You don"t need millions to be happy. In fact, at The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred
dollars may be enough.
The institute opened its doors last year, and, since then, men and women of all ages have been paying A
$ 200 an hour (US $140) for lessons on how to feel great.
" You can actually increase your happiness levels. That"s what we teach," said Timothy Sharp, founder
of the institute.
Experts say that only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 85 percent comes from things such as attitude, life control and relationships.
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels
haven"t changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to
happiness. Many decades ago, the "sage of Baltimore, Maryland", editor HL Mencken, defined wealth as
earning US $100 more than your “wife"s sister"s husband.”
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is because we compare
ourselves to people better off materially.
"The argument is that if you want to be happy there"s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself
to people who are less well off than you- poorer, smaller house, car," said Sharp.
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on
" more than just your bank account."
"If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I"m always going to be down," said Sharp.
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia"s richest person who has had
a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years.
Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.
Depression may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.
Once a child has an episode(一段情节) of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing
another episode in the next 5 years.
Suicide(自***) is the 6th leading cause of death for 5-to-15-year-olds.
If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms (症状) for at least 2 weeks, he or she
may be experiencing depression or another mental illness.
Feeling-Does your child demonstrate: Sadness Emptiness Hopelessness Guilt Worthlessness Lack of
enjoyment in everyday pleasures
Thinking-Is your child having trouble: Concentrating Making decisions Completing schoolwork Maintaining
grades Maintaining friendships
Physical problems-Does your child complain of: Headaches Stomachaches Lack of energy Sleeping
problems ( too much or too little) Weight or appetite changes ( gain or loss )
Suicide risk-Does your child talk or think about: Suicide Death Other morbid (生病的) subjects
Behavior problems-Is your child: Irritable Not wanting to go to school Wanting to be alone most of the
time Having difficulty getting along with others Cutting classes or skipping school Dropping out of sports,
hobbies or other activities Drinking alcohol or using drugs. Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school
or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry. If you think your child may be depressed, it"s important to have your child treated. Discuss your
child"s problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children"s psychologist (心
理医生) or psychiatrist (精神病医生). Treatment may include individual and family therapy (治疗), along
with an antidepressant medication (抗抑郁药).
As an experienced photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee, I was hired by USA Today newspaper to
photograph a spinal bifida (脊柱畸形) corrective surgical procedure. It was to be performed on a
twenty-one week old fetus (胎儿)in uterus (子宫)at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At that time, in
1999, twenty-one weeks in uterus was the earliest that the surgical team would consider for surgery. The
worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier
than twenty-three weeks had survived.
The tension could be felt in the operating room as the surgery began. A typical C-section incision (切口)
was made to access the uterus, which was then lifted out and laid at the junction of the mother"s thighs
(大腿). The entire procedure would take place within the uterus, and no part of the child was to breach the
surgical opening. During the procedure, the position of the fetus was adjusted by gently manipulating ( 熟练
操作) the outside of the uterus. The entire surgical procedure on the child was completed in one hour and
thirteen minutes. When it was over, the surgical team breathed a sigh of relief, as did I.
As a doctor asked me what speed of film I was using, out of the corner of my eye I saw the uterus
shake, but no one"s hands were near it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the
opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand,
which reacted and squeezed the doctor"s finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist.
Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast that the nurse standing next to me asked,
"What happened?" "The child reached out," I said. "Oh. They do that all the time," she responded.
The surgical opening to the uterus was closed and the uterus was then put back into the mother and
the C-section opening was closed.
It was ten days before I knew if the picture was even in focus. To ensure no digital manipulation of
images before they see them, USA Today requires that film be submitted (提交) unprocessed. When the
photo editor finally phoned me he said, "It"s the most incredible picture I"ve ever seen."
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