For thousands of years,people have been debating the meaning of happiness and how to find it. From
the ancient Greeks and Romans to current day writers and professors,the debate about happiness
continues. hat makes some happy? In what parts of the world are people the happiest? Why even study
happiness? The Greek philosopher Aristotle said that a person's highest happiness comes from the use of
his or her intelligence. Religious books such as the Koran and Bible discuss faith as a form of happiness.
The British scientist Charles Darwin believed that all species were formed in a way so as to enjoy
happiness. People throughout history may have had different ideas about happiness. But today,many
people are still searching for its meaning.
How do you study something like happiness? You could start with the World Database of Happiness at Erasmus University in Rotterdam,the Netherlands. This set of information includes how to define and
measure happiness. Some findings are not surprising. For example,the database suggests that married
people are happier than single people. Peoplewho like to be with other people are happier than unsocial
people. But other findings are less expected: People with children are equally happy as couples without
children. And wealthier people are only a little happier than poorer people.
Positive psychology is the new term for a method of scientific study that tries to examine the things that make life worth living instead of life's problems. Traditional psychology generally studies negative situations like mental suffering and sickness. But positive psychology aims to study the strengths that allow people
and communities to do well. Thereis also an increasing amount of medical research on the physical qualities of happiness. Doctors can now look at happiness at work in a person's brain using a method called
magnetic resonance imaging (核磁共振成像),or MRI. For example,an MRI can show how one area of a person's brain activates when he or she is shown happy pictures. A different area of the brain becomes
active when the person sees pictures of terrible subjects.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A. People are searching for the meaning of happiness.
B. Happiness is an everlasting topic for discussion.
C. Current day scholars are debating about how to make people happy.
D. People have begun to realize the importance of understanding happiness.
2. The Bible tells us happiness comes from ________.
A. the application of one's intelligence
B. the strong belief in religion
C. a certain degree of good faith
D. the trust in one's ability
3. The findings of the database imply that couples without children are ________.
A. as happy as people with children
B. less happy than people with children
C. happier than unsocial people
D. a little happier than wealthier people
4. As an approach of scientific study,positive psychology focuses on ________.
A. mental suffering
B. psychological sickness
C. examining what makes life worth living
D. strengths that enable people to succeed
5. MRI is used in the study of happiness in order to ________.
A. find out the physical quantities of happiness
B. look at the images formed in people's brain
C. study the reaction of the brain to happiness
D. understand the pictures of terrible subjects
