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LORD Percy of Newcastle, Britain's minister of education in 1924-29, was no fan of the fad for happy-clappy “progressive” education that spread among the country's schools on his watch. He declared that it was all nonsense: “a child ought to be brought up to expect unhappiness.” This columnist feels the same suspicion of the fashion for happy-clappy progressive management theory that is rushing through the world's companies and even some governments.
The leading miscreant is Zappos, an online shoe shop. The firm expects its staff to be in a state of barely controlled delirium when they sell shoes. Pret A Manger, a British food chain, specialises in bubbly good humour as well as sandwiches. Air stewards are trained to sound mellifluous but those at Virgin Atlantic seem on the verge of breaking out into a song-and-dance routine. Google until recently had an in-house “jolly good fellow” to spread mindfulness and empathy.
A weird assortment of gurus and consultancies is pushing the cult of happiness. Shawn Achor, who has taught at Harvard University, now makes a living teaching big companies around the world how to turn contentment into a source of competitive advantage. One of his rules is to create “happiness hygiene”. Just as we brush our teeth every day, goes his theory, we should think positive thoughts and write positive e-mails.
Zappos is so happy with its work on joy that it has spun off a consultancy called Delivering Happiness. It has a chief happiness officer (CHO), a global happiness navigator, a happiness hustler, a happiness alchemist and, for philosophically minded customers, a happiness owl. Plasticity Labs, a technology firm which grew out of an earlier startup called the Smile Epidemic, says it is committed to supporting a billion people on their path to happiness in both their personal and professional lives.
The trend is not confined to the private sector. Several governments, including those of America, Britain, France and Australia, now publish for the benefit of their citizens regular reports on levels of national well-being. Bhutan has long measured its gross national happiness, and the United Arab Emirates boasts a brand-new Ministry of Happiness.
Business people have long known there is money to be made in the field. Dale Carnegie, a leadership guru, said the best way to win friends and influence people was to seem upbeat. Disneyland is still “the happiest place on Earth”. American firms regularly bid their customers to “have a nice day”. One of the sharpest books published on the phenomenon is “The Managed Heart” from 1983, in which Arlie Hochs child, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that many employers demanded “emotional labour” from workers in the form of smiles and other expressions of “positive emotion”. Firms are keen to extract still more happiness from their employees as the service sector plays an ever greater role in the economy. Run-of-the-mill service firms are fighting for their lives against discounters. As customers, most people prefer their service with a smile rather than a snarl.
Some firms are trying to create some wellbeing, too, showering their employees with mindfulness courses, yoga lessons and anything else that proves that managers are interested in “the whole person”. Only happy fools would take that at face value. Management theorists note that a big threat to corporate performance is widespread disengagement among workers. Happy people are more engaged and productive, say psychologists. Gallup claimed in 2013 that the “unhappiness” of employees costs the American economy $500 billion a year in lost productivity.
One problem with tracking happiness is that it is such a vague metric: it is difficult to prove or disprove Gallup's numbers since it is not entirely clear what is being measured. Companies would be much better off forgetting wishy-washy goals like encouraging contentment. They should concentrate on eliminating specific annoyances, such as time-wasting meetings and pointless memos. Instead, they are likely to develop ever more sophisticated ways of measuring the emotional state of their employees. Academics are already busy creating smartphone apps that help people keep track of their moods, such as Track Your Happiness and Mood scope. It may not belong before human-resource departments start measuring work-place euphoria via apps, cameras and voice recorders.
Be miserable. It'll make you feel better.
The idea of companies employing jolly good fellows and “happiness alchemists” may be cringe-making, but is there anything else really wrong with it? Various academic studies suggest that “emotional labour” can bring significant costs. The more employees are obliged to fix their faces with a rictus smile or express joy at a customer's choice of shoes, the more likely they are to suffer problems of burnout. And the contradiction between companies demanding more displays of contentment from workers, even as they put them on miserably short-term contracts and turn them into self-employed “partners”, is becoming more stark.
But the biggest problem with the cult of happiness is that it is an unacceptable invasion of individual liberty. Many companies are already overstepping the mark. A large American health-care provider, Ochsner Health System, introduced a rule that workers must make eye contact and smile whenever they walk within ten feet of another person in the hospital. Pret A Manger sends in mystery shoppers to visit every outlet regularly to see if they are greeted with the requisite degree of joy. Pass the test and the entire staff gets a bonus — a powerful incentive for workers to turn themselves into happiness police. Companies have a right to ask their employees to be polite when they deal with members of the public. They do not have a right to try to regulate their workers' psychological states and turn happiness into an instrument of corporate control.
单词：
- bring up 养育，培育;
- miscreant [ˈmɪskriənt] n. 恶棍，歹徒;
- delirium [dɪˈlɪriəm] n. 谵妄;神志昏迷;极度兴奋;
- bubbly [ˈbʌbli] adj. 起泡的;多泡的n.香槟酒
- humour [ˈhjumɚ] n. 幽默;幽默感 ;感觉;体液v.迁就;顺应
- steward [ˈstu:ərd] n. 管家;乘务员; vi.当服务员;当管事
- mellifluous [məˈlɪfluəs] adj. 声音甜美的，悦耳的
- verge [vɜ:rdʒ] n.边缘;界限; vi. 接近;处于边沿或边缘
- routine [ruˈtin] n. 常规;例行程序; adj. 常规的;日常的;普通的
- mindfulness['maɪndfʊlnɪs] n. 注意，留神，不忘
- empathy [ˈɛmpəθi] n. 同感，共鸣
- assortment [əˈsɔ:rtmənt] n. 分类;搭配;混合物
- guru [ɡʊˈru] n. 专家;领袖;权威;
- consultancy [kənˈsʌltnsi] n. 咨询公司;顾问工作
- phenomenon [fəˈnɑ:mɪnən] n. 现象，事件;奇迹;非凡的人
- expression [ɪkˈsprɛʃən] n.表现，表示，表达;
- disengagement [ˌdɪsɪn'ɡeɪdʒmənt] n.脱离;解脱;解开;解除婚约
- metric [ˈmɛtrɪk] adj.度量的;公制的，十进制的; n.度量标准;
- annoyance [əˈnɔɪəns] n.恼怒，烦恼;使人烦恼的事，令人讨厌的人或事
- memos [ˈmemoʊ] n.备忘录;（美）内部通知
- sophisticate [sə'fɪstɪkeɪt] n.老于世故的人;见多识广的人
- euphoria [juˈfɔriə] n.欣快;精神欢快;幸福感
- miserable [ˈmɪzərəbəl] adj.悲惨的;令人痛苦的;太少的;卑鄙的
- jolly [ˈdʒɑ:li] adj.快活的;愉快的adv.很;非常 vt.使高兴，使愉快;
- cringe [krɪndʒ] vi.畏缩;卑躬屈膝n.畏缩;阿谀奉承
- obliged [əˈblaɪdʒd] adj.感激的;感谢的
- rictus ['rɪktəs] n露齿裂嘴，嘴裂
- burnout [ˈbɜ:rnaʊt] n. 烧毁;烧坏;筋疲力尽;筋疲力尽的人
- invasion [ɪnˈveʒən] n.侵袭;入侵，侵略;
- incentive [ɪnˈsɛntɪv] n.动机;诱因;刺激;鼓励adj.刺激性的;鼓励性质的
- columnist [ˈkɑ:ləmnɪst] n.专栏作家
- suspicion [səˈspɪʃən] n.怀疑;嫌疑;疑心; vt.怀疑
- regulate [ˈrɛɡjəˌlet] vt.调节，调整;校准;控制，管理
- wishy-washy [ˈwɪʃi wɔ:ʃi] adj.软弱无力的;空洞无聊的;
- sociologist [ˌsoʊsiˈɑ:lədʒɪst] n.社会学家
- sharp [ʃɑ:rp] adj.锋利的;尖锐的;adv.猛烈地;尖锐地;
- wellbeing [ˌwel'bi:ˌɪŋ] n.健康，幸福
- stark [stɑ:rk] adj.完全的;荒凉的; adv.完全;一丝不挂，赤裸;
- instrument [ˈɪnstrəmənt] n.仪器;乐器;手段，法律文件vt.用仪器装备;向…提交文书
- psychological [ˌsaɪkəˈlɑ:dʒɪkl] adj.心理的;精神上的，
- corporate [ˈkɔ:rpərət] adj.法人的，团体的，社团的;公司的
- incentive [ɪnˈsɛntɪv] n.动机;诱因;刺激;鼓励adj.刺激性的
- liberty [ˈlɪbərti] n.自由;许可权;放肆，无礼;解放，释放
- burnout [ˈbɜ:rnaʊt] n.烧毁;烧坏;筋疲力尽;筋疲力尽的人
- contentment [kənˈtɛntmənt] n.满足，满意，知足，心满意足
- eliminate [ɪˈlɪməˌnet] vt. 淘汰;排除，消除;除掉;
- minister [ˈmɪnɪstɚ] n.部长;大臣;牧师;公使vi.辅助，服侍;执行牧师职务
- progressive [prəˈɡrɛsɪv] adj.进步的;不断前进的;进行的n.改革论者;进步分子
- rushing ['rʌʃɪŋ] adj.急流的，旺盛的v.仓促完成( rush的现在分词 );突袭;
- staff [stæf] n.参谋;全体职员;adj.职员的;参谋的v.在…工作;
长难句：
This columnist feels the same suspicion of the fashion for happy-chappy progressive management theory that is rushing through the world's companies and even some governments.
This columnist feels the same suspicion
of the fashion for happy-chappy progressive management theory that is rushing through the world's companies and even some governments.
这里我们用不同的色彩标示了不同的修饰关系，我们会发现suspicion之后的修饰语是一层一层的修饰关系。 其中of the fashion修饰suspicion；for happy－clappy progressive management theory修饰fashion；that is rushing through…定语从句修饰happy－clappy progressive management theory。
英文的修饰喜欢后置，中文喜欢前置，但是在英文阅读的时候建议大家不要逼迫自己用完美中文去理解英文语句，可以使用英式中文。
本句大意：本专栏作者对于如今风行全球企业甚至某些政府的那套快乐管理新论调也心存质疑。
A large American health-care provider, Ochsner Health System, introduced a rule that workers must make eye contact and smile whenever they walk within ten feet of another person in the hospital.
A large American health-care provider,
Ochsner Health System, introduced a rulethat workers must make eye contact and smile whenever they walk within ten feet of another person in the hospital.
这里句子的主干部分我们用红色标示了出来，句子的主语和谓语中间插入的名词Ochsner Health System是主语的同位语。另外rule后面的that从句是一个同位语从句说明rule的内容的。而这个that从句自己长得就比较复杂，内部还有自己的小从句是whenever引导的。
本句大意：美国大型医疗服务供应商奥克斯纳医疗服务系统规定：无论何时，员工在医院里只要与他人距离在十英尺以内，就必须与之保持眼神交流及微笑。
Some firms are trying to create some wellbeing, too, showering their employees with mindfulness courses, yoga lessons and anything else that proves that managers are interested in “the whole person”.
Some firms are trying to create some wellbeing,
too, showering their employees with mindfulness courses, yoga lessons and anything elsethat proves thatmanagers are interested in “the whole person”.
如果我们把一个句子抽象成SVO,那么这个句子的结构就是SVO, doing.的结构，这里doing的动作发出者是主语some firms，所以showering their employees with…是一个伴随状语的结构; that proves …是一个定语从句修饰anything，而proves后面的that从句是proves的宾语从句，说明证明的内容是什么。
本句大意：一些公司正努力为员工创造福祉，为他们提供正念课程，瑜伽课程以及其他证明管理层乐于把员工打造为“全人”的手段。
The contradiction between companies demanding more displays of contentment from works even as they were putting on miserably short term contracts and turning them into self-employed "partners" is becoming starker.
The contradiction between companies demanding more displays of contentment from works even as they were putting on miserably short term contracts and turning them into self-employed "partners" is becoming starker.
句子的主语是the contradiction，矛盾，矛盾这类词汇看到之后一定要想到后面会讲矛盾的两面，这里between…and结构就是用来修饰contradiction的，讲的就是谁和谁的矛盾。谓语is becoming，表语是starker。所以句子的核心就是the contradiction is becoming starker.
本句大意：公司一方面要求员工展现满足知情，另一方面却迫使他们签订可怜的短期合同，将其化为自雇形式的“合伙人”，这中矛盾变得越来越尖锐。
They do not have a right to try to regulate their workers' psychological states and turn happiness into an instrument of corporate control.
They do not have a right to try to regulate their workers' psychological states and turn happiness into an instrument of corporate control.
这个句子比较简单，稍微注意的是and后面turn…是和regulate平行的。
本句大意：他们没有权利规管员工的心理状态，也无权把快乐变成企业管理的手段。
课程中讲到的平常多练多使用词汇和例句：
酸爽 bitter but refreshing （苦涩但是耳目一新）
I will marry a man as handsome as David Beckham. 我要嫁给一个像贝克汉姆一样帅的男人。
He failed to deliver on his promises. 他没有信守承诺
fad／fashion／trend 潮流，趋势（注意其同意替换使用）
spread／rushing through （注意其替换）
Until recently their relationship was going well. （直到最近，他们的关系都还是不错的）最近开始他们的关系出了问题。
miscreant: one who behaves criminally or viciously罪大恶极的人
the leading miscreant：恶棍头子
Wilde once said: we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
我们生在凡尘，却仍仰望星空
Guru：
1 : a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism
2 a : a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern b : one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent c : a person with knowledge or expertise 印度教的导师, 给予精神指导的人 (印度教用语); 良师益友, 指导, 贤明教师;
spin off：有一种公司称之为 spin-off company，就是 衍生公司。
Upbeat＝positive 积极的，乐观的
Face value：表面的，字面的literally；（金融术语）面值
wishy-washy：这是一个口语化的表达，大多数人在生活中都会遇到自己的这样一种状态，它的用法比较广泛，意思就是犹豫不决，没有主心骨。比如Don't be wishy-washy; you can't go wrong by listening to what I say. 又比如political wishy-washy政治空言。
The contradiction between companies demanding more displays of contentment from works even as they were putting on miserably short term contracts and turning them into self-employed "partners" is becoming starker.
公司一方面要求员工展现满足知情，另一方面却迫使他们签订可怜的短期合同，将其化为自雇形式的“合伙人”，这中矛盾变得越来越尖锐。
Indeed, we can pose a starker question. 事实上，我们可以提出一个更为尖锐的问题。
It's time to throw off the shackles of positivity and relish the blues that make us human.
我们需要抛却假装积极的束缚，并去拥抱悲伤忧郁，因为这些的存在，我们才是具有真情实感的人。
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LORD Percy of Newcastle, Britain's minister of education in 1924-29, was no fan of the fad for happy-clappy “progressive” education that spread among the country's schools on his watch. He declared that it was all nonsense: “a child ought to be brought up to expect unhappiness.” This columnist feels the same suspicion of the fashion for happy-clappy progressive management theory that is rushing through the world's companies and even some governments.
The leading miscreant is Zappos, an online shoe shop. The firm expects its staff to be in a state of barely controlled delirium when they sell shoes. Pret A Manger, a British food chain, specialises in bubbly good humour as well as sandwiches. Air stewards are trained to sound mellifluous but those at Virgin Atlantic seem on the verge of breaking out into a song-and-dance routine. Google until recently had an in-house “jolly good fellow” to spread mindfulness and empathy.
A weird assortment of gurus and consultancies is pushing the cult of happiness. Shawn Achor, who has taught at Harvard University, now makes a living teaching big companies around the world how to turn contentment into a source of competitive advantage. One of his rules is to create “happiness hygiene”. Just as we brush our teeth every day, goes his theory, we should think positive thoughts and write positive e-mails.
Zappos is so happy with its work on joy that it has spun off a consultancy called Delivering Happiness. It has a chief happiness officer (CHO), a global happiness navigator, a happiness hustler, a happiness alchemist and, for philosophically minded customers, a happiness owl. Plasticity Labs, a technology firm which grew out of an earlier startup called the Smile Epidemic, says it is committed to supporting a billion people on their path to happiness in both their personal and professional lives.
The trend is not confined to the private sector. Several governments, including those of America, Britain, France and Australia, now publish for the benefit of their citizens regular reports on levels of national well-being. Bhutan has long measured its gross national happiness, and the United Arab Emirates boasts a brand-new Ministry of Happiness.
Business people have long known there is money to be made in the field. Dale Carnegie, a leadership guru, said the best way to win friends and influence people was to seem upbeat. Disneyland is still “the happiest place on Earth”. American firms regularly bid their customers to “have a nice day”. One of the sharpest books published on the phenomenon is “The Managed Heart” from 1983, in which Arlie Hochs child, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that many employers demanded “emotional labour” from workers in the form of smiles and other expressions of “positive emotion”. Firms are keen to extract still more happiness from their employees as the service sector plays an ever greater role in the economy. Run-of-the-mill service firms are fighting for their lives against discounters. As customers, most people prefer their service with a smile rather than a snarl.
Some firms are trying to create some wellbeing, too, showering their employees with mindfulness courses, yoga lessons and anything else that proves that managers are interested in “the whole person”. Only happy fools would take that at face value. Management theorists note that a big threat to corporate performance is widespread disengagement among workers. Happy people are more engaged and productive, say psychologists. Gallup claimed in 2013 that the “unhappiness” of employees costs the American economy $500 billion a year in lost productivity.
One problem with tracking happiness is that it is such a vague metric: it is difficult to prove or disprove Gallup's numbers since it is not entirely clear what is being measured. Companies would be much better off forgetting wishy-washy goals like encouraging contentment. They should concentrate on eliminating specific annoyances, such as time-wasting meetings and pointless memos. Instead, they are likely to develop ever more sophisticated ways of measuring the emotional state of their employees. Academics are already busy creating smartphone apps that help people keep track of their moods, such as Track Your Happiness and Mood scope. It may not belong before human-resource departments start measuring work-place euphoria via apps, cameras and voice recorders.
Be miserable. It'll make you feel better.
The idea of companies employing jolly good fellows and “happiness alchemists” may be cringe-making, but is there anything else really wrong with it? Various academic studies suggest that “emotional labour” can bring significant costs. The more employees are obliged to fix their faces with a rictus smile or express joy at a customer's choice of shoes, the more likely they are to suffer problems of burnout. And the contradiction between companies demanding more displays of contentment from workers, even as they put them on miserably short-term contracts and turn them into self-employed “partners”, is becoming more stark.
But the biggest problem with the cult of happiness is that it is an unacceptable invasion of individual liberty. Many companies are already overstepping the mark. A large American health-care provider, Ochsner Health System, introduced a rule that workers must make eye contact and smile whenever they walk within ten feet of another person in the hospital. Pret A Manger sends in mystery shoppers to visit every outlet regularly to see if they are greeted with the requisite degree of joy. Pass the test and the entire staff gets a bonus — a powerful incentive for workers to turn themselves into happiness police. Companies have a right to ask their employees to be polite when they deal with members of the public. They do not have a right to try to regulate their workers' psychological states and turn happiness into an instrument of corporate control.
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