What Makes a Good Attitude?

Lowell Lamberton, Leslie Minor

    1  Happiness is an attitude, the one attitude that most people strive for. Recent studies have shown that we can choose to have a happy attitude. Whether or not we are happy has little to do with the traditional factors we have usually connected with happiness. Happiness doesn’t seem to have much to do with amount of money, age, gender, or occupation. In a  ten-year study at the National Institute on Aging, researchers found that regardless of the changes in occupation, marital status, or location, people who were happy at the beginning of the study were also happy at the end, ten years later.

    2  What makes a positive, happy attitude? Psychologist Dr. David Myers lists four characteristics that all happy people seem to have in common: 

    3  1. Healthy Self-esteem. Love yourself, and you will be happy. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The point is that whatever works to increase your self-esteem will be the same strategies that will improve your overall attitude of happiness.

    4  2. Optimism. Happy people are hope-filled. Several studies have shown that optimistic people are both happier and physically healthier than less optimistic people. In contrast, Harvard graduates who were the most pessimistic when they were interviewed in 1946 were also the least healthy of those interviewed 34 years later, in 1980.

    5  3. Extroversion. Happy people are outgoing. An extrovert is a person whose behavior is directed outward towards others, or as Carl Jung says, to objects in the external world. Notice, though, that this factor is also very directly related to the level of self-esteem. People who feel comfortable in new situations and who feel certain that others will accept them are usually people with relatively high self-esteem.

    6  4. Personal Control. Happy people control their own destinies. They control their own futures. They plan, and they manage their time well. When someone else controls your choices, either large or small, happiness is diminished. Studies with prison inmates have shown that when even small freedoms were given, such as allowing them to arrange their own furniture, attitudes were much more positive.

    7  These characteristics of happy, positive people are helpful to know, but there are specific actions you can take to achieve a more positive attitude. Dr. Myers says that by acting happy, you can actually help yourself become happy. Does that sound too simple? An important truth to remember is that when things happen to us, as they do every day — things over which we have little control — we choose how we are going to react. Many of us are quick to blame the other person, the situation, or own physical condition. But we make the choice. Myers is simply suggesting that making the choice to act happy, and doing so on a regular basis, will go a long way to improve our overall attitude. 

(437 words)

1. Happiness is an attitude, the one attitude that most people strive for. 

快乐是一种心态：是大多数人所努力追求的那种心态。

本句中的 one 为形容词，意为 “特定的，唯一的” 。 the one attitude that most people strive for 可以看作是对上文 an attitude 所作的解释。

2. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? 

这听上去很简单,对不对?

本句中的主语it被省略了。这种情况在口语中较常见。

3. The point is that whatever works to increase your self-esteem will be the same strategies that will improve your overall attitude of happiness. 

关键是任何行之有效的增强自尊的方法都会同样成为增进你总体快乐心态的策略。

whatever 一词可以用作连接代词，在句中作主语、宾语等，也可以用作起连接作用的形容词，如：Whatever requests you make will be granted. 无论你提出什么要求都会答应你。

4. When someone else controls your choices, either large or small, happiness is diminished. 

当别的人控制你的选择时，不管是大的还是小的选择，快乐就会减少。

英语中使用成对的形容词作定语时，如本句中的 either large or small ，常可后置。

5. These characteristics of happy, positive people are helpful to know, ... 

了解快乐达观者的这些特点是有帮助的……  

有些形容词后可接不定式，它跟主语可以是动宾关系(如本句)，也可以是主谓关系。又如： Some ball games are very interesting to watch.有些球类运动看起来很有趣。(动宾关系) │ He is sure to come. ?他肯定会来。(主谓关系)

6. An important truth to remember is that when things happen to us, as they do every day — things over which we have little control — we choose how we are going to react. 

应当记住的一个重要事实是，当事情——我们几乎无法控制的一些事情——发生在我们身上时，就像每天都会发生的那样，我们就要选择如何作出反应。

连接词 as 引导的是一个表示方式的状语从句，表示事情以何种方式发生； things over which we have little control 进一步说明上文 things 的特点， over which we have little control 为定语从句，英语中 have little control over 意为 “对…几乎控制不了” 。

7. Myers is simply suggesting that making the choice to act happy, and doing so on a regular basis, will go a long way to improve our overall attitude. 

迈尔斯只是建议说，选择开开心心地做事，并且经常这么做，就会大大有助于改善我们的总体心态。

短语 act happy 中的 act 一词意为 “举止，表现” ，可理解为连系动词，后面可以跟strange ， stupid 等形容词作表语。