Grumpy humans of the world, listen here. According to a new University of Otago study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the path to that happy state of mind you’ve heard so much about requires you get creative ― quite literally, and just once a day.

全世界暴躁的人类，给我听好了。根据奥塔哥大学发表在《积极心理学》杂志上的一篇新文章，文绉绉的说法，也许你听过很多次了，你的快乐很大程度上取决于你的创造力，其实你只需要每天做一件烧脑的事情，你就会很快乐。

So you’re not the next Picasso. Same. But flexing your creative muscles doesn’t have to mean preparing an oeuvre for your eventual solo show. A creative exercise can take the shape of anything from kitting to writing to singing to designing. All that matters is that you choose a creative goal for yourself and follow through, something that involves expressing original ideas in a useful or artistic way.

你不是下一个毕加索，所以，说动用一下你的创造力也不是说让你去准备个人艺术展。一项创造性的活动可以是任何事情，不管是编织还是写作，唱歌亦或是设计。重要的是：你要为自己顶一个需要动用创造力的目标并完成它，这个目标应该需要你动用自己的原创力，不管是走艺术路线还是实用路线。

“There is growing recognition in psychology research that creativity is associated with emotional functioning,” Dr. Conner explained in a statement. “However, most of this work focuses on how emotions benefit or hamper creativity, not whether creativity benefits or hampers emotional wellbeing.”

“越来越多的认知心理学研究表明，创意性的活动与情绪有关。”康纳博士解释道，“然而这些研究的大部分主要探讨情绪对于创意性活动的正面或者负面的影响，而不是创意性活动对于情绪是否有积极或是消极的作用。”

To test their hypothesis, psychologists conducted a 13-day study of a sample of 658 young adults to gauge the effect of creative activity on one’s emotional state of mind. Every day, the participants used a diary to document how much time they spent on creative exercises and the emotional changes they experienced, both positive and negative, as a result. Researchers used the term “PA,” or “positive affect,” to refer to feelings of happiness, joy, excitement and enthusiasm they encountered.

为了验证他们的假设，心理学家们对658名年满18岁的青年进行了一项为期13天的样本调查。每天参与者们用日记记录下他们每天进行的创意性活动的时间，以及情绪上正面或者是负面的变化。用术语“PA”来代替“积极的结果”，表明他们在这一天的正面情绪，比如高兴，开心，激动兴奋，对于事物的热情。

After 13 days, the psychologists tracked what they described as an “upward spiral for wellbeing and creativity” for those who partook in daily creative tasks. According to the study, getting artistic yields a major boost in “PA” that takes hold the following day.

13天以后，那些每天都进行创造性活动的被调查者，心理学家们将调查他们的结果总结为“创造性活动给他们的创造力和好处是螺旋式上升的。”根据研究结果，创意性活动很大程度上产生积极影响，而且这种影响能在之后一天继续保持。

However, researchers determined no “cross-day effect” between creative activities and “PA,” meaning that one’s increased mood could not predict whether or not the subject would participate in another creative exercise the same day. Dr. Conner and her co-researchers expressed that it is, though not predictable, rather likely. As they put it: “engaging in creative behavior leads to increases in wellbeing the next day, and this increased wellbeing is likely to facilitate creative activity on the same day.

“研究者们认为创意性活动和积极地情绪之间没有绝对的影响，意味着一个人情绪的变好也不能确定，同一天他是否会参加另一项创造性活动。但康纳博士和一起参加的调研人员认为，虽然不能绝对确定，但是这个人很有可能会参加。他们的观点是“参加一项创造性活动能够提高隔天继续参加的积极性，同时也能够提高当天参加创意性活动的积极性。”

The results reflect what many aspiring writers, artists and performers already know: getting creative feels good, and those positive effects can and do seep into other aspects of daily life. Also, happy feelings could inspire you to make more art. So start a sketchbook, get crafting, dance around in your underwear ― anything to get your imagination pumping and your senses pulsing. And we mean today.

研究的结果也印证了，许多富有激情的作家、艺术家、演员已经知悉的事实，（那就是）创造性的活动让人变得更加积极向上，而这些积极的影响会渗透到日常生活的方方面面。与此同时，这种愉悦的情绪能够创造出更多的艺术杰作。所以（还等什么）拿出你的速写本、开始雕刻、穿着内衣开始起舞——任何让你的思潮涌动、血脉喷张的活动都算。从今天就开始~