73 Secrets to a Long Life

CHAPTER 1 Who Is Happier and Who Is Healthier? DO YOU KNOW ANY REALLY HAPPY, HEALTHY PEOPLE? WHY ARE THEY LIKE THAT? IS IT MONEY, LOVE, OR ARE THEY JUST LUCKY? Often on TV or in magazines we see the rich and famous: successful film stars, singers, and sports people. They live in beautiful homes. They drive expensive cars. They even have their own planes. Sometimes we may think, "Wouldn't it be great to be like them!" But how do we know the rich and famous are happy? Most of us are not famous or rich, and we have to work hard for our money. But sometimes we spend it on things we don't really need: an expensive pair of shoes, the newest mobile phone, or the biggest TV screen. We sometimes even want to change our physical appearance; we tell ourselves it would be great to be slimmer or to have younger-looking skin! But do those things really make us happier or healthier?

第一章谁更快乐，谁更健康？ 你认识真正快乐健康的人吗？ 他们为什么这样？是金钱，爱情，还是只是运气？ 我们经常在电视或杂志上看到富有和有名的人：成功的电影明星、歌手和运动员。 他们住在漂亮的房子里。 他们开昂贵的车。 他们甚至有自己的飞机。 有时我们可能会想，“如果能像他们一样该多好啊！”但是我们怎么知道富人和名人是幸福的呢？ 我们大多数人既不出名也不富有，我们必须努力工作赚钱。 但有时我们把钱花在我们并不真正需要的东西上：一双昂贵的鞋子，最新的手机，或者最大的电视屏幕。 我们有时甚至想改变我们的外表；我们告诉自己，如果能更苗条或拥有更年轻的皮肤就太好了！但这些事情真的能让我们更快乐或更健康吗？

Of course, money is important. We need it to have a comfortable place to live and to pay the bills. But money isn't everything. If we work too much, we may not have time for family or friends. If we think only about the expensive things we want to buy, we might forget to enjoy simple pleasures, like a walk in the country, a conversation with a good friend, or a simple meal at home. As the song says, "Money can't buy me love!" We all want to be healthy and happy, but it's difficult to say what the secrets of a long and happy life are. Studies show that many things can be important, and they connect together in different ways. Read on to find out how some people find health and happiness.

当然，钱很重要。 我们需要它有一个舒适的地方居住和支付账单。 但钱不是万能的。 如果我们工作太多，我们可能没有时间陪伴家人或朋友。 如果我们只考虑我们想买的昂贵的东西，我们可能会忘记享受简单的快乐，比如在乡下散步，和一个好朋友聊天，或者在家里吃一顿简单的饭。 正如这首歌所唱的：“金钱买不到我的爱！”我们都想要健康快乐，但很难说出长寿快乐生活的秘诀是什么。 研究表明，很多事情都是重要的，它们以不同的方式联系在一起。 往下读，你会发现一些人是如何找到健康和幸福的。

CHAPTER 2 Friendship, Love, and Marriage DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS? DO YOU GET ON WELL WITH YOUR CLASSMATES, COWORKERS, AND NEIGHBORS? ARE YOU IN LOVE? THE MORE "YES" ANSWERS YOU HAVE TO THESE QUESTIONS, THE HAPPIER YOU PROBABLY ARE! When we have good relationships with other people, we generally feel better both physically and emotionally. It's not just fun to have friends, we actually need them! They are there to celebrate good things with us, like birthdays or passing exams. But they also help us through the bad times: losing a job, money problems, or the death of someone we love. In fact, a 2010 study at Brigham Young University in Utah, USA, showed that people with good friends had 50 percent more chance of living longer. They found that not having friends can be as dangerous for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And being lonely is even more dangerous than not doing physical exercise or being overweight.

第二章友谊、爱情和婚姻你有很多朋友吗？ 你和你的同学、同事、邻居相处得好吗？ 你恋爱了吗？你对这些问题的回答越多，你可能就越快乐！当我们与其他人保持良好的关系时，我们通常会在身体和情感上感觉更好。 拥有朋友不仅有趣，我们实际上还需要他们！他们在那里和我们一起庆祝美好的事情，比如生日或通过考试。 但他们也帮助我们度过困难时期：失业，金钱问题，或我们所爱的人去世。 事实上，2010年美国犹他州杨百翰大学的一项研究表明，有好朋友的人长寿的可能性要高出50%。 他们发现，没有朋友对我们健康的危害与每天抽15支烟一样大。 孤独甚至比不锻炼身体或超重更危险。

So friendship is good for us, but what about falling in love? Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, is an expert on love and attraction. She found that when a person is in love, more blood travels to certain parts of the brain. This means happy chemicals called endorphins are made, and we experience a strong feeling of pleasure. Sometimes we find it impossible to think about anything else but Mr. or Ms. Right. We can't sleep or eat, but we're very happy. So love actually changes our brains! We stop thinking about "I" and start thinking about "We." When we have a good relationship with our partner, we feel safer, worry less, and learn to enjoy more things. A loving couple can benefit from each other's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses.

所以友谊对我们有好处，但坠入爱河呢？ 美国新泽西州罗格斯大学的海伦·费舍尔是一位研究爱情和吸引力的专家。 她发现，当一个人恋爱时，更多的血液流向大脑的特定部位。 这意味着一种叫做内啡肽的化学物质会产生，我们会体验到强烈的愉悦感。 有时，我们发现除了先生或女士，我们不可能想到其他任何事情。 正确的。我们不能睡觉，也不能吃饭，但我们很高兴。 所以爱情真的会改变我们的大脑！我们不再考虑“我”，而是开始考虑“我们”。 当我们与伴侣关系良好时，我们会感到更安全，更少担心，并学会享受更多的东西。 一对恩爱的夫妻可以从彼此的优点中获益，也可以弥补彼此的缺点。

James Coan, a scientist from Virginia University, wanted to see whether feelings of love could help people stay calm and feel less pain. He did an experiment on women who were in a loving relationship. First, he gave them an electric shock and asked them how much pain and emotional stress they felt. Then, he allowed the women to hold hands with their partners while he gave them another shock. Again, he asked them how they felt. This time, they reported that the shock gave them less pain and stress. Studies of the women's brain activity also showed that they were calmer before and during the second shock. So love may keep us calm and make us feel less pain, but be careful. A broken heart can hurt just like an illness can! Scientist Naomi Eisenberger has shown that the part of the brain that is active when we feel physical pain is also active when a loved one leaves us.

弗吉尼亚大学的科学家詹姆斯·科恩想知道爱的感觉是否能帮助人们保持冷静，减少痛苦。 他对处于恋爱关系中的女性做了一个实验。 首先，他对他们进行电击，并询问他们感受到多大的痛苦和情绪压力。 然后，他让这些女性和她们的伴侣手牵手，同时给她们另一个电击。 他再次问他们感觉如何。 这一次，他们报告说电击减轻了他们的痛苦和压力。 对这些女性大脑活动的研究也表明，她们在第二次电击前和电击过程中更加平静。 所以爱可能会让我们冷静，让我们感觉更少的痛苦，但要小心。 一颗破碎的心就像一场疾病一样伤人！科学家内奥米·艾森伯格（Naomi Eisenberger）已经证明，当我们感到身体疼痛时，大脑中活跃的部分在爱人离开我们时也很活跃。

If falling in love makes us happy and healthy, what about marriage? Studies show that married men and women are happier and healthier than single or divorced people. On average, single people are more likely to get ill, spend more time in the hospital, and die younger. They also feel depressed more often and behave in ways that are bad for their health. Single men, for example, drink twice as much alcohol as married men, and 25 percent of them say that this is a problem. Married people also benefit because two people can live together more cheaply than one person. They share the house, car, food, and bills. Both married men and women seem to do better at work, too. They earn more and get more important jobs. Married men are also more likely to arrive at work on time!

如果恋爱能让我们幸福健康，那么婚姻呢？ 研究表明，已婚男女比单身或离婚的人更幸福、更健康。 平均而言，单身人士更容易生病，在医院呆的时间更长，死得更早。 他们也更容易感到沮丧，并做出对健康有害的行为。 例如，单身男性的饮酒量是已婚男性的两倍，其中25%的人认为这是个问题。 已婚人士也受益，因为两个人住在一起比一个人住更便宜。 他们共享房子、汽车、食物和账单。 已婚男女似乎在工作上也做得更好。 他们挣得更多，得到更重要的工作。 已婚男性也更有可能准时上班！