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Are We Having Fun Yet? 你开心吗？

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The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up  《轻松效应：放轻松好处多多》

We all know what we need from our jobs: a paycheck, benefits, challenging tasks and a sense of purpose. The last thing anyone needs from work is a good laugh, right?

我们都很清楚，大家需要从工作中得到什么；那就是薪资、福利、具有挑战性的任务，及目标感。而我们最不需要从工作中获得的就是开怀大笑，对不对？

Wrong – at least according to Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher, co-authors of The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up. In their book, the authors maintain that “an increasing body of research demonstrates that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication – leading to lower turnover, higher morale, and a stronger bottom line.” And if that isn’t enough, they write, “The research also shows that managers who have taught themselves to be funnier are more effective communicators and better salespeople, have more engaged employees, earn a lot more than their peers, and are much thinner. Ok, maybe not the last one.”

错了！至少《轻松效应：放轻松好处多多》（译注：暂译）一书的两位作者艾德里安．高斯帝克和史考特．克里斯托弗不这么认为。在书中，两位作者主张：「愈来愈多的研究证明，主管若能放轻松，创造出充满乐趣的工作环境，则员工的信任度、创造力和沟通度便会大增，进而促使离职率降低、士气提高、获利也会更佳。」如果嫌这些还不够的话，他们继续写道：「研究也显示，能学着变得更风趣的经理人，往往也会成为更有效率的沟通者和更优秀的营销者，他们往往也会拥有更卖力的属下，赚的钱会比同侪更多，而且身材也会更苗条。好啦，最后一项是开玩笑的啦！」

While Gostick and Christopher may initially seem like a pair of jokers, when you consider that being a “fun place to work” is the criterion that sets Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” apart from even their honorable-mention colleagues, you realize these authors are onto something. In The Levity Effect, they argue their case by sharing real-life examples of how successful businesses (think Nike and Google) and top leaders (such as Jim Olsen of the franchise Amy’s Ice Creams) have harnessed the power of fun to transform their work environments into places where employees feel trusted and, in turn, are more committed, creative and passionate.

刚开始，你可能会感觉高斯帝克和克里斯托弗是在开玩笑，不过当你了解到，「充满乐趣的工作环境」是使《财富杂志》评比的「百大最佳雇主企业」和那些虽未进入百大但也堪称嬴得荣誉奖的优良企业之间区隔开来的标准时，你就会发现作者是有道理的。在《轻松效应》一书中，两位作者举了很多真实的例子来支持他们的论点，这些例子讲述成功的企业（如「耐吉」和「谷歌」）和顶尖的领导者（例如「艾美冰淇淋连锁店」的吉姆．欧森）是如何运用乐趣的力量来将工作环境转化成员工感觉被信任，因而更卖力、更有创意、更热情的工作场所。

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pay [pe] v. 有利，划算 to be profitable or worthwhile

lighten up 放轻松；开心一些；别那么严肃 to take matters less seriously

benefit [ˋbɛnəfɪt] n. 津贴，（给职工的）奖金

the last thing 最不想要的事物；最后一件事

body [ˋbɑdɪ] n. 大量；许多[C][（+of）] a collection or quantity, as of material or information

turnover [ˋtɝn͵ovɚ] n. 人员更替数；人员更换率

morale [məˋræl] n. 士气，斗志

engaged [ɪnˋgedʒd] adj. 更卖力的; 更投入的 committed, as to a cause

criterion [kraɪˋtɪrɪən] n.（判断、批评的）标准，准则，尺度

set something apart 使… 与众不同 to show someone or something to be different or special

honorable mention 荣誉奖 a citation to one who has performed well in a competition but has not been awarded a prize.

colleague [ˋkɑlig] n. 同事，同僚，同行 companies that in the same industry

onto (something) 对…了解; 对…觉察；对…知悉 have an idea or information that is likely to lead to an important discovery

argue [ˋɑrgjʊ] v. 证明; 论证; 说理

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Jokes, ice cream and dancing CEOs  笑话、冰淇淋和跳舞的执行长

The authors explore the rewards of lightening up the business environment, including more effective communication, higher levels of respect among employees, soaring creativity, less stress and even that all-important benchmark, increased profitability. The basis of their approach is the concept of trust. A company or manager that not only allows but encourages employees to engage in fun at work – whether that fun comes in the form of light-hearted joking, field trips for ice cream or a silly dance done when a project is completed – is communicating to those employees that they are valued, trusted members of a team.

作者探讨了让商业环境变得更轻松所带来的好处，这包括更有效的沟通、同事之间更互相尊重、创意高涨、压力降低、甚至也包含那个极为重要的指标──获利能力增长。他们的方法是根基于信任的观念。如果公司或经理人容许并鼓励员工让工作充满乐趣，那么他们向员工所传达出的讯息便是，他们是很有价值、备受信任的团队成员，无论所谓的乐趣是来自于轻松愉快的玩笑、大伙一起去吃冰淇淋，或是项目完成后大伙手舞足蹈地跳起舞来。

The authors provide many examples of fun done right in business. They describe how one CEO joined a troupe of dancers onstage at the company’s annual meeting to showcase his approachable, human side. They also point out the creative engineers who were allowed to develop unique ways to test new products on site so they could cut down on travel time.

作者提供了许多为工作带来正面乐趣的例子。他们描述一位执行长在年度会议中加入台上表演的舞者一起表演，而展现出他平易近人的人性面。他们也指出，一些有创意的工程师获得公司首肯，得以研发出就地测试新产品的独特方式，因而节省了耗费在交通上的时间。

Gostick and Christopher showcase a spectrum of uses for levity, which can help readers identify the applications that will be most effective for them. Then they go one better by providing specific, ready-to-use information on how to incorporate levity in the workplace in chapters with titles such as “142 Ways to Have Fun at Work” and “Overcoming Objections to Levity.”

高斯帝克和克里斯托弗展示了各式各样轻松逗趣的做法，有助于让读者从中找出对自己会最有效的方式。之后，他们在其他章节里又更进一步针对如何把轻松逗趣融入工作场所里，提供了具体、随时可派上用场的信息，像是〈让工作充满乐趣的一百四十二种方法〉和〈克服那些反对放轻松的障碍〉。

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light-hearted [ˋlaɪtˋhɑrtɪd] adj. 轻松愉快的, 无忧无虑的

communicate [kəˋmjunə͵ket] v. 传达；传递；传播[（+to）]

do right 做得对

troupe [trup] n.（演员等的）一团；一班

approachable [əˋprotʃəb!] adj. 和蔼可亲的; 易亲近的

on site 就地; 在现场; 实地 done or located at the site, as of a particular activity

go one better 更进一步; 稍稍胜过, 比某人略高一筹 to do something better than it has been done before

ready-to-use 即时可用的; 随时都可以使用的

objection [əbˋdʒɛkʃən] n. 妨碍，障碍[U][（+to）]

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Take my boss ….. please  麻烦把我老板带走…

Even those readers who swear they don’t have a funny bone in their bodies will find comfort in Gostick and Christopher’s admonition that “the Levity Effect is not so much about being funny as it is about being fun. Give your employees some rope. Enjoy the fun and humor they create. Don’t sit in meetings furrowing your brow when employees are making light. Sit back and smile and remind yourself that the resulting effect of their making merry will be making money.” The authors write that you don’t have to be comedian Christ Rock to make the Levity Effect work; you just have to be willing to find opportunities to inject fun into the workday lives of your employees.

即使自认天生丝毫没任何喜感的读者，也能从高斯帝克和克里斯托弗的忠告得到安慰：「『轻松效应』其实不在于耍宝搞笑，更重要的是要能乐在其中。给予员工更多自由，好好享受他们所营造出来的乐趣和幽默。在会议中，当员工轻松地诙谐一下的时候，请你不要皱着眉头。请放轻松，面带微笑，提醒自己，他们开心的结果就是公司会赚钱。」作者们写道，你不一定非得变成谐星克里斯．洛克才能有效地营造出轻松效应，只要愿意找机会将乐趣注入员工的日常工作中就行了。

At times, the humorous asides that Gostick and Christopher pepper throughout The Levity Effect can seem a bit stilted, as anything that tries to be funny takes that risk, but they provide useful insights into a subject often dismissed as too “soft” for the business world. But if lower turnover, increased creativity and higher profitability are any indications of the upside of levity, work should be getting much more fun soon.

有时候，高斯帝克和克里斯托弗在书中四处穿插的幽默旁白可能看似有点造作不自然，这是任何企图搞笑的举动都可能产生的风险，不过，他们仍然为这个被商业界轻视为太过「软性」的主题，提供了相当实用的洞见。此外，如果流动率降低、创造力提升、和获利大增意味着轻松效应所带来好处的话，那么要不了多久，工作应该就会变得愈来愈充满乐趣了。

−by Elizabeth Corcoran

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funny [ˋfʌnɪ] adj. 有趣的；滑稽可笑的 causing laughter or amusement

fun [fʌn] adj.【美】有趣的，愉快的 enjoyable; amusing

furrow [ˋfɝo] v. 使起皱纹

brow [braʊ] n. 眉毛

make light (of) 轻视, 藐视, 不把……当回事; 对…不在乎 to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous

aside [əˋsaɪd] n. 题外话；插入语; （戏剧等中的）旁白

pepper [ˋpɛpɚ] v. 使布满 [（+with）]

insight [ˋɪn͵saɪt] n. 洞察力；深刻的理解；直觉

soft [sɔft] adj. 模糊的; 软弱的; 〔口语〕舒服的，轻松的 Informal and entertaining without confronting difficult issues or hard facts

indication [͵ɪndəˋkeʃən] n. 象征，征兆，迹象

upside [ˋʌpˋsaɪd] n. 好的一方面；有利的一面

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Vocabulary Focus

levity [ˋlɛvətɪ] n. 孟浪；轻佻；轻浮 amusement or lack of seriousness, especially during a serious occasion

bottom line 净收益 the line in a financial statement that shows net income or loss; the final line in the accounts of a company or organization, which states the total profit or loss that has been made

harness [ˋhɑrnɪs] v. 利用；控制 to control something, usually in order to use its power

benchmark [ˋbɛntʃ͵mɑrk] n. 水平点；基准 a level of quality that can be used as a standard when comparing other things

showcase [ˋʃo͵kes] v. 使展现 to show the best qualities or parts of something

spectrum [ˋspɛktrəm] n. 系列；范围；幅度[（+of）] a range of objects, ideas or opinions

admonition [͵ædməˋnɪʃən] n. 忠告; 告诫；警告；劝告 a piece of advice that is also a warning to someone

give ... some (/enough) rope【谚】任由某人为所欲为; 让某人自食其果 to allow someone to do what they want to, knowing that they may fail or get into trouble

stilted [ˋstɪltɪd] adj. 夸张的；矫揉造作的 too formal; not smooth or natural

Scott Christopher and Adrian Gostick Today Show

Levity Effect, Adrian Gostick on CNBC