来源：《华尔街日报》
原文刊登日期：2020年12月11日
As we get older we get slower and stiffer—and a lot happier. This might seem surprising, but it’s one of the most robust results in psychology, and it’s true regardless of income, class or culture. In our 70s and 80s, we are happier than when we were strong and beautiful 20-year-olds.
随着年龄的增长，我们变得越来越慢，越来越僵硬，但也越来越快乐。这似乎令人惊讶，但这是心理学中最有力的结果之一，无论收入、阶级或背景如何，这都是事实。在我们七八十岁的时候，我们比强壮美丽的二十岁时更快乐。
There are a couple of theories about why this is. We may get better at avoiding stressful situations—we figure out how to dodge that tense work meeting or family squabble. Or there may be something about aging that makes it easier to tolerate stress, even when we can’t avoid it.
关于为什么会这样，有几种理论。我们可能会更好地避免有压力的情况——我们知道如何避开紧张的工作会议或家庭争吵。或者，衰老可能会让我们更容易忍受压力，即使我们无法避免压力。
The Covid-19 pandemic is a test case for this principle. It’s a terrible threat that is stressful for everyone, but it’s especially dangerous for older people, who are far more likely to die from the disease. Does the association between aging and happiness still hold?
新冠肺炎大流行是对这一论点的检验。新冠肺炎是一种可怕的威胁，对每个人来说都很有压力，但对老年人来说尤其危险，他们更容易死于这种疾病。衰老和幸福之间的联系仍然存在吗？
Apparently the answer is yes. According to a new study by Laura Carstensen and colleagues at Stanford University, older people are happier even during the pandemic.
似乎，答案是肯定的。根据斯坦福大学劳拉·卡斯滕森及其同事的一项新研究，即使在疫情期间，老年人也更快乐。
Think back to the first Covid surge in North America. The full awfulness of the plague had become apparent, and the uncertainty just made it scarier. We were all anxiously washing our groceries and trying to stay home. The researchers surveyed a representative sample of 974 people from 18 to 74 years old, asking how often and how intensely they had felt 29 different positive and negative emotions. How often had they been calm or peaceful, concerned or anxious? The participants also reported how much they felt personally at risk from the virus and how risky they thought it was for people in general.
回想一下北美的第一次新冠疫情高峰。瘟疫的可怕已经变得显而易见，而这种不确定性只会让它变得更加可怕。我们都焦急地洗着食品杂货，尽量待在家里。研究人员调查了974名年龄在18岁到74岁之间的有代表性的人，询问他们感受29种不同的积极和消极情绪的频率和强度。他们有多少次表现得镇静或平和、担忧或焦虑？参与者还报告了他们个人感染病毒的风险有多大，以及他们认为这种病毒对一般人的风险有多大。
Older people rationally and accurately said that they were more at risk than younger ones. But surprisingly, they also reported experiencing more positive emotions and fewer negative ones than younger people did. Even when the researchers controlled for other factors like income and personality, older people were still happier. In particular, they were more calm, quiet and appreciative, and less concerned and anxious.
老年人理性而准确地表示，他们比年轻人面临的风险更大。但令人惊讶的是，他们也报告说，与年轻人相比，他们经历了更多的积极情绪，更少的消极情绪。即使研究人员控制了收入和性格等其他因素，老年人仍然更快乐。特别是，他们更平静、安静和感恩，更少担心和焦虑。
The results suggest that older people aren’t happier just because they’re better at avoiding stress—Covid-19 is stressful for everyone. But it’s not so clear just what is responsible. Prof. Carstensen suggests that when there is less time ahead of us, we focus more on the positive parts of the time we have left. As we sometimes sigh when we dodge a conflict, “life is too short”—and it gets shorter as we get older.
研究结果表明，老年人之所以更快乐，并不是因为他们能更好地避免压力，因为新冠疫情对每个人都会造成压力。但究竟是什么原因让老年人更快乐还不太清楚。卡斯滕森教授表示，当我们人生的时间越来越少时，我们会更多地关注剩下的积极部分。正如我们有时在躲避冲突时所感叹的那样，“生命太短”——随着年龄的增长，生命会越来越短。
Another possibility is that in later life we play a different social role. Those later years may be adapted to allow us to care and teach. Instead of striving to get mates and resources and a place in the pecking order, older people can focus on helping the next generation. We take care of others and pass on our resources, skills and knowledge, instead of working for our own success. As a result, we may be released from the intense emotions and motivations that drive us in our earlier lives.
另一种可能性是，在晚年的生活中，我们扮演着不同的社会角色。晚年可能会调整，让我们能够关心和教导别人。老年人可以专注于帮助下一代，而不是努力获得配偶、资源和地位。我们照顾他人，传递我们的资源、技能和知识，而不是为自己的成功而努力。因此，我们可能会从早年驱使我们的强烈情绪和动机中解脱出来。