrum of interests 广泛的兴趣范围，举个🌰：

替换了上一段的taper off，表示“逐渐停止；慢慢消失”，英文解释为“to gradually stop or disappear”举个🌰：

The fighting which started in the night had petered out by morning.

夜间开始的战斗到早晨逐渐平息了。

“We conclude that high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness,” the authors wrote. “Health, care giving, loneliness, and smoking are relatively stronger predictors of daily emotions.” Not, that is, how much you make.

作者写道：“我们的结论是，高收入可以能够买到生活满意度，但不能购买幸福。健康、提供护理、孤独和吸烟是相对更强的预测日常情绪的因素。”而不是，你赚了多少钱。

What's more, scientists have also discovered ways that you can elevate your happiness quotient by tackling a few factors that are under your direct control.

更重要的是，科学家们还发现了一些方法，通过解决一些在你直接控制下的因素，你可以提升你的幸福指数。

表示“提升；提高；改进”，英文解释为“to make someone or something more important or to improve something”举个🌰：

They want to elevate the status of teachers.

他们想提高教师的社会地位。

quotient /ˈkwəʊʃənt/ | 表示“程度”，英文解释为“a particular degree or amount of something”举个🌰：

This is a car with a high head-turning quotient (= a lot of people turn to look at it).

这部车的回头率很高。

Being rich doesn't actually increase your happiness quotient.

有钱不见得提升你的快乐指数。

📍所谓的IQ，EQ的Q就是quotient.

1. Adjust your expectations. 调整你的预期

People who think they're rich — and who spend accordingly — can sometimes do more harm than good to their well-being. In a 2015 study, researchers found that the prospect of a “pleasant but ordinary” vacation couldn't hold the interest of people who traveled a lot. “Wonderful life events might provide high comparison standards to which people could specifically contrast their more mundane present experiences,” the authors theorized. In other words, if you're expecting a T-bone steak or a big banana split, a hamburger patty or scoop of vanilla ice cream is going to seem kind of blah by comparison.

那些认为自己很富有的人--并据此进行消费--有时会对他们的幸福感造成更大的伤害。在2015年的一项研究中，研究人员发现，一个“愉快但普通”的假期无法引起那些经常旅行的人的兴趣。“美妙的生活事件可能提供了很高的比较标准，人们可以具体对比他们更平凡的当前经历，”作者推测。换句话说，如果你期待的是T骨牛排或大香蕉圣代，那么汉堡包或一勺香草冰激凌相比之下就会显得有点乏味。

表示“世俗的；单调的；平凡的”，英文解释为“very ordinary and therefore not interesting”举个🌰：

Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.

她对付账单、购买食品等琐事不感兴趣。

表示“香蕉圣代（冰激凌）；香蕉船冰激凌”，英文解释为“a sweet dish made of a banana cut in half with ice cream and cream on top”。

vanilla /vəˈnɪlə/ 表示“有香子兰香味的；香草味的”，英文解释为“flavoured with vanilla”，如：vanilla ice cream 香草冰激凌。

表示“乏味的”，英文解释为“boring or ordinary”举个🌰：

I thought the show was blah.

我觉得这场表演实在乏味。

Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California Riverside, explained it this way to the Wall Street Journal: “If you have a rise in income, it gives you a boost, but then your aspirations rise too. Maybe you buy a bigger home in a new neighborhood, and so your neighbors are richer, and you start wanting even more.”

加州大学河滨分校（the University of California Riverside）的心理学教授索尼娅·柳博米尔斯基（Sonja Lyubomirsky）向《华尔街日报》（the Wall Street Journal）这样解释，“如果你的收入增加了，它给你带来了动力，但你的期望也随之上升。也许你在一个新的社区买了一个更大的房子，因此你的邻居们更富有，你开始想要更多。”

2. Get a handle on your debt. 把握你的债务

Another often-overlooked variable that can affect your happiness regardless of your income is how much debt you have — and what kind it is.

另一个经常被忽视的变量，无论你的收入如何，都会影响你的幸福感，那就是你有多少债务--以及是什么类型的债务。

表示“可变情况；变量；可变因素”，英文解释为“a situation, number or quantity that can vary or be varied”举个🌰：

With so many variables, it is difficult to calculate the cost.

有这么多的可变因素，很难计算出成本。

“Low levels of debt are common and can be used for instrumental purposes of purchasing necessities such as a car,” wrote Louis Tay, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University, in a recent study. “By contrast, inordinate levels of debt that are not manageable can consume one's life and attention.”

普渡大学（Purdue University）心理科学助理教授路易斯·泰（Louis Tay）在最近的一项研究中写道：“低负债很常见，可以出于工具性目的购买汽车等必需品。相比之下，过高的不可控债务会消耗一个人的活力和注意力。”

表示“过度的”，英文解释为“much more than usual or expected”举个🌰：

She has always spent an inordinate amount of time on her appearance.

她总是花很多时间打扮自己。

The findings suggest that some kinds of debt are worse than others. Credit card debt can be problematic, for instance. “It does suggest that there are different types of debt and not all debt is necessarily ‘bad’ for well-being,” Tay said.

研究结果表明，某些类型的债务比其他类型的更糟糕。例如，信用卡债务可能是有问题的。泰说：“这确实表明有不同类型的债务，而且不是所有债务都对幸福有‘不好’的影响。”

And although earning more mitigates the stress of having debt, it doesn't totally eliminate it — especially if you're living beyond your means.

虽然赚得更多可以减轻债务的压力，但并不能完全消除它 - 特别是如果你的生活超出了你的能力。

表示“减轻，缓解，缓和”，英文解释为“to make a situation or the effects of something less unpleasant, harmful, or serious”举个🌰：

Measures need to be taken to mitigate the environmental effects of burning more coal. 需要采取措施来减轻燃煤增加对环境造成的影响。

3. Distract yourself. 转移自己的注意力

Finally, your well-being might improve if you can manage to focus less on money.

最后，如果你能设法减少对金钱的关注，你的幸福感可能会提高。

表示“使分心，使转移注意力，干扰”，英文解释为“to make someone stop giving their attention to something”举个🌰：

Don't distract her (from her studies).

不要让她（在学习上）分心。

Hal Hershfield, an associate professor at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles, found that about two-thirds of people, when asked if they would rather have more time or more money, picked money. But here's the interesting thing, he noted: “The people who chose time over money were happier.” They were more satisfied with their lives, he explained, and they experienced “greater well-being” — a finding that held regardless of age, income and other variables.

加州大学洛杉矶分校（the University of California Los Angeles）安德森管理学院的副教授哈尔·赫什菲尔德（Hal Hershfield）发现，当被问及是愿意拥有更多的时间还是更多的钱时，大约三分之二的人选择了钱。但有趣的是，他指出。“选择时间而不是金钱的人更快乐。”他解释说，他们对自己的生活更加满意，他们经历了“更大的幸福”--这一发现不受年龄、收入和其他变量的影响。

He theorized that this could be because people who would rather have more time place a greater priority on their enjoyment. “When you ask them what they wanted to do with that extra resource, it was things they wanted to do, rather than things they needed to do,” he said.

他推测，这可能是因为那些宁愿拥有更多时间的人更加重视他们的享受。他说：“当你问他们想用这些额外的资源做什么时，那是他们想做的事情，而不是他们需要做的事情。”

And that might just be the key to being happier — regardless of how much you make.

而这可能正是更快乐的关键--无论你赚多少钱。

谢谢你看到这里呀

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