单项选择题
| You don’t need millions to be happy. At
The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may do the
trick. Since the institute opened its doors this year, men and women of all ages have been paying AUD200 an hour (USD140) for lessons in how to feel great. Businesses are spending as much as AUD6,000 on half-day happiness workshops for their staff. "You can actually increase your happiness levels. That’s what we teach," said Timothy Sharp, founder of institute, which also offers group sessions from AUD30 a head. "We take people from zero and try to put a positive in their happiness bank account. You don’t have to settle just for OKness. It’s no more OK than having a zero bank balance. You can have a lot more," Sharp said. Experts say only about 10 percent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 90 percent comes from elements such as attitude, life control and relation ships. "If you’re not a natural in any of these areas you can learn to get a lot better at them," Sharp said. The Happiness Institute is part of what U. S. economist Paul Zane Pilzer calls the "Wellness Revolution." In his book of the same name, Pilzer says the next trillion-dollar industry after cars and information technology will be in preventative businesses that help people find peace, health and happiness. While most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, happiness levels haven’t changed to reflect that. Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness. Even investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has warned not to "equate money with happiness." |