很多研究表明，幸福感和收入密切相关。而最新的科学研究发现，消费比收入更能影响幸福感。
Spending money makes people happier than making money
by Mark Travers
Many of us have felt that if we made more money, life would be better. We would be able to afford nicer things, go on fancier vacations, and have more freedom. But is this actually the case?
fancy /ˈfænsi/ adj. 奢华的
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ n. 自由
the case = true
A team of psychologists led by Gordon Brown of the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom tested the hypothesis that more income would lead to improvements in life satisfaction. What they found, however, was slightly different than what they hypothesized. It turned out that the ability to spend more money increased people's well-being more than the ability to earn more of it.
psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst/ n. 心理学家（由psychology加上表示人的后缀-ist）
hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ n. 假说
income /ˈɪnkʌm/ n. 收入
lead to 导致
satisfaction /ˌsætɪsˈfækʃ(ə)n/ n. 满意、满意度
slightly /ˈslaɪtli/ adv. 轻微地、稍微
hypothesize /haɪˈpɒθəsaɪz/ v. 提出假说
turn out 结果是
well-being 幸福快乐
"Much research into the relationship between economic circumstances and subjective well-being has focused on the relationship between income and life satisfaction," state the authors. "Here we show for the first time that changes in life satisfaction are associated with changes in consumption, not changes in income."
relationship /rɪˈleɪʃ(ə)nʃɪp/ n. 关系
economic /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/ adj. 经济的（由economy加后缀-ic变成形容词）
circumstance /ˈsɜːkəmstɑːns/ n. 情况
subjective /səbˈdʒektɪv/ adj. 主观的
focus /ˈfəʊkəs/ on 聚焦于
state /steɪt/ v. 陈述、写
associate /əˈsəʊsieɪt/ v. 相关、有联系
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 消费
To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers gathered data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a longitudinal（研究长期变化的） survey of American families curated（选定） by a group of scientists at the University of Michigan. Brown and his team tracked the responses of 5,664 U.S. adults from 2009 to 2013 on three questions.
conclusion /kənˈkluːʒ(ə)n/ n. 结论
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
gather /ˈɡæðə(r)/ v. 收集、搜集
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 数据
panel study 指对同一组人定期跟踪随访的长期研究
dynamic /daɪˈnæmɪk/ n. 产生变化的动力
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
track /træk/ v. 追踪、跟踪
response /rɪˈspɒns/ n. 回答、答复
First, they tracked individuals' self-reported life satisfaction from the question: "Please think about your life as a whole. How satisfied are you with it? Are you completely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied?" The researchers also tracked individuals' income and their consumption across the four-year time period.
individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ n. 个体、个人
somewhat /ˈsʌmwɒt/ adv. 有点
Interestingly, they found that consumption was a much stronger predictor of life satisfaction than income. They write, "Estimates imply that the effect of an increase in consumption is at least five times as large as the effect of the same increase in income."
interestingly /ˈɪntrəstɪŋli/ adv. 有趣的是（由interesting加后缀-ly变成副词）
predictor /prɪˈdɪktə(r)/ n. 预测器、预测指标（由predict加上表示人或物的后缀-or）
estimate /ˈestɪmət/ n. 估计值
imply /ɪmˈplaɪ/ v. 暗示
Next, Brown and his team explored whether certain types of consumption were more strongly associated with improvements in life satisfaction than others. They found evidence to support this idea. Specifically, they reported that purchases meant to signal status and prosperity such as buying a fancy car or a bigger house were more strongly associated with improvements in life satisfaction than "non-conspicuous" forms of consumption (for example, utilities and healthcare).
explore /ɪkˈsplɔː(r)/ v. 探究、探讨
strongly /ˈstrɒŋli/ adv. 强烈地（由strong加后缀-ly变成副词）
evidence /ˈevɪd(ə)ns/ n. 证据
specifically /spəˈsɪfɪk(ə)li/ adv. 具体说（由specific加后缀-ally变成副词）
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/ n. 购买、购买的东西
signal /ˈsɪɡn(ə)l/ v. 发信号
status /ˈsteɪtəs/ n. 社会地位
prosperity /prɒsˈperəti/ n. 富有、成功
non- 前缀，表示否定
conspicuous 引入注目的
form /fɔːm/ n. 形式
utility /juːˈtɪləti/ n. 公共服务（比如水、电、煤气等）
healthcare /ˈhelθkeə(r)/ n. 医疗服务
They also explored whether "experiential" purchases were any more or less satisfying than "material" purchases. Past research, for instance, has found that buying experiences such as a family vacation increases happiness more than buying material items such as new clothing or a new car. They did not, however, find any difference in life satisfaction between these two types of purchases.
experiential /ɪkˌspɪəriˈenʃ(ə)l/ adj. 体验上的
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ adj. 物质的
for instance /ˈɪnstəns/ = for example
The authors conclude, "Ours is the first study to use large-scale longitudinal household panel study with comprehensive consumption data to address the relationship between consumption and well-being. Our findings demonstrate the importance of using consumption, as opposed to income, to estimate the effects of economic resources on well-being."
conclude /kənˈkluːd/ v. 下结论
scale /skeɪl/ n. 规模
household /ˈhaʊshəʊld/ n. 住户
comprehensive /ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪv/ adj. 全面的、详尽的
address /əˈdres/ v. 处理、应对
demonstrate /ˈdemənstreɪt/ v. 显示、展现
as opposed /əˈpəʊzd/ to = rather than
estimate /ˈestɪmeɪt/ v. 估计（它做动词和名词时发音不同）
resource /ˈriːsɔːs/ n. 资源
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