When John was growing up, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him weeding the garden, carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers. But when John reached adulthood, he was better off than his childhood playmates. He had more job satisfaction, a better marriage and was healthier. Most of all, he was happier. Far happier.
当约翰成长过程中，其他孩子都为他感到难过。他的父母总是让他给花园除草、倒垃圾和送报纸。但是，当约翰成年后，他比童年的玩伴过得更好。他的工作更满意，婚姻更美满，身体更健康。最重要的是，他更快乐，快乐得多。
These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 teenage boys from Boston. The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not. “Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society,” said George Vaillant, the psychologist who made the discovery. “And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them.”
这是一项对波士顿456名十几岁男孩的生活进行了40年跟踪研究的结果。研究表明，那些在男孩时期工作过的人比那些没有工作过的人享受着更快乐、更富有成效的生活。这项发现的心理学家乔治·维兰特说：“在家或社区工作的男孩获得了能力，并开始觉得自己是社会中有价值的一员，因为自我感觉良好，其他人对他们感觉良好。”
Vaillant’s study followed these males in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31 and 47. Under Vaillant, the researchers compared the men’s mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores with their boyhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.
维兰特的研究非常详细地跟踪了这些雄性。在25岁、31岁和47岁时重复采访。在维兰特的研究中，研究人员比较了男性的心理健康分数、童年活动分数和童年活动分数。兼职、做家务、在学校的努力和处理问题的能力会获得加分。
The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people, five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed. The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out. Working - at any age - is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence - the underpinnings of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this. Yet work isn’t everything. As Tolstoy once said, “One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one’s work.”
这些男人在男孩时期所做的事情与他们成年后的表现之间的联系令人吃惊地紧密。那些童年活动最多的人与各种各样的人建立亲密关系的可能性是其他人的两倍，获得高薪的可能性是其他人的五倍，失业的可能性是其他人的16倍。研究人员还发现，智商和家庭、社会和经济阶层对男孩的成长没有真正的影响。工作在任何年龄都很重要。童年活动有助于孩子发展责任感、独立性、信心和能力——这些都是基础情绪健康。他们还帮助他理解，人们必须合作，朝着共同的目标努力。最有能力的成年人是那些知道如何做到这一点的人。然而，工作并不是一切。正如托尔斯泰所说：“如果一个人知道如何工作，如何去爱，为他所爱的人工作，并热爱他的工作，那么他就可以在这个世界上生活得很美好。”
