第44回 の解答
テーマ：幸福の心理学 正解は緑、解説・和訳・スクリプト・模範解答つき
語彙・熟語（大問1形式）
目安 2分30秒空所に入れるのに最も適切なものを1つ選びなさい。
訳：研究によれば、高価な品物を買うことで得られる喜びはたいてい一時的なもので、新しい持ち物に慣れるにつれて数週間で薄れていくという。
訳：研究によると、新車を買った喜びは、持ち主がそれに慣れて当たり前だと思うようになるにつれ、数か月以内に薄れる傾向がある。
訳：最も幸福度の低い人々にとって、さらなる収入の増加が日々の気分に及ぼす影響はごくわずかで、日ごとの気分をほとんど変えなかった。
訳：仕事を失った後、エミは何か月も落ち込んでいたので、友人たちは週末のハイキングや料理教室に誘って、彼女が沈んだ気分から抜け出せるよう手助けしようとした。
訳：その哲学者は有名な著書の中で、幸せな人生のための単純な原則を打ち立てた。それは、愛する人と時間を過ごし、意義を感じる仕事をすることだ。
長文読解（大問3形式）
目安 4分30秒Money and Happiness
Does money make people happier? For many years, the answer seemed to be yes, but only up to a point. A widely cited 2010 study by the psychologist Daniel Kahneman and the economist Angus Deaton suggested that in the United States, emotional well-being stopped rising once annual income reached about 75,000 dollars. Beyond that level, additional money appeared to make little difference to people's daily moods, although it continued to raise how satisfied they felt with their lives overall. The finding was widely reported and came to be seen as evidence that there is a limit to what money can buy.
In 2021, however, a study by Matthew Killingsworth, using real-time reports collected from smartphone users, found that well-being continued to increase with income well above that threshold. Rather than simply dismissing each other's work, the researchers later collaborated to resolve the conflict. Reanalyzing the data, they concluded that for most people, happiness does keep rising with income. The exception was the least happy fifth of the population, whose emotional well-being stopped improving at higher incomes. For these people, the researchers suggested, problems such as grief or depression cannot be solved by money alone.
The debate has also drawn attention to what money is actually used for. Other research suggests that people tend to gain more lasting happiness from spending on experiences, such as travel, than on material goods, whose pleasure fades as people grow used to them. Spending money on others, or on services that free up time for enjoyable activities, has also been linked to greater well-being. Such findings imply that how money is spent may matter nearly as much as how much of it people have.
リスニング（Part1 会話形式）
目安 2分M I've been thinking about taking that job offer in Tokyo. The salary's almost thirty percent higher.
W That's great. But wouldn't your commute be much longer?
M Probably about an hour each way, compared with fifteen minutes now.
W I read that long commutes are one of the most reliable ways to make people unhappy. Apparently, people underestimate how much they'll mind it.
M Hmm. But the extra money would let us save for a house.
W True. Maybe you could ask whether they allow remote work a few days a week. That might give you the best of both.
M Good idea. I'll bring it up in the next interview.
スピーキング（面接No.3形式）
40秒Do you think people today are happier than people in the past?
💡 although ～ で相手側の意見（物質的豊かさ）を認めてから反論すると、議論が大人っぽくなる。
模範解答
いいえ、そうは思いません。第一に、物質的な快適さは増えましたが、多くの人は長時間働き、仕事にストレスを感じています。第二に、SNSのせいで人々は常に自分を他人と比べてしまい、それが不満や孤独感につながることがあります。
💡 although ～ で相手側の意見（物質的豊かさ）を認めてから反論すると、議論が大人っぽくなる。