Like many workers, Ivelisse Rivera, a physician at Community Health Center, Middletown, Conn., feels stressed-out by mounting workloads. And she didn't expect to get much help during her employer's annual staff meeting last November - just the usual speeches on medical issues.

    像很多上班族一樣，康涅狄格州Middletown市社區(qū)衛(wèi)生中心的醫(yī)生里韋拉（Ivelisse Rivera）被越來(lái)越多的工作壓得喘不過(guò)氣來(lái)。在去年11月單位召開(kāi)的年度員工大會(huì)上，她也沒(méi)有指望能得到多大的幫助，以為這次會(huì)議就是些關(guān)于醫(yī)療問(wèn)題的老生常談。

    Instead, she got a big dose of something new: Happiness coaching. Keynote speaker Shawn Achor - a former Harvard University researcher and former co-teacher of one of the university's most popular courses, Positive Psychology - extolled 90 listening employees to shake off dark moods at work by practicing such happiness-inducing techniques as meditation or expressing gratitude.

    但她獲得了某種新潁的"藥劑":快樂(lè)指導(dǎo)（happiness coaching）.主旨發(fā)言人是曾在哈佛大學(xué)（Harvard University）做過(guò)研究員、并與人一起講授該校熱門課程"積極心理學(xué)"的阿克爾（Shawn Achor）.他實(shí)施了冥想和表達(dá)感謝等快樂(lè)引導(dǎo)術(shù)，來(lái)激勵(lì)90位聽(tīng)課的員工擺脫工作中的灰暗情緒。

    To her surprise, Dr. Rivera says, she drove home filled with thoughts about cheering up; 'if I assume a negative attitude and complain all the time, whoever is working with me is going to feel the same way.'

    里韋拉說(shuō)，開(kāi)車回家的路上，她滿腦子都是怎樣振作起來(lái)的想法，這讓她很意外。她說(shuō)，如果我心態(tài)消極，一直不停地抱怨，誰(shuí)與我一起工作都會(huì)有同樣的感覺(jué)。

    Happiness coaching is seeping into the workplace. A growing number of employers, including UBS, American Express, KPMG and the law firm Goodwin Procter, have hired trainers who draw on psychological research, ancient religious traditions or both to inspire workers to take a more positive attitude - or at least a neutral one. Happiness-at-work coaching is the theme of a crop of new business books and a growing number of MBA-school courses.

    快樂(lè)指導(dǎo)課程正在進(jìn)入各種工作環(huán)境。越來(lái)越多的雇主都聘請(qǐng)了培訓(xùn)師，利用心理學(xué)研究成果、古代宗教傳統(tǒng)或兩者的融合，激勵(lì)員工擁有一種更加積極的心態(tài)，或至少是一種不消極的心態(tài)。這些雇主包括瑞銀（UBS）,美國(guó)運(yùn)通（American Express）,畢馬威（KPMG）,以及律師事務(wù)所Goodwin Procter.針對(duì)上班族的快樂(lè)指導(dǎo)是一大批商業(yè)類新書(shū)的主題，也是越來(lái)越多MBA課程的主題。

    Critics say that pushing positive thinking is just a way for companies to improve morale while they continue to burden employees with the threat of layoffs and an ever-increasing workload. Barbara Ehrenreich's recent book, 'Bright-sided,' blames 'positive thinking' for enabling people to avoid confronting a wide range of serious problems in the economy and workplace.

    批評(píng)者說(shuō)，公司推行積極思維，不過(guò)是為了讓員工在繼續(xù)承擔(dān)失業(yè)威脅和不斷加大的工作量之際，還能有更高的士氣。埃倫瑞奇（Barbara Ehrenreich）的新書(shū)《面向光明》（Bright-sided）指責(zé)說(shuō)，"積極思維"讓人們得以逃避面對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)和工作中的一系列重大問(wèn)題。

    Research shows that employees' positive attitudes can be good for business, too. A 2004 study of 60 business teams in the journal American Behavioral Scientist found teams with buoyant moods who encouraged each earned higher profit and better customer-satisfaction ratings. A 2001 study at the University of Michigan says people who are experiencing joy or contentment are able to think more broadly and creatively, accepting a wider variety of possible actions, than people with negative emotions. And a 2005 research survey in the Psychological Bulletin shows happier people miss work less often and receive more positive evaluations from bosses.

    研究顯示，員工的積極心態(tài)也可以對(duì)工作業(yè)績(jī)有益。《美國(guó)行為科學(xué)》雜志（American Behavioral Scientist）2004年發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)針對(duì)60個(gè)業(yè)務(wù)團(tuán)隊(duì)的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，擁有活躍氛圍并相互鼓舞的業(yè)務(wù)團(tuán)隊(duì)，利潤(rùn)和客戶滿意率都更高。密歇根大學(xué) （University of Michigan）2001年的一項(xiàng)研究說(shuō)，感覺(jué)愉悅或滿意的人，比情緒消極的人思路更加開(kāi)闊，更有創(chuàng)造性，所能接受的行動(dòng)選項(xiàng)也更多。2005年《心理學(xué)公報(bào)》（Psychological Bulletin）發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查研究也顯示，人越快樂(lè)，在工作中出現(xiàn)失誤的機(jī)會(huì)就越少，老板給予的評(píng)價(jià)也越積極。

    Of courses, coaches have long tried to instill proactive skills to help clients extract career or personal success from tough situations. What's different now is the emphasis on inner happiness, and controlling your own mood in the face of turbulence or misfortune .

    當(dāng)然，一直以來(lái)就有輔導(dǎo)師努力向客戶傳授一些積極的處事技能，幫助他們?cè)诶Ь持腥〉霉ぷ骰蛏�活的成功�？鞓?lè)指導(dǎo)的不同之處在于，它強(qiáng)調(diào)的是內(nèi)心的快樂(lè)，以及在面臨混亂或厄運(yùn)時(shí)控制自己的情緒。

    Indeed, the happiness coaches go beyond traditional positive-thinking approaches, taking new tacks that tend to ring true with workers. Some examples: Write e-mails to your co-workers every day thanking them for something they have done. Meditate daily to clear your mind. Do something for somebody without expecting anything in return. Write in a journal about things you are thankful for; look for traits you admire in people and compliment them. Focus on the process of your work, which you can control, rather than outcomes, which you can't. And don't immediately label events good or bad, but remain open to potentially positive outcomes of even the most seemingly negative events.

    事實(shí)上，快樂(lè)輔導(dǎo)師超越傳統(tǒng)的積極思維方法，采用了一些新手段，往往被員工所接受。舉幾個(gè)例子：每天給同事寫電子郵件，感謝他們做過(guò)的某些事情。每天都做冥想，理清思緒。為某人做點(diǎn)什么事情，不期望獲得任何回報(bào)。寫一份日記，記下你心存感激的各種事情；在其他人身上尋找你欽佩的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，并贊美這些優(yōu)點(diǎn)。把注意力集中于你可以控制的工作過(guò)程，而不是你不能控制的結(jié)果。不要不假思索地給事情貼上好或壞的標(biāo)簽，哪怕某些極像是負(fù)面的事情，也要相信它們可能會(huì)產(chǎn)生正面的結(jié)果。

    Mr. Achor bases his training on a burgeoning body of research on the positive psychology movement, which emphasizes instilling resiliency and positive attitudes over analyzing mental illness and dysfunction. Srikumar Rao, a Long Island University emeritus professor whose training courses in workplaces and business schools have earned him the nickname 'the happiness guru', draws on tenets common to such religious traditions as Hinduism, Sufism, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism.

    阿克爾的培訓(xùn)課程的基礎(chǔ)，是積極心理學(xué)方面所產(chǎn)生的越來(lái)越豐富的研究成果。積極心理學(xué)更著重于抗壓能力和積極心態(tài)的灌輸，而不是對(duì)精神疾病或功能障礙的分析。長(zhǎng)島大學(xué)（Long Island University）名譽(yù)教授Srikumar Rao面向工作環(huán)境和商學(xué)院的培訓(xùn)課程為他贏得了"快樂(lè)大師"的稱號(hào)。他利用了印度教、伊斯蘭教蘇非派、佛教、基督教和猶太教這些宗教傳統(tǒng)中的常見(jiàn)信條。

    People who use the principles say they work. Greg Johnson, a Charlotte, N.C., corporate real-estate executive, says Dr. Rao's training helps him avoid rushing to negative conclusions about daily events. Amid staff changes or reorganizations, he has taught himself to think, 'Good thing, bad thing? The reality is, I don't know' how the change will turn out in the long term. That mindset helps him remain open to the possibility that seemingly negative events can produce positive outcomes in the long term, he says.

    踐行了這些信條的人們都說(shuō)管用。美國(guó)北卡羅萊納州夏洛特市的一位商業(yè)地產(chǎn)高管約翰遜（Greg Johnson）說(shuō)，Rao的培訓(xùn)課程有助于他避免對(duì)日常事務(wù)匆匆忙忙地得出負(fù)面結(jié)論。當(dāng)遇到人員更替或部門改革時(shí)，他學(xué)會(huì)了問(wèn)自己，"好事還是壞事？其實(shí)我不知道",使自己不要對(duì)某種變化可能的長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)結(jié)果過(guò)早下結(jié)論。他說(shuō)，這有助于他保持"塞翁失馬 焉知非福"的心態(tài)。