《中英對照讀新聞》Misery：the secret to happiness 不幸：幸福的秘訣

◎鄭寺音

The key to a happy relationship could be accepting that some miserable times are unavoidable, experts say.

專家說，擁有一段幸福關係的關鍵可能是，要接受期間將無可避免的會出現一些悲慘時光。

Therapists from California State University and Virginia Tech University say accepting these problems is better than striving for perfection.

加州州立大學與維吉尼亞理工學院的治療師說，接受問題會發生的事實，好過努力追求完美。

And they blame fairytales and modern love stories for perpetuating the myth that enjoying a perfect relationship is possible.

他們怪罪童話與現代愛情故事，令有可能享有一段完美關係這種迷思深植人心。

The report was published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.

這份報告刊登在「婚姻與家庭治療」期刊上。

The authors, Dr Diane Gehart and Dr Eric McCollum say it is a "myth that, with enough effort we can achieve a state without suffering."

報告作者潔哈特與麥克 寇倫 醫師說，這是一種「迷思，亦即認為只要夠努力，就能達到一種毫無痛苦的狀態」。

And they say healthcare professionals may not be helping the situation.

他們說，衛生照顧專業人員對這種狀況可能也無能為力。

"The field of mental health perpetuates this myth with the very concept of "mental health," which implies a state without suffering," they say.

「心理健康領域就是以意味無苦難狀態的『心理健康』概念，讓此種迷思歷久不墜，」他們說。

And experts say this is an unrealistic aim in relationships, and striving to achieve it can lead people to feel they have failed.

專家說，就人與人的關係而言，這是不切實際的目標，努力想達此目標，可能反而讓人們覺得自己失敗了。

新聞辭典

strive︰動詞，努力、奮鬥。例句：This is the goal we are striving toward.（這是我們奮鬥的目標。）

perpetuate︰動詞，使持續存在，使長久化。例句：Increasing the supply of weapons will only perpetuate the violence and anarchy.（增加武器供應，只會讓暴力與無政府狀態持續存在。）

來源：自由時報

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