“让自己不快乐”初级指南

我们对于幸福可谓是执迷不悔，它俨然成了每个人普遍共有的一个热切的渴望。古语有云：“生于忧患，死于安乐。”你知不知道如何才能让自己不快乐呢，为今后的风雨做好准备呢？

The pursuit of happiness is as old as modern civilization. Books, elixers, religions, and philosophies are all devoted to it. Happiness is a quest, an obsession, and a universal aspiration.
人类对幸福的渴求由来已久，相关的书籍、妙方、宗教、哲学也都层出不穷。我们对于幸福可谓是执迷不悔，它俨然成了每个人普遍共有的一个热切的渴望。

But what does it take to be unhappy?
那么，人们不快乐的原因究竟是什么呢？

In some ways, it’s easier than happiness itself. New research and much life experience offers a simple recipe for genuine discontent.
让自己不快乐，可要比获得幸福容易得多了。从最新的研究，还有我们的生活经历中，我们都可以获得不少灵感：

Buy things you can’t afford or don’t want. Either choice is a sure fit for unhappiness. When you buy things you can’t afford, you go into debt, which limits the other choices available to you. When you buy things you don’t want, you lie to yourself about the real source of your unhappiness.
花钱买下你无力负担或不需要的东西。只要你这样去做了，你一定会感到不快乐。当你买下了你无力负担的东西，你就会欠下一屁股债，这样你就没钱去买其它东西了。当你买下了你不需要的东西，你就向自己欺瞒了自己不快乐的真正原因。

Compare yourself to others. The love of comparison is the root of much misery. Therefore, judge your success or worth based on other people, especially those with a different background from you. Do this on a continual basis, always looking for a new idol or competitor in which your ideal unhappiness lies.
拿别人和自己作比较。与别人作比较会给我们带来许许多多痛苦。若你参考别人来评定自己的成功与价值，尤其是那些和你的背景、经历迥然相异的人，你只会给自己带来更多的痛苦。拥有这样性格的人，总会不停地挑选新的偶像或竞争对手，而这也为他们的幸福感缺失埋下了伏笔。

Take no joy in the journey. Focus only on the destination without appreciating the ride. Fail to celebrate small successes, and neglect to pause for reflection on how far you’ve come.
不享受过程。只关注最后的结果，不欣赏旅途中的风景。忽视已取得的小胜利，没有停下来反思走过的路程。

Respond instead of initiate. Take no responsibility for your schedule or preferences. Let other people set the agenda for your life. Take the lead for your schedule from your Inbox, voicemail, or someone else’s demands.
被动接受。任由别人安排自己生活，对自己不负责。你应主导自己的生活。阅读：习得性无助 。

Allow other people to determine your values and priorities. Set no compass point for your life. Drift in the wind. For best results, allow your values and priorities to shift as you waver between bosses or role models.
任由他人决定你的价值或优先事项。对自己的人生没有方向感，任人摆布。为了取得满意的结果，你要认清自己的价值与目标。

Refuse to challenge yourself. Take it easy and settle into routine. Choose to believe that all stress is bad and seek to live as relaxed a life as possible.
拒绝超越自己。让自己相信所有的压力都是不好的，于是安于现状，不思进取。

Whine and complain to anyone who will listen. Explain how the world isn’t fair and how you would do things differently if you were in charge. Bonus: this practice also allows you to contribute to other people’s unhappiness.
向任何一个愿意侧耳倾听的人发牢骚。抱怨世界的不公平，埋怨自己的才能无法施展出来。此外：这还能给别人带去不快乐。

Focus only on yourself. Refuse to forgive. Hold on to grudges. See the worst in people. Do not give out free lunch.
只考虑到自己，自我中心主义。不愿原谅别人。心怀怨恨。只看到人性的阴暗面。不愿意付出。

Settle. Accept things as they are no matter how unsettling they might seem. It could always be worse, right? Live in the complacency of your situation and refuse to fight for something better.
太容易满足。不论事情有多么令人难受，都愿意容忍接受。事情有可能会变得更糟糕呢，对不对？满足于眼下的境况，不去努力追求更好。

Happiness may require more than pithy quotations on Twitter and a good sleep cycle, but unhappiness is fairly simple.