Amanda was unhappy with the amount of money she was making at her job, so she went after a position with a competitor and negotiated a higher salary.

　　Amanda对目前的薪水不满意，于是她到一家同行竞争公司求职，该公司可以提供更高薪水。

　　When she told her current employer about the higher salary offer, it countered with a considerable increase in her current salary to keep her on board.

　　她告诉当前雇主，其他公司开出了更高的薪水。于是当前雇主对她目前的薪水进行了大幅度调整来把她留住。

　　Hoping this is what would happen all along, Amanda accepted the new salary and stayed with her employer.

　　Amanda希望一直都能这样走运，便接受了新的薪水并留在了老单位。

　　One year later, the company made a round of layoffs because of changing market conditions and Amanda was one of the first to go. Not because she was a bad employee -- because she was overpaid compared to her contributions.

　　一年后因为市场环境变化，公司裁了一批员工，Amanda是第一批被裁的人。不是因为她是个糟糕的员工，而是因为她和她作出的贡献相比获得的报酬过高。

　　In today's society, workers associate earning a high salary as one of the most important aspects of their jobs. They assume making a lot of money equals happiness, satisfaction, less stress and job security. Unfortunately, this is not always the case; Amanda's story is just one of many examples of how having a higher paycheck can backfire.

　　在当今社会，劳动者把高工资作为工作中最重要的一个方面，认为赚钱多就等于快乐、满足、压力少、工作稳定。不幸地是，情况不一定如此，Amanda的故事仅仅是众多拿高工资引起问题的其中一例。

　　"Our sense of value and self-worth is often tied to how much money we make," says Michael Zwell, human capital expert and author of "Six-Figure Salary Negotiation." "There is an illusion that we live with and believe that a bigger paycheck makes us happier and more valuable."

　　《六位数工资谈判》一书作者、人力资本专家Michael Zwell说："我们的价值感和自我价值感往往和拿所少工资密不可分。人们有这样的错觉，认为收入越高就越快乐、越有价值。”

　　In fact, research shows otherwise. Studies have shown most people feel happier in a five-figure job where they are earning more than the majority of other people in the company than they do in a six-figure job where they are making significantly less than others, says Stan Smith, founder and CEO of Smith Economics Group Ltd。， in Zwell's book. Ultimately, he says, people can't rely on short-lived salaries, promotions and raises to keep them happy but rather the contributions they make in the long run.

　　事实上，研究的结果却有所出入。在Zwell的书中，Smith Economics Group公司创始人、首席执行官Stan Smith说，一些人拿五位数的工资，但他们的收入比公司多数人高，另一些人拿六位数工资，但他们的收入比公司多数人少，研究表明，前者比后者更快乐。最后，他说，要保持快乐，人们不能依赖于短期的（高）收入、晋升或提拔，而是要着眼于长期来他们所做出的贡献。