家人让我们更幸福

     我们有时候可能会对现在的年轻人有一种误解：认为他们的家庭意识越来越淡薄。其实，在一项调查研究中发现，在美国，13岁到24岁的年轻人中，接近百分之七十五的人认为跟家人在一起能充分体现幸福感。

虽然现在很多年轻人在表面上看来似乎家庭意识比较淡薄，但是在他们的内心深处，家人给他们带来的幸福感还是占有相当比重的。我们要相信：家人会让我们更幸福。

So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy?

Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey -- more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 -- conducted by The Associated Press on the nature of happiness among America's young people.

Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And good news for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.

"They're my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. "My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed."

Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.

You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said "money" when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.

And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.

Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.

Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.