ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Emily Esfahani Smith - Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness.

Why you should listen

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness. In her book and TED Talk, she argues that we're chasing the wrong goal -- a life of meaning, not happiness, should be our aim.

Our culture is obsessed with happiness. Even though we devote vast amounts of time and resources trying to be happier, many of us feel aimless and alienated nonetheless. With depression and loneliness trending upward for decades and the suicide rate rising around the world -- recently reaching a 30-year high in the United States -- it's clear that something is wrong. In recent years, social scientists have been trying to understand what exactly the problem is. What they've found is striking. What predicts the rising tide of despair sweeping across society is not a lack of happiness. It's a lack of something else -- a lack of having meaning in life. In fact, chasing and valuing happiness, the way our culture encourages us to do, can actually make people unhappy.

This set Smith on a journey to understand what constitutes a meaningful life. After extensive research and reporting, she came to see that there are four pillars of a meaningful life -- and she lays them out in her TED Talk. Ultimately, she discovered that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness -- and we all have the power to build more meaning in our lives.

Smith's articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Atlantic. The former managing editor of The New Criterion, Smith is also an editor at the Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where she advises the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build meaning in local communities.  

More profile about the speaker
Emily Esfahani Smith | Speaker | TED.com
TED2017

Emily Esfahani Smith: There's more to life than being happy

艾米丽·伊斯法罕·史密斯: 生活不仅仅是快乐

Filmed:
8,815,535 views

我们的社会文化痴迷于追寻快乐,但有比追寻快乐更能让人生感到充实的道路。作家艾米丽·伊斯法罕·史密斯认为快乐来来去去,献身于高于自我的事物、塑造更好的自己能让你不迷失自我。听听艾米丽·伊斯法罕·史密斯所说的构成有意义人生的四大支柱,分清追寻快乐的人生与有意义的人生有什么区别。
- Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I used to think
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我曾经认为
00:14
the whole整个 purpose目的 of life
was pursuing追求 happiness幸福.
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人生的意义便是追寻快乐。
世人普遍认为
成功是通往幸福的道路,
00:18
Everyone大家 said the path路径
to happiness幸福 was success成功,
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00:22
so I searched搜索 for that ideal理想 job工作,
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因此我寻找理想的工作,
00:24
that perfect完善 boyfriend男朋友,
that beautiful美丽 apartment公寓.
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完美的伴侣还有舒适的住处。
00:28
But instead代替 of ever feeling感觉 fulfilled完成,
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可我非但没有感到充实,
00:32
I felt anxious and adrift漂浮.
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反而感到焦虑迷茫。
这种情况不止发生在我身上 ,
我身边的朋友也一样。
00:35
And I wasn't alone单独; my friends朋友 --
they struggled挣扎 with this, too.
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00:40
Eventually终于, I decided决定 to go
to graduate毕业 school学校 for positive psychology心理学
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最终我决定去研修
“积极心理学”,
00:45
to learn学习 what truly makes品牌 people happy快乐.
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去研究什么才能让人们
感到真正幸福。
00:48
But what I discovered发现 there
changed my life.
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我的成果改变了我的人生。
00:52
The data数据 showed显示 that chasing happiness幸福
can make people unhappy不快乐.
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数据显示一味寻求快乐
反而得不到快乐。
00:57
And what really struck来袭 me was this:
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同时让我震惊的是:
01:01
the suicide自杀 rate has been rising升起
around the world世界,
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全球的自杀率都在上升,
01:03
and it recently最近 reached到达
a 30-year-年 high in America美国.
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最近美国的自杀率达到了
30年来的最高峰。
01:07
Even though虽然 life is getting得到
objectively客观地 better
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但事实上人们的生活水平
01:10
by nearly几乎 every一切 conceivable可以想象 standard标准,
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在你能想到的领域上都有所提升,
01:13
more people feel hopeless绝望,
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越来越多的人感到绝望,
01:15
depressed郁闷 and alone单独.
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抑郁以及孤独。
即使你不是抑郁症患者,
也能感受到
01:18
There's an emptiness空虚
gnawing away at people,
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01:21
and you don't have to be
clinically临床 depressed郁闷 to feel it.
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空虚感正侵蚀着我们的内心。
01:24
Sooner迟早 or later后来, I think we all wonder奇迹:
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迟早,我们都会疑惑:
01:27
Is this all there is?
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人生就是如此了吗?
01:31
And according根据 to the research研究,
what predicts预测 this despair绝望
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研究显示造成这种绝望感的
01:34
is not a lack缺乏 of happiness幸福.
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并不是生活缺乏快乐。
01:36
It's a lack缺乏 of something else其他,
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而是因为生命缺少了
01:38
a lack缺乏 of having meaning含义 in life.
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人生的意义。
01:42
But that raised上调 some questions问题 for me.
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因此我思索
01:45
Is there more to life than being存在 happy快乐?
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人生除了快乐还有什么
更重要的事情?
01:49
And what's the difference区别
between之间 being存在 happy快乐
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以及快乐的人生与
01:51
and having meaning含义 in life?
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有意义的人生有什么不同?
01:54
Many许多 psychologists心理学家 define确定 happiness幸福
as a state of comfort安慰 and ease缓解,
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很多心理学家把快乐定义为
一种安心舒适的状态,
01:59
feeling感觉 good in the moment时刻.
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在当下感到开心。
02:02
Meaning含义, though虽然, is deeper更深.
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意义则有更深的含义。
02:04
The renowned闻名 psychologist心理学家
Martin马丁 Seligman塞利格曼 says
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著名的心理学家马丁·赛里格曼认为
02:06
meaning含义 comes from belonging属于 to
and serving服务 something beyond yourself你自己
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意义来源于归属和献身
高于自我的事物
02:11
and from developing发展 the best最好 within you.
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还有塑造最好的自己。
02:15
Our culture文化 is obsessed痴迷 with happiness幸福,
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我们的文化醉心于寻求快乐,
02:18
but I came来了 to see that seeking meaning含义
is the more fulfilling履行 path路径.
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但我意识到寻求意义更
能让你有满足感。
02:22
And the studies学习 show显示 that people
who have meaning含义 in life,
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研究显示有意义的人生
02:25
they're more resilient弹性,
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让人更变得更坚毅,
02:26
they do better in school学校 and at work,
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在学业和事业上更成功,
02:29
and they even live生活 longer.
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寿命也更长。
02:31
So this all made制作 me wonder奇迹:
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这一切都让我思考:
02:34
How can we each live生活 more meaningfully有意义?
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如何才能让人生更有意义?
02:37
To find out, I spent花费 five years年份
interviewing面试 hundreds数以百计 of people
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为了找出答案,
我在五年间采访了几百余人
02:41
and reading through通过 thousands数千
of pages网页 of psychology心理学,
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并翻阅了浩海如烟的心理学,
02:44
neuroscience神经科学 and philosophy哲学.
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神经系统学和哲学文献。
02:47
Bringing it all together一起,
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经过所有这些努力,
02:49
I found发现 that there are what I call
four pillars支柱 of a meaningful富有意义的 life.
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我发现构成有意义的人生
需要四大支柱。
02:54
And we can each create创建 lives生活 of meaning含义
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只要我们能构建全部
或部分支柱。
02:57
by building建造 some or all
of these pillars支柱 in our lives生活.
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我们所有人都能拥有
有意义的人生。
03:01
The first pillar支柱 is belonging属于.
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第一大支柱便是:归属感。
03:04
Belonging归属 comes
from being存在 in relationships关系
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归属感来源于人际关系中
03:06
where you're valued价值
for who you are intrinsically本质
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你的内在价值在哪里,
03:09
and where you value others其他 as well.
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以及同时你对别人的价值认可。
03:12
But some groups and relationships关系
deliver交付 a cheap低廉 form形成 of belonging属于;
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但某些组织和人际关系
给予廉价的归属感;
03:16
you're valued价值 for what you believe,
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你的价值在于你的信仰,
03:18
for who you hate讨厌,
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在于你讨厌谁,
03:20
not for who you are.
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而不是你是谁。
03:22
True真正 belonging属于 springs弹簧 from love.
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真正的归属感来源于爱。
03:25
It lives生活 in moments瞬间 among其中 individuals个人,
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它时时刻刻都萦绕在你身边,
03:28
and it's a choice选择 -- you can choose选择
to cultivate培育 belonging属于 with others其他.
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这是个选择——你可以选择
跟谁培养归属感。
03:32
Here's这里的 an example.
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举一个例子。
03:34
Each morning早上, my friend朋友 Jonathan乔纳森
buys购买 a newspaper报纸
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我的朋友乔纳森每天都在
纽约同一家
03:37
from the same相同 street vendor供应商 in New York纽约.
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小店里买报纸。
03:40
They don't just conduct进行
a transaction交易, though虽然.
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他和店主不止是商业交易。
03:42
They take a moment时刻 to slow down, talk,
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他们会花点时间聊聊天,
03:45
and treat对待 each other like humans人类.
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很亲切地对待对方。
03:48
But one time, Jonathan乔纳森
didn't have the right change更改,
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有一次乔纳森没有零钱,
03:51
and the vendor供应商 said,
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店主就说,
03:52
"Don't worry担心 about it."
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“没事,不用付了”
03:54
But Jonathan乔纳森 insisted坚持 on paying付款,
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但乔纳森坚持付钱,
03:56
so he went to the store商店
and bought something he didn't need
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为了换零钱他去店里买了些
03:59
to make change更改.
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他不用的东西。
04:01
But when he gave the money to the vendor供应商,
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当他把钱给店主的时候,
04:04
the vendor供应商 drew德鲁 back.
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店主拒绝了。
04:06
He was hurt伤害.
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他心里很受伤。
04:08
He was trying to do something kind,
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他本想慷慨对人,
04:10
but Jonathan乔纳森 had rejected拒绝 him.
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但乔纳森拒绝了他的好意。
04:14
I think we all reject拒绝 people in small ways方法
like this without realizing实现 it.
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我想我们都会在无意中伤害他人。
04:18
I do.
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我也如此。
04:19
I'll walk步行 by someone有人 I know
and barely仅仅 acknowledge确认 them.
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我有时撞见我认识的人却没打招呼。
04:22
I'll check my phone电话
when someone's谁家 talking to me.
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有时候我在别人和我说话时看手机。
04:25
These acts行为 devalue贬值 others其他.
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这种做法贬低了他人。
04:27
They make them feel
invisible无形 and unworthy不值得.
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让他们觉得自己没有存在感和价值。
04:31
But when you lead with love,
you create创建 a bond
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但当你用爱联系他人,你建立的纽带
04:33
that lifts升降机 each of you up.
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就激励了你们双方。
04:37
For many许多 people, belonging属于
is the most essential必要 source资源 of meaning含义,
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对很多人来说,归属感是人生意义的
最重要来源,
04:40
those bonds债券 to family家庭 and friends朋友.
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那些与家人和朋友的纽带。
04:43
For others其他, the key to meaning含义
is the second第二 pillar支柱: purpose目的.
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而对其他人而言,意义的关键来源
的第二大支柱是:人生目的。
04:47
Now, finding发现 your purpose目的
is not the same相同 thing
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找到人生目的
04:50
as finding发现 that job工作 that makes品牌 you happy快乐.
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和找到让你快乐的工作不一样。
04:53
Purpose目的 is less about what you want
than about what you give.
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人生目的并不在于你所得
而在于你所给。
04:57
A hospital醫院 custodian保管人 told me
her purpose目的 is healing复原 sick生病 people.
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一位医院的管理员说他的人生目的
就是治愈病患。
05:01
Many许多 parents父母 tell me,
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很多家长会说人生目的是
05:03
"My purpose目的 is raising提高 my children孩子."
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“养育自己的孩子”。
05:05
The key to purpose目的
is using运用 your strengths优势 to serve服务 others其他.
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人生目的意味着尽自己的能力去
帮助他人。
05:10
Of course课程, for many许多 of us,
that happens发生 through通过 work.
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当然对很多人来说,我们通过工作
来实现人生目的。
05:13
That's how we contribute有助于 and feel needed需要.
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这是我们的贡献,也是感到被需要的方式。
05:16
But that also means手段
that issues问题 like disengagement解脱 at work,
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但这也同时说明工作中的疏离问题,
05:20
unemployment失业,
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失业,
05:22
low labor劳动 force participation参与 --
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低劳动参与率——
05:24
these aren't just economic经济 problems问题,
they're existential存在 ones那些, too.
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不仅是经济问题也是
关乎生死存亡的问题。
05:28
Without没有 something worthwhile合算 to do,
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没有值得做的事情,
05:31
people flounder比目鱼.
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人们就会陷入困境。
05:33
Of course课程, you don't have to find
purpose目的 at work,
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当然不一定非得做份
满足人生目的工作,
05:36
but purpose目的 gives you
something to live生活 for,
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但目的给了你活着的意义,
05:38
some "why" that drives驱动器 you forward前锋.
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这些“为什么”能让你坚持走下去。
05:43
The third第三 pillar支柱 of meaning含义
is also about stepping步进 beyond yourself你自己,
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第三大支柱同样跟超越自我有关。
05:46
but in a completely全然 different不同 way:
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但方式完全不一样
05:48
transcendence超越.
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那就是超验。
05:49
Transcendent超越 states状态 are those rare罕见 moments瞬间
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超验的状态非常罕有,
05:52
when you're lifted取消 above以上
the hustle喧嚣 and bustle忙碌 of daily日常 life,
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那一刻你忘却了日常中的繁琐喧嚣,
05:55
your sense of self fades away,
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进入忘我的状态,
05:57
and you feel connected连接的
to a higher更高 reality现实.
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你感到自己与更高
的真实世界相连。
06:01
For one person I talked to,
transcendence超越 came来了 from seeing眼看 art艺术.
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我聊过的某个人说他欣赏艺术时
便会进入超验状态。
06:04
For another另一个 person, it was at church教会.
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另一个说进入教堂时会如此。
06:07
For me, I'm a writer作家,
and it happens发生 through通过 writing写作.
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对我来说,作为作家,
这会发生在我写作时。
06:11
Sometimes有时 I get so in the zone
that I lose失去 all sense of time and place地点.
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有时候我太投入了,以致忘记时间流逝,
忘记身处何处。
06:16
These transcendent超然
experiences经验 can change更改 you.
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这些超验的体验能真的改变你。
06:19
One study研究 had students学生们 look up
at 200-feet-tall-feet高的 eucalyptus桉树 trees树木
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有个让学生们仰视200英尺
(约61米)的桉树
06:24
for one minute分钟.
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一分钟的实验。
06:26
But afterwards之后
they felt less self-centered以自我为中心,
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在这之后,他们会感到更少的自我,
06:28
and they even behaved more generously慷慨
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有机会帮助他人时
06:30
when given特定 the chance机会 to help someone有人.
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会变得更慷慨。
06:33
Belonging归属, purpose目的, transcendence超越.
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归属感,人生目的,超验。
06:38
Now, the fourth第四 pillar支柱
of meaning含义, I've found发现,
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第四个构成意义的支柱,
06:41
tends趋向 to surprise people.
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让人意想不到。
06:43
The fourth第四 pillar支柱 is storytelling评书,
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那就是讲故事。
06:46
the story故事 you tell yourself你自己
about yourself你自己.
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向自己讲述自己的故事。
06:49
Creating创建 a narrative叙述 from the events事件
of your life brings带来 clarity明晰.
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从生活事件中提炼出故事
让你更加清晰。
06:53
It helps帮助 you understand理解
how you became成为 you.
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帮助你理解你如何成为你自己。
06:57
But we don't always realize实现
that we're the authors作者 of our stories故事
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人们总是忽视我们是故事的作者,
07:00
and can change更改 the way we're telling告诉 them.
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可以改变讲故事的方式。
07:02
Your life isn't just a list名单 of events事件.
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人生不只是一连串事件。
07:05
You can edit编辑, interpret
and retell复述 your story故事,
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虽然发生的事情不可改变,
07:08
even as you're constrained受限 by the facts事实.
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但你可以编辑、解释和复述你的故事。
07:11
I met会见 a young年轻 man named命名 Emeka埃梅卡,
who'd谁愿意 been paralyzed playing播放 football足球.
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我曾遇到一个叫艾马卡的年轻人
他因打橄榄球而受伤瘫痪了。
07:16
After his injury, Emeka埃梅卡 told himself他自己,
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他受伤后不断告诉自己,
07:19
"My life was great playing播放 football足球,
140
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“我曾经是打橄榄球的好手,
07:22
but now look at me."
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可你看看我现在的样子。“
07:26
People who tell stories故事 like this --
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人们经常用这样的基调讲故事——
07:28
"My life was good. Now it's bad." --
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“我生活曾经美满,现在很糟糕。”
07:30
tend趋向 to be more anxious and depressed郁闷.
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这样只会让人更焦躁和抑郁。
07:33
And that was Emeka埃梅卡 for a while.
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艾马卡过去有一阵就这样子。
07:36
But with time, he started开始
to weave编织 a different不同 story故事.
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但一段时间后,他开始
讲述不一样的故事。
07:40
His new story故事 was,
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他的新故事是:
07:42
"Before my injury,
my life was purposeless漫无目的.
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”我受伤前,人生并没有什么目的 。
07:45
I partied了宴会 a lot and was
a pretty漂亮 selfish自私 guy.
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我整日游乐,十分自私。
07:48
But my injury made制作 me realize实现
I could be a better man."
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受伤后我意识到我可以
变成更好的自己。”
07:53
That edit编辑 to his story故事
changed Emeka's埃梅卡的 life.
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这样的讲述改变了他的生活。
07:57
After telling告诉 the new story故事 to himself他自己,
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在重述了自己的故事后,
07:59
Emeka埃梅卡 started开始 mentoring师徒 kids孩子,
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他开始指导孩子们,
08:01
and he discovered发现 what his purpose目的 was:
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并且还发现了自己的人生目的是:
08:03
serving服务 others其他.
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帮助他人。
08:06
The psychologist心理学家 Dan McAdams麦克亚当斯
calls电话 this a "redemptive救赎 story故事,"
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心理学家丹·麦克亚当把这种行为
叫做“救赎性故事”,
08:09
where the bad is redeemed赎回 by the good.
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用好的来救赎不好的。
08:12
People leading领导 meaningful富有意义的
lives生活, he's found发现,
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他发现,过着有意义人生的人
08:14
tend趋向 to tell stories故事 about their lives生活
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说的故事通常都是
08:16
defined定义 by redemption赎回, growth发展 and love.
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由救赎、成长、爱来定义的。
08:20
But what makes品牌 people
change更改 their stories故事?
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是什么让人们改变了
他们的故事?
08:23
Some people get help from a therapist治疗师,
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有些人从心理疗师那得到了帮助,
08:25
but you can do it on your own拥有, too,
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但你也可以完全依靠自己。
08:27
just by reflecting反映
on your life thoughtfully沉思地,
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只需仔细地反思你的生活,
08:30
how your defining确定 experiences经验 shaped成形 you,
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那些塑造你的经历,
08:32
what you lost丢失, what you gained获得.
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你所失去和你所得到的东西。
08:34
That's what Emeka埃梅卡 did.
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艾马卡就是这么做的。
08:37
You won't惯于 change更改 your story故事 overnight过夜;
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你不可能一夜之间
改变自己的故事。
08:39
it could take years年份 and be painful痛苦.
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这可能要经历多年的痛苦挣扎。
08:41
After all, we've我们已经 all suffered遭遇,
and we all struggle斗争.
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毕竟,我们都经历过
苦难,都挣扎过。
08:44
But embracing拥抱 those painful痛苦 memories回忆
can lead to new insights见解 and wisdom智慧,
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但接纳这些痛苦的回忆会让
我们有新的见解和智慧,
08:49
to finding发现 that good that sustains维持 you.
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去找到支撑你的好东西。
08:54
Belonging归属, purpose目的,
transcendence超越, storytelling评书:
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归属感,人生目的,超验,讲故事:
08:59
those are the four pillars支柱 of meaning含义.
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这就是构成有意义人生的四大支柱。
09:03
When I was younger更年轻,
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当我还小时,
09:05
I was lucky幸运 enough足够 to be surrounded包围
by all of the pillars支柱.
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我很幸运地被所有的四大支柱围绕。
09:09
My parents父母 ran a Sufi苏菲 meetinghouse会议室
from our home in Montreal蒙特利尔.
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我父母在蒙特利尔的家
开了个苏非派礼拜堂。
09:14
Sufism苏非主义 is a spiritual精神 practice实践
associated相关 with the whirling旋转 dervishes苦行僧
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苏非主义是一种与诗人鲁米
和苦行有关的
09:19
and the poet诗人 Rumi鲁米.
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心灵修炼。
09:21
Twice两次 a week, Sufis苏菲 would come to our home
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苏菲教徒们每周两次来到我家
09:24
to meditate幽思, drink Persian波斯语 tea,
and share分享 stories故事.
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冥想,喝波斯茶,分享故事。
09:28
Their practice实践 also involved参与
serving服务 all of creation创建
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他们的修行还包括做微小的善事
09:31
through通过 small acts行为 of love,
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来帮助世间万物,
09:33
which哪一个 meant意味着 being存在 kind
even when people wronged委屈 you.
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这意味着即使别人误解你,
你也要善良对人。
09:36
But it gave them a purpose目的:
to reign统治 in the ego自我.
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这给他们了人生目的:约束自我。
09:40
Eventually终于, I left home for college学院
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最后,我离家去读大学,
09:43
and without the daily日常 grounding接地
of Sufism苏非主义 in my life,
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并且日常生活中没有了苏非主义,
09:47
I felt unmooredunmoored.
188
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我感到生活没了重心。
09:48
And I started开始 searching搜索 for those things
that make life worth价值 living活的.
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于是我开始寻找如何过有意义的人生。
09:52
That's what set me on this journey旅程.
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这样我才开始了这段人生旅途。
09:55
Looking back, I now realize实现
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回首过去,我意识到
09:56
that the Sufi苏菲 house
had a real真实 culture文化 of meaning含义.
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苏非礼拜堂充盈着真的的文化意义。
10:00
The pillars支柱 were part部分 of the architecture建筑,
193
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这些支柱是结构的一部分,
10:02
and the presence存在 of the pillars支柱
helped帮助 us all live生活 more deeply.
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这些支柱的存在帮助
我们更深入生活。
10:06
Of course课程, the same相同 principle原理 applies适用
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当然这样的法则也适用于
10:08
in other strong强大 communities社区 as well --
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其他强大的组织——
10:10
good ones那些 and bad ones那些.
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好的或坏的组织。
10:13
Gangs团伙, cults邪教:
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黑帮,邪教:
10:15
these are cultures文化 of meaning含义
that use the pillars支柱
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它们同样提供了文化上的意义支柱,
10:18
and give people
something to live生活 and die for.
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给了人们为之生,为之死的东西。
10:22
But that's exactly究竟 why we as a society社会
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因此社会更应该
10:24
must必须 offer提供 better alternatives备择方案.
202
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给予更好的替代。
10:27
We need to build建立 these pillars支柱
within our families家庭 and our institutions机构
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我们应该在我们的家庭和机构里
建设这些有意义的支柱,
10:30
to help people become成为 their best最好 selves自我.
204
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来让人们成为最好的自己。
10:34
But living活的 a meaningful富有意义的 life takes work.
205
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但要过有意义的人生需要努力。
10:37
It's an ongoing不断的 process处理.
206
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这是一个连续不断的过程。
10:39
As each day goes by,
we're constantly经常 creating创建 our lives生活,
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每天我们都在书写自己的人生,
10:42
adding加入 to our story故事.
208
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加入新的故事。
10:44
And sometimes有时 we can get off track跟踪.
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有时我们会偏离正轨。
10:48
Whenever每当 that happens发生 to me,
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1911
每当那发生在我身上时,
10:50
I remember记得 a powerful强大 experience经验
I had with my father父亲.
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我会回想我与父亲间
的一个重要谈话。
10:55
Several一些 months个月 after
I graduated毕业 from college学院,
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就在我大学毕业几个月后,
10:58
my dad had a massive大规模的 heart attack攻击
that should have killed杀害 him.
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我的父亲心脏病发作,这差点让他离世。
11:03
He survived幸存, and when I asked him
what was going through通过 his mind心神
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但他活下来了,之后我问他面临死亡时
11:06
as he faced面对 death死亡,
215
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他在想什么,
11:07
he said all he could think about
was needing需要 to live生活
216
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他说他满脑子想的都是活下去,
11:10
so he could be there
for my brother哥哥 and me,
217
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这样才能陪在我哥哥和我身边,
11:12
and this gave him the will
to fight斗争 for life.
218
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这给了他努力活下去的信念。
11:16
When he went under anesthesia麻醉
for emergency surgery手术,
219
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当他被麻醉进行紧急手术的时候,
11:19
instead代替 of counting数数 backwards向后 from 10,
220
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他不是倒念10,而是重复
11:21
he repeated重复 our names like a mantra口头禅.
221
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我和哥哥的名字当做祷语。
11:25
He wanted our names to be
the last words he spoke on earth地球
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如果他死了,他希望我们的名字
11:29
if he died死亡.
223
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是他最后的话语。
11:33
My dad is a carpenter木匠 and a Sufi苏菲.
224
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我父亲是一个木匠和苏非教徒。
11:37
It's a humble谦卑 life,
225
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过着谦卑的生活,
11:38
but a good life.
226
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但也是一个美好的生活。
11:40
Lying说谎 there facing面对 death死亡,
he had a reason原因 to live生活:
227
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当面对死亡时,他有活下去的理由:
11:44
love.
228
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爱。
11:45
His sense of belonging属于 within his family家庭,
229
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2451
他对家里的归属感,
11:48
his purpose目的 as a dad,
230
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他作为父亲的人生目的,
11:50
his transcendent超然 meditation冥想,
repeating重复 our names --
231
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他念我们的名字时的超验冥想——
11:53
these, he says, are the reasons原因
why he survived幸存.
232
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他说这就是他活下来的原因。
11:56
That's the story故事 he tells告诉 himself他自己.
233
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他就是这样讲述自己故事的。
11:59
That's the power功率 of meaning含义.
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这就是人生意义的力量。
12:02
Happiness幸福 comes and goes.
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快乐来来去去。
12:05
But when life is really good
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当生活一切顺利,
12:07
and when things are really bad,
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或者遭遇不幸时,
12:09
having meaning含义 gives you
something to hold保持 on to.
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有意义会让你坚持下去。
12:12
Thank you.
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谢谢大家。
12:13
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Dian LYU
Reviewed by psjmz mz

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Emily Esfahani Smith - Journalist, author
In her book "The Power of Meaning," Emily Esfahani Smith rounds up the latest research -- and the stories of fascinating people she interviewed -- to argue that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness.

Why you should listen

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness. In her book and TED Talk, she argues that we're chasing the wrong goal -- a life of meaning, not happiness, should be our aim.

Our culture is obsessed with happiness. Even though we devote vast amounts of time and resources trying to be happier, many of us feel aimless and alienated nonetheless. With depression and loneliness trending upward for decades and the suicide rate rising around the world -- recently reaching a 30-year high in the United States -- it's clear that something is wrong. In recent years, social scientists have been trying to understand what exactly the problem is. What they've found is striking. What predicts the rising tide of despair sweeping across society is not a lack of happiness. It's a lack of something else -- a lack of having meaning in life. In fact, chasing and valuing happiness, the way our culture encourages us to do, can actually make people unhappy.

This set Smith on a journey to understand what constitutes a meaningful life. After extensive research and reporting, she came to see that there are four pillars of a meaningful life -- and she lays them out in her TED Talk. Ultimately, she discovered that the search for meaning is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness -- and we all have the power to build more meaning in our lives.

Smith's articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Atlantic. The former managing editor of The New Criterion, Smith is also an editor at the Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where she advises the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build meaning in local communities.  

More profile about the speaker
Emily Esfahani Smith | Speaker | TED.com

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