日新录（8月11日 晴）

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      What makes a person happy? If people want to be happy, should they seek money and professional success? Many experts are trying to find out the obstacles to happiness and the ways to overcome them. The strategies they have offered are simple yet effective: to be true to oneself, avoid comparison with others financially, and welcome laws and rules that increase the general happiness of the population.

      One of the chief obstacles to happiness is being untrue to one’s real desire. Researchers have found that people who follow their authentic desires generally report being happier than those who do not. At its core, authenticity implies discovering and pursuing what people care about most. Take Linda’s choice of career as an example. She found herself caught in the middle between her own dream of being a navigator and following her parents’ advice of becoming a teacher. Her compromise to family expectations and social traditions has caused her lifelong regret. Therefore, people need to be true to themselves to increase the sense of personal happiness.

      Besides, people should avoid comparison to enhance their happiness. There is no denying the fact that people are accustomed to comparing with their friends and colleagues. And it is easy for them to focus on their own drawbacks and shortages, which forces them to live and work under stress. However, once people abandon the comparison, they are more likely to enjoy their life.When there is no comparison between workmates, people will get along better with each other. And when people abandon comparing with their friends, they will treat each other sincerely, and their friendship therefore will be enhanced. As a result, our life will be full of joy and happiness.其次，人们应该避免相互比较以提高他们的幸福感。不可否认的是，⼈们习惯于跟身边的朋友和同事攀⽐，⼈们将很容易聚焦于⾃⼰的不⾜之上，这使得⼈们每天在压⼒之下⽣活和⼯作。然⽽，当⼈们不再攀⽐的时候，⼈们才更可能享受⽣活。当公司的员⼯之间不再攀⽐的时候，⼈们更可能和彼此友好相处，愉快合作；当⼈们不再和朋友攀⽐的时候，⼈们更可能和朋友真诚相待，增进友谊。毫⽆疑问，这⼀些都会让我们的⽣活充满幸福愉悦。

      Finally, people often benefit from some laws and social rules, which may even cost money like paying taxes. People need to realize that some taxes can make the public happier, because they improve the overall quality of life. In one study of cigarette taxes, researchers conclude that “taxes may affect the happiness of former smokers (by making it easier to never start smoking).” This example demonstrates how social rules can lead to the general happiness of its population, even through the apparently negative practice of increased taxation. Taxes also contribute to the funds available for other social purposes. This further proves the need for taxation.

      There are merely three ways that scholars of happiness studies have recommended to help enhance personal happiness. People should seek to live as their authentic selves in their personal and professional lives. They should avoid social comparison and live within their means. Furthermore, they should welcome any practice that increases the general happiness of the population.