本文选自《北外网院》的博客，点击查看博客原文

　　While most people choose mates who are like them inmany ways, new research exposes a big and important exception: Whenit comes to spending habits, we tend to marry our opposites。

　　大多数人都会选择在很多方面跟自己相似的伴侣，但新的研究却显示出一个重要例外：我们往往会选择跟自己花钱习惯完全相反的人结婚。

　　Spend thriftstend to marry tightwads, and tightwads tend to marry spend thrifts,says this New York Times feature based on researchers' examination of several surveys and a randomized poll on the topic. While thereasons aren't clear, it could be that one partner sees in theother something he or she needs. If you're a spendthrift picking amate, you might unconsciously be looking for help reining in badspending habits. If you're a tightwad, you might feel a need toloosen up and have a little fun。

　　《纽约时报》的一篇文章根据研究人员的多项调查及有关这个主题的随机调查称，花钱大手大脚的人通常会和精打细算的人结婚，反之亦然。虽然原因尚不清楚，但这可能是因为一方看到了他或她另外一方面的需要。如果你花钱大手大脚，在选择伴侣时可能就不由自主地渴望控制不良支出习惯。如果你花钱精打细算，可能也觉得需要放松一下，增添点乐趣。

　　Researchers atthe University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan and North western University studied several on-line surveys askingcouples to assess their personal feelings toward spending money,and also commissioned a randomized poll on the topic. Respondentswere rated on a 'Tightwad-Spendthrift scale' based on how eachpartner felt about spending money。

　　宾夕法尼亚大学、密歇根大学和西北大学的研究人员分析了要求夫妻对他们支出习惯进行个人评价的多项网上调查，也就这一话题进行了随机调查。根据受访者对自己支出习惯的感觉，对他们在“节俭-挥霍刻度表”上进行打分。

　　The patternthey uncovered, of people matching up with their financialopposites, could be one reason money is the source of so muchtension in so many marriages. Clearly, too many people fail todiscuss money issues before they get married, the articlesays。

　　他们发现的这种在理财上寻找截然不同者结婚的模式可能是导致如此多婚姻关系紧张的根源。这篇文章说，显然，大多数人在结婚前都没有讨论钱的问题。

　　In a recentbook, 'Financially Ever After,' my colleague Jeff Opdyke discussessome of the underlying emotional issues, and outlines 10 questionsevery couple should discuss before tying the knot, including 'howdo you use debt?' and 'will we operate from one checkbook … orthree?' The fact that more couples have separate checking accounts,compared with the past, as I've written in my 'Work& Family' Column, can make it easier for couples toavoid resolving their financial differences, by keeping at leastsome of their financial affairs separate。

　　我的同事奥德克(JeffOpdyke)在不久前出版的一本名为《财务无忧的婚姻》的书中谈到了一些潜在的情感问题，并概括了每对恋人在婚前都应该讨论的10个问题，包括“你是如何利用负债的？”和“我们是用一个支票本，或者三个？”正如我在“工作·家”专栏中写过的，与过去相比，越来越多的夫妻都有自己单独的支票本了，这有助于夫妻双方避免面对理财上的分歧，因为它至少分开了一些财务问题。

　　The pattern described in the Times' story has heldtrue in my own family. As teenagers, my sister and I had oppositespending habits. She loved to shop and buy clothes, while I tendedto pinch pennies. True to the research, we each married men whowere our opposites in money management; her husband was frugalwhile mine liked to spend. Since then, we have each changed inopposite directions。

　　《纽约时报》文章所描述的模式在我自己的家庭中就切实存在。还在十几岁时，我的妹妹和我的消费习惯就截然不同。她喜欢购物和买衣服，而我向来吝啬。正如研究结果一样，我们都嫁了一个在理财方面与自己截然不同的男人；她的丈夫俭朴，而我的丈夫喜欢花钱。从那时起，我们都在向相反的方向变化。

　　Now, my sisteris a master at saving; at our recent family reunion, she hosted twoseparate meals, a picnic and cookout, for more than 40 people for atotal cost of less than $250, by shopping at Wal-Mart and using herwell-practiced eye for bargains. When my turn came to organize ameal, I spent about twice as much。

　　如今，我的妹妹擅长储蓄；在我们最近的家庭聚会中，她请40多人吃了两顿饭，凭借老道的购买低价商品的本事和在沃尔玛(Wal-Mart)采购，总共只花了不到250美元。而轮到我组织饭局时，我花了大约两倍的钱。