今天，微博的一個話題引發熱議，#月薪四萬是種什麼感受#？網友說的好：過得好與不好，全憑自己內心的慾望去丈量。這都不是我們月薪三千考慮的事。
所以，今天的話題就是跟收入有關啦。
無註釋原文：
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：中文文字為機器翻譯僅供參考，並非一一對應
含註釋全文：
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 biggerpaycheck— but science finds that‘s not necessarily true。
你可能認為如果你有更多的薪水，你的生活會更好 - 但科學發現這不一定是真的。
paycheck
表示“工資支票；工薪；工資”，英文解釋為“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 thatonce you make around $200，000， having more money won’t make you any happier。 While this isn‘t exactlypeanuts— it’s nearly four times the 2015 U。S。 median household income of $55，775 （according toCensusdata） — it‘s not quiteScrooge McDuckpiles of money， either。
去年發表的一項研究發現，一旦你賺到20萬美元左右，擁有更多的錢並不會讓你更快樂。雖然這並不是一個小數目——大約是2015年美國家庭收入中位數55，775美元的四倍（根據人口普查資料）——但也不完全是史高治·麥克老鴨那樣（遙不可及）的一大堆錢。
peanuts
peanut本身表示“花生，花生米”，此處peanuts，複數形式，表示“無甚價值之物；（尤指）一小筆錢”，英文解釋為“something so small it is not worth considering， especially an amount of money”舉個：
They pay peoplepeanutsin that organization。
那家機構給的酬金微不足道。
census
census /ˈsensəs/ 表示“人口普查；（官方的）調查，統計；”，英文解釋為“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。”舉個：
The detailed assessment ofthe latest censuswill be ready in three months。
有關最新人口普查的詳細評估工作將在3個月內就緒。
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck是唐老鴨的舅舅史高治·麥克老鴨，它是卡爾·巴克斯創作的經典動畫角色之一，被塑造成全世界最富有的鴨子，然而仍不斷去擴充自己的財富，而且十分不愛花錢，愛錢如命。
Thetrickis 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 essentiallyhit a pay ceilingthat 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 withinflation。
訣竅是在你40歲的時候達到你的最佳收入。根據職業專家佩內洛普·特倫克（Penelope Trunk）的說法，如果你有一個大學學位，你可以期望你的收入在20多歲時急劇攀升，一旦進入30多歲時繼續以較慢的速度上升。但是，對PayScale。com的資料分析發現，在你進入40歲之後，基本上就遇到了一個將持續25年職業生涯的薪酬上限。工作的人在40歲以後得到的加薪往往勉強能夠跟上通貨膨脹。
trick
1）表示“詭計；花招；騙局；把戲”，英文解釋為“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；訣竅；竅門”，英文解釋為“a way of doing sth that works well； a good method”舉個：
Thetrickis to pick the animal up by the back of its neck。
竅門在於抓住動物的後脖頸把它提起來。
inflation
表示“通貨膨脹”，英文解釋為“a general， continuous increase in prices”如：high/low inflation 高/低通貨膨脹。
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 happinessbufferthat protects people from negative emotions — begins totaper offat an annual income of around $80，000。
但是，如果你還沒有接近20萬美元，或者已經超過40歲了，也不要驚慌。事實上，研究人員發現，“財富收益”——一種保護人們免受負面情緒影響的幸福緩衝區——在年收入達到8萬美元左右時開始減弱。
buffer
表示“緩衝物；起緩衝作用的人”，英文解釋為“something or someone that helps protect from harm”。
taper off
表示“逐漸變小；逐步減弱”，英文解釋為“to become gradually smaller or weaker， or happen less often”舉個：
Her voicetapered offas she realized everyone was listening。
當她意識到大家都在聽時，她的聲音就越來越小了。
A separate study of whether or not money can really buy happinesscame to a remarkably similar conclusion。 They found that although how satisfied you arecorrelates withhow much money you make all the way up the incomespectrum， the influence that earnings have on happiness — that is， the emotions you experienceon a day-to-day basis—peters outafter your annual income hits about $75，000。
另一項關於金錢是否真的能買到幸福的研究得出了非常相似的結論。他們發現，儘管你的滿意程度與你在收入範圍中賺了多少錢有關，但收入對幸福的影響——即你每天經歷的情緒——在你的年收入達到約75，000美元后逐漸消失。
spectrum
spectrum /ˈspɛktrəm/ 1）表示“範圍；各層次；系列；幅度”，英文解釋為“a complete or wide range of related qualities， ideas， etc。”如：a broad spectrum of interests 廣泛的興趣範圍，舉個：
A widespectrumof opinion was represented at the meeting。
會上提出了一系列廣泛的意見。
2）表示“光譜，譜”，英文解釋為“The spectrum is the range of different colours which is produced when light passes through a glass prism or through a drop of water。 A rainbow shows the colours in the spectrum。”
peter out
替換了上一段的taper off，表示“逐漸停止；慢慢消失”，英文解釋為“to gradually stop or disappear”舉個：
The fighting which started in the night hadpetered outby morning。
夜間開始的戰鬥到早晨逐漸平息了。
“We conclude thathigh 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。
作者寫道：“我們的結論是，高收入可以能夠買到生活滿意度，但不能購買幸福。健康、提供護理、孤獨和吸菸是相對更強的預測日常情緒的因素。”而不是，你賺了多少錢。
What‘s more， scientists have also discovered ways that you canelevateyour happinessquotientby tackling a few factors that are under your direct control。
更重要的是，科學家們還發現了一些方法，透過解決一些在你直接控制下的因素，你可以提升你的幸福指數。
elevate
表示“提升；提高；改進”，英文解釋為“to make someone or something more important or to improve something”舉個：
They want toelevatethe status of teachers。
他們想提高教師的社會地位。
quotient
quotient /ˈkwəʊʃənt/ | 表示“程度”，英文解釋為“a particular degree or amount of something”舉個：
This is a car witha high head-turning quotient（= a lot of people turn to look at it）。
這部車的回頭率很高。
Being rich doesn’t actually increase yourhappiness quotient。
有錢不見得提升你的快樂指數。
所謂的IQ，EQ的Q就是quotient。
1. Adjust your expectations. 調整你的預期
People who think they‘re rich — and who spend accordingly — can sometimesdo 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 moremundanepresent experiences，” the authors theorized。 In other words， if you‘re expecting a T-bone steak or a bigbanana split， a hamburger patty or scoop ofvanillaice cream is going to seem kind ofblahby comparison。
那些認為自己很富有的人——並據此進行消費——有時會對他們的幸福感造成更大的傷害。在2015年的一項研究中，研究人員發現，一個“愉快但普通”的假期無法引起那些經常旅行的人的興趣。“美妙的生活事件可能提供了很高的比較標準，人們可以具體對比他們更平凡的當前經歷，”作者推測。換句話說，如果你期待的是T骨牛排或大香蕉聖代，那麼漢堡包或一勺香草冰激凌相比之下就會顯得有點乏味。
mundane /ˈmʌndeɪn/
表示“世俗的；單調的；平凡的”，英文解釋為“very ordinary and therefore not interesting”舉個：
Mundane matterssuch as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her。
她對付賬單、購買食品等瑣事不感興趣。
banana split
表示“香蕉聖代（冰激凌）；香蕉船冰激凌”，英文解釋為“a sweet dish made of a banana cut in half with ice cream and cream on top”。
vanilla
vanilla /vəˈnɪlə/ 表示“有香子蘭香味的；香草味的”，英文解釋為“flavoured with vanilla”，如：vanilla ice cream 香草冰激凌。
blah /blɑː/
表示“乏味的”，英文解釋為“boring or ordinary”舉個：
I thought the show wasblah。
我覺得這場表演實在乏味。
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。”
加州大學河濱分校（theUniversity of California Riverside）的心理學教授索尼婭·柳博米爾斯基（Sonja Lyubomirsky）向《華爾街日報》（the Wall Street Journal）這樣解釋，“如果你的收入增加了，它給你帶來了動力，但你的期望也隨之上升。也許你在一個新的社群買了一個更大的房子，因此你的鄰居們更富有，你開始想要更多。”
2. Get a handle on your debt. 把握你的債務
Another often-overlookedvariablethat can affect your happiness regardless of your income is how much debt you have — and what kind it is。
另一個經常被忽視的變數，無論你的收入如何，都會影響你的幸福感，那就是你有多少債務——以及是什麼型別的債務。
variable
表示“可變情況；變數；可變因素”，英文解釋為“a situation， number or quantity that can vary or be varied”舉個：
With so manyvariables， it is difficult to calculate the cost。
有這麼多的可變因素，很難計算出成本。
“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，inordinatelevels of debt that are not manageable can consume one’s life and attention。”
普渡大學（Purdue University）心理科學助理教授路易斯·泰（Louis Tay）在最近的一項研究中寫道：“低負債很常見，可以出於工具性目的購買汽車等必需品。相比之下，過高的不可控債務會消耗一個人的活力和注意力。”
inordinate
表示“過度的”，英文解釋為“much more than usual or expected”舉個：
She has always spent aninordinateamount of time on her appearance。
她總是花很多時間打扮自己。
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。
研究結果表明，某些型別的債務比其他型別的更糟糕。例如，信用卡債務可能是有問題的。泰說：“這確實表明有不同型別的債務，而且不是所有債務都對幸福有‘不好’的影響。”
And although earning moremitigatesthe stress of having debt， it doesn‘t totally eliminate it — especially if you’re living beyond your means。
雖然賺得更多可以減輕債務的壓力，但並不能完全消除它 - 特別是如果你的生活超出了你的能力。
mitigate
表示“減輕，緩解，緩和”，英文解釋為“to make a situation or the effects of something less unpleasant， harmful， or serious”舉個：
Measures need to be taken tomitigatethe environmental effects of burning more coal。需要採取措施來減輕燃煤增加對環境造成的影響。
3.
Distract
yourself. 轉移自己的注意力
Finally， your well-being might improve if you can manage tofocus less on money。
最後，如果你能設法減少對金錢的關注，你的幸福感可能會提高。
distract
表示“使分心，使轉移注意力，干擾”，英文解釋為“to make someone stop giving their attention to something”舉個：
Don‘tdistracther （from her studies）。
不要讓她（在學習上）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。
加州大學洛杉磯分校（the University of California Los Angeles）安德森管理學院的副教授哈爾·赫什菲爾德（Hal Hershfield）發現，當被問及是願意擁有更多的時間還是更多的錢時，大約三分之二的人選擇了錢。但有趣的是，他指出。“選擇時間而不是金錢的人更快樂。”他解釋說，他們對自己的生活更加滿意，他們經歷了“更大的幸福”——這一發現不受年齡、收入和其他變數的影響。
He theorized that this could be because people who would rather have more timeplace 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。
他推測，這可能是因為那些寧願擁有更多時間的人更加重視他們的享受。他說：“當你問他們想用這些額外的資源做什麼時，那是他們想做的事情，而不是他們需要做的事情。”
And that might just be the key to being happier — regardless of how much you make。
而這可能正是更快樂的關鍵——無論你賺多少錢。
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