????你如何定義成功？

????這個問題是美國圣母大學（University of Notre Dame）門多薩商學院（Mendoza College of Business）管理學教授蒂姆西?賈吉進行的一項深入研究項目的核心。賈吉稱：“雖然積極進取的人取得了很多成就，但他們的幸福感相比不那么積極進取的人只高了一點點，而且他們的壽命事實上也相對更短一些。”

????他的這項研究跟蹤調查了717名生于上世紀初的積極進取者，選取他們從童年到成年以及日后歲月中的關鍵節點，針對進取心、成就以及各種健康和幸福指標進行了測定。

????接受調查的人中很多都是畢業于哈佛（Harvard）、耶魯（Yale）、普林斯頓（Princeton）、斯坦福（Stanford）和其他一流名校，隨后從事高要求、高地位和高收入的職業。但與控制組中的尋求安逸者（心理學家通常將這類人列為B類人）相比，這些高成就者的幸福感并沒有顯著增加。而且，平均而言，尋求安逸者的壽命比高成就者更長。

????“我們發現，進取心最多只是增加人生滿足感的一個很細微的因素，事實上它同時還對壽命具有輕微的負面影響，”賈吉說。“因此，沒錯，積極進取者的確擁有更成功的事業，但這看起來并沒有轉化為更幸福、更健康的生活。”

????雖然這項研究沒有指出導致積極進取者壽命較短的原因，但賈吉猜測：“或許是因為他們對事業忘我投入，忽略了很多有益于健康的事情，”比如“健康的生活習慣、穩定的家庭關系和深候的社交網絡”。

????因此，父母們需要注意了：敦促子女抱負遠大理想、進名牌學校、追尋輝煌事業從長遠來看似乎對他們并沒有什么好處。

????“如果你最大的愿望是他們能擁有幸福和健康的生活，或許不應過度強調事業成功的重要性，”賈吉說。“進取心能給我們（以及孩子們）的東西有限。”

????這項研究報告《志存高遠的價值：進取心的前因和后果》（On the Value of Aiming High: The Causes and Consequences of Ambition）將刊登在即將出版的《應用心理學》雜志 （Journal of Applied Psychology）上。

????譯者：老榆木

????How do you define success?

????That's the question at the core of an exhaustive research project by Timothy Judge, a professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. "Despite their many accomplishments, ambitious people are only slightly happier than their less-ambitious counterparts, and they actually live somewhat shorter lives," says Judge.

????His study tracked 717 go-getters, born in the early years of the 20th century, and measured ambition, achievement, and various indicators of health and happiness at key points in the subjects' lives, from childhood into young adulthood and beyond.

????Many in the group graduated from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and other prestigious schools, and then went on to demanding, high-status, highly paid careers. Yet, when compared with a control group of more laid-back peers -- folks with the personality profile psychologists sometimes label Type B -- the high-achieving group was not markedly happier. What's more, the slackers, on average, outlived the high-achievers.

????"We discovered that ambition has, at most, only a very slight positive effect on life satisfaction, and actually a slightly negative impact on longevity," says Judge. "So, yes, ambitious people do achieve more successful careers, but that doesn't seem to translate into leading happier or healthier lives."

????Although the study doesn't address the reasons for higher mortality rates among ambitious people, Judge speculates that "perhaps the investments they make in their careers come at the expense of the things we know affect longevity," such as "healthy behaviors, stable relationships, and deep social networks."

????Note to parents: Pushing kids to aim for the stars, get into a prestigious school, and pursue a high-powered career may not do them any favors in the long run.

????"If your biggest wish for your children is that they lead happy and healthy lives, you might not want to overemphasize the importance of professional success," says Judge. "There are limits to what our ambitions can bring us -- or our kids."

????The study, "On the Value of Aiming High: The Causes and Consequences of Ambition," will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology.