13 Ways to Create Your Own Happiness at Work

2017-09-08ByTravisBradberry

英语世界 2017年4期

By Travis Bradberry

By Travis Bradberry

Let’s face it, happiness and work do not tend to go hand in hand. A 2013 Gallup study, which reported data from more than 180 million people, found that just 13% of us consider ourselves to be“happily engaged at work.”

[2] Those who do rate themselves as happy are 36% more motivated, six times more energized, and twice as productive as their unhappy counterparts.

[3] The good news is that just 50% of happiness is influenced by genetics—the rest is up to you.

[4] When it comes to making yourself happy, you need to learn what works for you. Once you discover this, everything else tends to fall into place. And making yourself happy doesn’t just improve your performance; it’s also good for your health.

[5] A critical skill set that happy people tend to have in common is emotional intelligence (EQ). At TalentSmart, we’ve tested the EQs of more than a million people and know what makes high EQ people tick. So, we went digging until we found 13 great ways that emotionally intelligent people create their own happiness at work.

不得不承认，快乐和工作好像压根儿不搭边。2013年盖洛普的一份民意调查显示，只有13%的人觉得自己“工作时忙并快乐着”，该调查覆盖人群超过1.8亿。

[2]和不快乐的人相比，这些自认快乐的人积极性高36%，精力充沛度高6倍，生产力则高1倍。

[3]好消息是，是否感到快乐，只有一半由基因决定，另一半取决于你自己。

[4]说到让自己快乐，得明白什么能让你快乐。一旦发现快乐之源，其他诸事往往就尘埃落定了。让自己快乐不仅能提高业绩，而且有益健康。

[5]快乐的人往往都有一项重要的本领——高情商。在才俊研究所（TalentSmart），我们测试了100多万人的情商，发现了高情商者的特征。于是，我们深入研究，终于发现了他们在工作中自创快乐的13种好方法。

1. Don’t obsess over things you can’t control

It’s good to know how Greece’s economic troubles might affect US markets or that your company could merge with its largest competitor, but there’s a big difference between understanding these larger forces and worrying about them. Happy people are ready and informed, but they don’t allow themselves to fret over1fret over为……烦恼。things that are beyond their pay grades2pay grade薪酬等级。.

2. Don’t compare yourself to other people

When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from3be derived from源自。comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When you feel good about something that you’ve done, don’t allow anyone’s opinions or accomplishments take that away from you.

While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt4with a grain of salt有所保留地。. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain—you’re never as good or bad as they say you are.

1. 不要杞人忧天

希腊的经济危机可能如何影响美国市场，或自己的公司可能与最大的竞争对手合并，了解这些是好事，但对这些比较强大的影响因素有所了解和为之担心可大不一样。快乐的人会做好准备，充分了解，但不会为自己职责之外的事瞎操心。

2. 不要盲目对比

要是在与他人的比较中产生愉悦感和满足感，那么你将不再主宰自己的快乐。当你对自己完成的某件事感觉不错的时候，别让他人的意见或成就影响你的心情。

知道别人对自己的看法还不为所动是不可能的，尽管如此，也不必拿自己去和他人比较，不必全盘接受别人的想法。这样一来，无论他人想什么、做什么，你都可以在内心肯定自我。不管别人在什么场合对你持何种态度，有件事得记住——自己的好坏可不是人家的一张嘴说了算的。

3. Reward yourself

Working hard is important, but never allowing yourself to take a break is detrimental to your happiness. A study of radiologists found that they made more accurate diagnoses when they received small rewards prior to reviewing patients’ charts. A Cornell study found that small rewards make people more generous, friendly, and happy. These small “thrills” also made people more productive and accurate in their work. Rewards activate the pleasure pathway in your brain, even if they are self-induced. Effective rewards can be small things such as taking a walk down the hall or eating a snack.

4. Exercise during the work week

Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a soothing neurotransmitter that also limits impulsivity. A University of Bristol study showed that people who exercised on workdays reported improvements in time management, mood, and performance. The benefits of exercise always outweigh the time lost in its pursuit.

3. 奖励自己

辛勤工作很重要，但总是不知休整可不会让你感到快乐。一项针对放射科医生进行的研究表明，他们在分析病人病历前若能得到小小的奖励，诊断结果会更准确。康奈尔大学的研究也发现，小奖励会使人变得更加大方、友好和快乐。这些小“刺激”还会让人工作时更高效、更精准。奖励可激活大脑的快乐通路，即使是自我激励也有同样效果。在走道上逛逛或者吃点儿零食，诸如此类的小事都是不错的奖励方式。

4. 坚持锻炼

活动一下身体，10分钟就行，人体会释放出一种名叫“γ-氨基丁酸”的神经递质，它能使人平静，也可抑制冲动。布里斯托大学的研究表明，在工作日坚持锻炼的人能更好地利用时间，心情更愉悦，工作表现也更优秀。花时间锻炼绝对超值。

5. Don’t judge and gossip

Judging other people and speaking poorly of them is a lot like overindulging in a decadent dessert; it feels good while you’re doing it, but afterwards, you feel guilty and sick. When you’re tempted to speak of someone else in a way that might be negative, just ask yourself if you’d want someone saying the same about you.

6. Choose your battles wisely

Emotionally intelligent people know how important it is to live to fight another day. In conflict, unchecked emotion makes you dig your heels in5dig one’s heels in坚持立场，打定主意。and fight the kind of battle that can leave you severely damaged and unhappy for some time to come. When you read and respond to your emotions, you’re able to choose your battles wisely and only stand your ground6stand one’s ground坚持自己的观点。when the time is right.

7. Stay true to yourself

Crossing moral boundaries in the name of success is a sure-fire7sure-fire确定无疑的。path to unhappiness. Violating your personal standards creates feelings of regret, dissatisfaction, and demotivation. Know when to stand your ground and express dissent when someone wants you to do something that you know you shouldn’t. When you’re feeling confused, take some time to review your values and write them down. This will help you to locate your moral compass.

5. 不要说三道四

议论、诋毁他人像极了胡吃海塞让人欲罢不能的甜点，做的时候很爽，过后难免内疚、恶心。在你很想对他人评头论足，可能还不是什么好话时，扪心自问是否希望有人这样评价你。

6. 正确判断形势

高情商的人都明白“留得青山在”的重要性。发生冲突时，意气用事会让你一意孤行，无谓的战斗可能让你落得重伤，未来相当一段时间闷闷不乐。解读并管理自己的情绪，才能正确判断形势，只在合适的时机坚持立场。

7. 坚守底线

为了成功而逾越道德底线，最后的结果绝不会带来快乐。违背自己的做人标准会让你后悔、不满和消极。知道何时坚持己见，向逾越底线的请求说不。要是感到困惑，就花点时间想想自己的价值观并写下来，这将有助于你做出合乎道德的正确决定。

8. Clear the clutter

I don’t need to remind you of how much time you spend at work. Take a good look at your workspace. You should create a space that’s soothing and uplifting. Whether it’s a picture of your family, a plant, or an award that you’re proud of, display them prominently to keep them on your mind. Get rid of the junk and clutter that hold no significance and do nothing positive for your mental state.

9. Give someone a hand

Taking the time to help your colleagues not only makes them happy, but it also makes you happy. Helping other people gives you a surge of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, all of which create good feelings. In a Harvard study, employees who helped others were 10 times more likely to be focused at work and 40% more likely to get a promotion. The same study showed that people who consistently provided social support were the most likely to be happy during times of high stress. As long as you make certain that you aren’t overcommitting yourself, helping others is sure to have a positive influence on your happiness.

8. 清理杂物

不需要提醒你有多少时间会投入到工作中。仔细瞧瞧你的工作区。这个空间不光要舒适，还得振奋人心。家人的照片也好，一株植物也好，亦或是一张你引以为豪的奖状，大可摆在显眼的地方，谨记于心。那些没什么意义和对提振精神没有积极作用的杂物就丢出去吧。

9. 帮助他人

抽空对同事施以援手，他们满意的同时你也能收获快乐。帮助他人会使体内的催产素、血清素和多巴胺含量激增，这些都会让人产生快乐的感觉。哈佛大学的一项研究表明，乐于助人的员工在工作中的专注度可能是一般员工的10倍，升职的可能性高40%。该研究还表明，在生活中坚持帮助他人的人最有可能在高压力下保持快乐。只要确定是在自己力所能及的范围内，帮助别人绝对有利于产生快乐。

10. Let your strengths flow

A University of Chicago study of peak performance found that people who were able to reach an intense state of focus, called flow, reaped massive benefits. Flow is the state of mind in which you find yourself completely engrossed in a project or task, and you lose awareness of the passage of time and other external distractions. Flow is often described as an exhilarating state in which you feel euphoria and mastery simultaneously. The result is not just happiness and productivity but also the development of new skills through a heightened state of learning. The key to reaching flow lies in organizing your tasks such that you have immediate and clear goals to pursue that play to your strengths. As you begin working on these tasks, your focus increases along with your feelings of adequacy. In time, you reach a flow state, in which productivity and happiness flourish. Set clear goals each day and experiment with task order until you find the secret formula that gets you flowing.

10. 发挥优势

芝加哥大学针对最佳表现的一项研究发现，能做到注意力高度集中的人获益巨大，这种注意力高度集中的状态被称为“心流”。在“心流”状态下，人会全身心地投入一个项目或任务，对时间的流逝和其他外界干扰浑然不觉。“心流”常常被描述为一种令人愉快的状态，使人同时感受到“欣快”和“通达”。它带来的不光是快乐和高效，还可以通过学习状态的提升发展新技能。达到“心流”的关键在于合理安排任务，明确当下追求的目标可以发挥自己的优势。开始做事时，你会觉得得心应手，注意力也越发集中。最终，就会达到“心流”状态，生产力提高，幸福感爆棚。每天设立清晰的目标，尝试不同的任务安排，直至找到让自己达到“心流”的秘方。

11. Stay away from negative people

Complainers and negative people are bad news because they wallow in their problems and fail to focus on solutions. They want people to join their pity party so that they can feel better about themselves. People often feel pressure to listen to complainers because they don’t want to be seen as callous or rude, but there’s a fine line between lending a sympathetic ear and getting sucked into their negative emotional spirals. You can avoid getting drawn in only by setting limits and distancing yourself when necessary. Think of it this way: If a person were smoking, would you sit there all afternoon inhaling the second-hand smoke? You’d distance yourself, and you should do the same with negative people. A great way to set limits is to ask them how they intend to fix their problems. The complainer will then either quiet down or redirect the conversation in a productive direction.

12. Laugh at yourself

When you take yourself too seriously at work your happiness and performance suffer. Don’t be afraid to show a little vulnerability. Something as simple as laughing at yourself draws people to you because it shows them that you’re humble and grounded (it also keeps them from laughing behind your back). Happy people balance their self-confidence with a good sense of humor and humility.

11. 远离消极者

老是抱怨的人和态度消极的人最不受待见，因为他们沉湎于失败又不想办法解决。他们恨不得让每个人都分享自己的苦楚，这样他们才会好受点儿。倾听抱怨常常让人倍感压力，因为听者不想让自己显得冷酷而无礼，不过要把握好界线，满怀同情地倾听可以，别陷入他们消极情感的漩涡。必要时只有通过设限并远离来避免纠缠了。试想：有个人在吸烟，你愿意坐在那儿吸一下午二手烟吗？你会抽身离开，对待消极者同样该如此。设限的好方法就是问他们想怎么解决自己的问题。之后，抱怨者要么安静下来，要么让对话变得有意义一点儿。

12. 自嘲

工作时别太把自己当回事儿，不开心不说，事情也做不好。别怕暴露些许弱点。像自嘲这种简单的事会拉近你与他人的距离，因为那会让人觉得你挺谦逊，也接地气（这也可以避免他们在背后嘲笑你）。快乐的人会以良好的幽默感和谦虚把自信拿捏得很有分寸。

13. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude

It’s all too easy to get caught up in things that could have been different or didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to. Sometimes the best way to pull your mind away from negativity is to step back and contemplate what you’re grateful for. Taking time to reflect on the good in your life improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical wellbeing. ■