A pair of British researchers said Monday they had worked out a simple equation to quantify happiness that could put an exact figure on the emotional state.

After interviewing 1000 people, the researchers -- a psychologist and a self-styled "life coach" -- concluded that happiness equals P + 5E + 3H.

In the equation, P stands for Personal Characteristics (outlook on life, adaptability and resilience); E for Existence (health, friendships and financial stability) and H represents Higher Order (self-esteem, expectations and ambitions).

The scientists asked interviewees -- a mix of men and women all over 18 years old -- to choose five scenarios that made them more happy or less happy from a list of 80 different situations. They also asked a series of questions about their own natures, outlooks and situations.

Not surprisingly, the results showed that men and women found happiness in different ways.

Sunny weather, being with family and losing weight were more of an influence on women's happiness, while romance, sex, hobbies and victories by their favorite sports teams were more important to men.

The study was commissioned by a holiday company that wanted to understand what made people happier.

两名英国科学家1月6日宣布他们发现了一个量化幸福的方程式, 可以用具体的数值来描述情感的状态。

在对1000名男女作了跟踪研究后，科学家推导出了幸福方程式：幸福=P+5E+3H。

其中P代表个人性格（包括人生观、适应力和忍耐力）；E代表生存需求（包括健康、友谊和财富），而H则表示高级心理需求（包括自尊、自我期许和抱负）。

心理学家让实验人群--18岁以上的1000名男女--从80个不同的情境中挑出5个让他们觉得幸福或不幸福的要素，还分别就他们的性格、抱负等问题进行了询问。

不出意料，结果显示男性和女性的幸福观大相径庭。

对女性来说，晴朗的天气、甜蜜的家庭时光、减肥成功都是幸福的源泉。而男性则更看重罗曼蒂克的爱情、性、兴趣爱好和心仪球队的胜利。

这一调查是由一家英国假日公司委托进行的。该公司想要了解如何让人们更有幸福感。