In search of happiness 
 

 
Fans at the UK's Glastonbury music festival
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A NEW book on happiness suggests that Britain need to cheer up.

"The Brits don't merely enjoy misery, they get off on it," the American author Eric Weiner writes in The Geography of Bliss. Weiner toured much of the world looking for happiness, but in the British city of Slough, he says he found precious little of it.

Upon the book's release, many Britons were unhappy about the negative publicity. "It's actually quite distressing that we now seem to have become an international whipping boy," Andrew Blake-Herbert, director of resources on Slough council, told the Guardian newspaper. "The truth is that this is a lovely city where people are very happy."

Here, Andrew Macaskill (UK) and Charlie Shifflett (US) look at how Britons and Americans find (or try to find) happiness from humor, TV and wealth.

UK: Pleasure grounded in reality

Humor
The British sense of humor is dry, subtle and satirical. It is commonly associated with sarcasm, teasing and self-deprecation, as seen in popular British comedy shows such as Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and The Office. In fact, mocking, teasing and complaining are part of everyday British life. Foreigners are often bemused by it, but most Britons don't take these jokes too seriously.

TV shows
British TV programs are down to earth. According to the sociologist Anthony Giddens, Britons enjoy seeing TV characters experience the struggles they go through in everyday life. The two most watched shows, Eastenders and Coronation Street, are set in poor, working-class neighborhoods. Common storylines focus on personal and family problems. The characters in the shows often have regular jobs such as shopkeepers and hairdressers.

Wealth
Historically, British people have had a negative attitude towards wealth. Fifty years ago, a British politician said: "When an American sees a well-dressed man riding in a Rolls Royce with a beautiful woman by his side, he thinks, 'some day I'll be there.' But when a typical Englishman sees the same man ride by, he thinks, 'We'll find a way to get you out of it.'" Attitudes are slowly changing though, and in the last two decades, Britons have become more accepting of the rich.

US: Living an adolescent life

Humor
Americans often get their biggest laughs from sight gags and physical humor. For instance, who hasn't seen a Hollywood movie in which a character is hit in the crotch with a bat, ball or even a telephone pole? Jokes often take the form of exaggerated stories, actions and emotions, such as those channeled through characters played by actor Jim Carrey. Americans also use sarcasm and are usually pretty good at laughing at themselves when they do something stupid.

TV Shows
American TV shows often send the message that happiness can be found in adolescence – and that taking on responsibility is a sure way to be unhappy. For instance, shows like Friends and Seinfeld feature singles in their 20s, 30s and even 40s who play around in posh downtown apartments. Even in family comedies like The Simpsons, the behavior of the father, Homer, often mirrors that of his son, Bart.

Wealth
Americans generally believe in the concept of upward mobility – that a member of the lower class can, with hard work, raise his or her living standard and achieve happiness. In recent years, this "American dream" has become harder to realize, but dramatic upward mobility is possible, especially through sports. Young people with excellent athletic skills can receive university scholarships and, if they're lucky, million-dollar contracts.

Bonus
Expressions
get off on 为某事兴奋不已，特别喜欢某事物
John gets off on the band's music. He has been listening to them -C and only them -C for two months straight.
约翰特别迷这个乐队。这两个月以来他一直听而且只听他们的音乐。

bemuse vt. 使困惑，使发呆，常使用被动语态
I am both bemused and, at times, amused by the way he talks.
他说话的方式让我有点困惑，有时候又让我觉得很好玩。

Quotes
Here are some famous quotations about happiness by well-known thinkers:
"Happiness is a virtuous activity of the soul."

"The intention that Man should be happy is not in the plan of Creation."


"A certain amount of boredom is... essential to a happy life."


"A lifetime of happiness! No man could bear it: it would be hell on Earth."

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生词：
bliss 极乐，无上幸福
distressing 令人苦恼的
upward mobility 向上层社会的流动
adolescence 青春期
crotch 裤裆
sight gag 用动作来产生幽默效果
mock 嘲笑
self-deprecation 自我贬损
tease 奚落
sarcasm 挖苦，讽刺
satirical 爱讽刺的




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