If you think having loads of money, fetching looks, or the admiration of many will improve your life - think again. A new study by three University of Rochester researchers demonstrates that progress on these fronts can actually make a person less happy.

    "People understand that it's important to pursue goals in their lives and they believe that attaining these goals will have positive consequences. This study shows that this is not true for all goals," says author Edward Deci, professor of psychology and the Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University. "Even though our culture puts a strong emphasis on attaining wealth and fame, pursuing these goals does not contribute to having a satisfying life. The things that make your life happy are growing as an individual, having loving relationships, and contributing to your community," Deci says.

    The research paper, to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Research in Personality, tracked 147 alumni from two universities during their second year after graduation. Using in-depth psychological surveys, the researchers assessed participants in key areas, including satisfaction with life, self-esteem, anxiety, physical signs of stress, and the experience of positive and negative emotions.

    Aspirations were identified as either "intrinsic" or "extrinsic" by asking participants how much they valued having "deep, enduring relationships" and helping "others improve their lives" （intrinsic goals） versus being "a wealthy person" and achieving "the look I've been after" （extrinsic goals）. Respondents also reported the degree to which they had attained these goals. To track progress, the survey was administered twice, once a year after graduation and again 12 months later.

    This post-graduation period was selected because it is typically a critical developmental juncture for young adults, explains lead author Christopher Niemiec, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University. "During this formative period, graduates are no longer in the home or at the university. For the first time, they are in a position to determine for themselves how they want their lives to proceed."

    As with earlier research, the study confirmed that the more committed an individual is to a goal, the greater the likelihood of success. But unlike previous findings, this analysis showed that getting what one wants is not always salubrious. "There is a strong tradition in psychology that says if you value goals and attain them, wellness will follow," says Niemiec. "But these earlier studies did not consider the content of the goals."

    What's "striking and paradoxical" about this research, he says, is that it shows that reaching materialistic and image-related milestones actually contributes to ill-being; despite their accomplishments, individuals experience more negative emotions like shame and anger and more physical symptoms of anxiety such as headaches, stomachaches, and loss of energy. By contrast, individuals who value personal growth, close relationships, community involvement, and physical health are more satisfied as they meet success in those areas. They experience a deeper sense of well-being, more positive feelings toward themselves, richer connections with others, and fewer physical signs of stress.

    The findings in this study support Self-Determination Theory, a well-established theory of human motivation developed by two of the paper's authors, Deci and fellow University psychologist Richard Ryan. The theory holds that well-being depends in large part on meeting one's basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

    Intrinsic aspirations make people happy because they fulfill these foundational needs, conclude the authors. "Intrinsic aspirations seem to be more closely related to the self, to what's inside the self, rather than to what's outside the self," Niemiec explains.

    Striving for wealth and adulation, on the other hand, does little to satisfy these deep human requirements, at least within this early career stage of life. In addition, this was a well-educated sample, and the authors stress the need for research in other demographics and age ranges. Yet for this young adult group, the authors suggest that time devoted to extrinsic pursuits, like working long hours, often crowds out opportunities for psychologically nourishing experiences, such as relaxing with friends and family or pursuing a personal passion. Craving money and adoration also can lead to a preoccupation with "keeping up with the Joneses"-upward social comparisons that breed feelings of inadequacy and jealousy. And unlike the lasting benefits of caring relationships and hard-earned skills, the thrill of extrinsic accomplishments fade quickly; all too soon, the salary raise is a distant memory and the rave review forgotten.

    如果你認為有很多錢、迷人的外表或者受人欽佩會改善你的生活質量，那你得重新考慮一下了。羅切斯特大學3名研究人員的最新研究認為，達到這3種目標的過程實際上會讓人更不快樂。

    "人們理解在生活中最求目標是很重要的，他們相信達到這些目標會有積極的影響。這項研究表明，并不是所有的目標都有這樣的效果。"作者Edward Deci,該大學心理學教授和社會科學教授，說，"即使我們的文化很強調獲得財富和名望，但最求這些目標對有一個滿足的人生毫無幫組。讓你人生快樂的事是個人成長、友好的人際關系、對社區的貢獻。"

    這篇研究論文將發表在性格研究期刊的6月刊，跟蹤了2個大學的147名男校友，從他們畢業起兩年內。經過深入的心理學調查，研究人員在很多重要的方面評估參與者，包括對生活的滿足感、自尊感、憂慮感、對壓力的身體反應，以及對積極和消極情緒的感受。

    通過向參與者詢問他們對以下問題的價值觀"有深厚、長久的人際關系"和"幫組別人改善他們的生活";"成為富有的人"和"獲得最求的外表",目標被分為兩類，內在的和外在的，回答者同時要求報告他們達到這些目標的程度。為了跟蹤他們追求目標的過程，在他們畢業后，調查還會進行兩次，每年一次。

    主要作者Christopher Niemiec解釋到，選擇在畢業后這段時期進行調查，是因為對年輕人來的成長來說這通常是一個很關鍵的時期。Christopher Niemiec 是該大學的心理學博士候選人。"在這段逐漸成形的時期，畢業生不再呆在家里或學校。他們第一次站在這樣一個位置：自己決定他們想要過怎樣的生活。"

    研究證實，越是忠于目標的人，成功的可能性越大，這和早期的研究結果一致。但和之前的發現不一致的是，分析顯示得到想要的并不總是讓人愉快的。"在心理學上有一個很深的誤區，認為，如果你認為目標有價值并獲得成功，那你就會感到滿意" Niemiec 說，"但是這些早期的研究沒有考慮是什么目標"

    該項研究最顯著和出乎意料的地方是，研究表明獲得物質和外表方面的成功實際上產生不好的影響；盡管取得了成就，但他們卻感受到了消極的情緒，像羞愧和生氣，以及更多焦慮的身體癥狀，像頭疼、胃疼、無精打采。相反，認為個人成長、親密的人際關系、社區參與、身體健康更有價值的人會更滿足他們在這些方面取得的成功。他們感受到更深的幸福感、更多積極的感覺、與他人有更多的交往、更少的壓力感。

    該研究的成果支持自我決定理論，一個由論文的兩位作者Deci和該大學心理學研究員Richard Ryan發展起來的盛名已久的人類動機理論。該理論認為幸福主要依賴滿足一個人對自主權、能力和人際關系的基本的心理需求。

    作者得出結論，內在目標能夠讓人更快樂，是因為它們滿足了這些根本的需求。"內在目標似乎更接近自我，更接近自我內部的東西，而非自我外部的東西" Niemiec解釋到。

    相反，對財富和虛榮的最求對滿足這些深層的人性需求并沒有什么用，至少在人生的早期階段。此外，該研究只是基于一個受過良好教育的年輕人樣本，作者強調，需要對其他特征和年齡段的人群進行研究。對這些年輕人，作者建議，這些花在對外在事物最求上的時間，像長時間的工作，應該擠出來，更多的用于心理上的滋養，例如和朋友、家人一起放松，或者追求一些個人愛好。對錢和虛榮的追求也能導致盲目的攀比，從而導致不滿足和嫉妒。不像在意人際關系和努力獲得的能力那樣能產生持久的好處，外在成就的興奮感消失的很快。