Nothing makes us happier than our families and loved ones, a new study shows, with face-to-face socializing beating reaching out to people online hands down.
The Happiness Barometer, conducted in 16 countries across the globe, was based on the Coca-Cola Happiness Index, which surveyed between 500 to 1,000 people per country.
Almost two-fifths, or 40 percent, of those surveyed said catching up withtheir loved ones after work was the happiest time of their day, while more than 20 percent said they were happiest when eating with their families.
By contrast, only 5 percent said they were happiest when connecting with friends online, and even less -- 2 percent -- said the first text message of the day made them joyful.
Families and partners were, by far, the biggest source of happiness for almost 80 percent of those surveyed, with friends coming up next at 15 percent.
"Despite our celebrity driven culture, fame is not likely in itself to be a primary source of happiness. Instead, real happiness depends on our connecting with people, especially through love and kindness," the study said.
Hugs and food also made a lot of people happy, especially in Britain and Russia, where almost a third of people said they are likely to find comfort in a hug or seek it in food.
The countries surveyed were France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, China, Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.
[/font][font=arial]一项最新研究显示，家人和爱人是我们最大的快乐之源，面对面的交流给人带来的快乐远超过网络社交。
这项在全球16个国家开展的“快乐晴雨表”调查主要以“可口可乐快乐指数”为依据，该调查分别对每个国家的500至1000人进行了访问。
近五分之二（40%）的受访者称下班后回到家与爱人在一起是一天中最快乐的时光，超过20%的人称和家人一起吃饭最快乐。
相比之下，只有5%的人说在网上与朋友交流最快乐，更小一部分的人（2%）说收到当天的第一条短信让他们感到开心。
目前的调查结果显示，近80%的受访者认为家人和伴侣是他们最大的快乐之源，其次是朋友，有15%的人这样认为。
研究称：“尽管当今的社会文化深受名人影响，但名誉本身似乎并不是人们主要的快乐之源。真正的幸福感来源于人与人之间的交流，尤其是充满爱和善意的交流。”
拥抱和食物也让很多人感到快乐，尤其是在英国和俄罗斯，这两个国家近三分之一的受访者称他们能从拥抱或食物中得到安慰。
参与该调查的国家包括法国、意大利、西班牙、英国、比利时、保加利亚、罗马尼亚、土耳其、俄罗斯、南非、中国、菲律宾、阿根廷、巴西、墨西哥和美国。
Vocabulary:
hands down:easily, achieved without great effort 容易地