The elusive¹ secret of happiness could be as simple as remembering the good times and forgetting the regrets, a new university study reported yesterday.

快乐的秘诀难以捉摸，但也可以很简单。昨日发布的一项新的大学研究报告称，快乐的秘诀就是：记住美好的时光，忘记遗憾的往事。

For people who look at the past through rose-tinted glasses are happier than those who focus on negative past experiences and regrets, according to a new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

The study helps explain why personality has such a strong influence on a person's happiness and the findings suggest that people with certain personality traits are happier than others because of the way they think about their past, present and future.

The study examined how peoples' ratings on the "Big Five" personality traits relates to their approach to time and life satisfaction.

The "Big Five" model assesses how extroverted²（外向的） , neurotic³, open, conscientious⁴ and agreeable a person is, and rates individuals as high or low on each personality trait rather than assigning them a personality type.

"We found that highly extraverted people are happier with their lives because they tend to hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past and are less likely to have negative thoughts and regrets. People high on the neurotic scale essentially⁵ have the exact opposite view of the past and are less happy as a result," said Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology⁶ at San Francisco State University, who authored the study with SF State graduating senior Jia Wei Zhang.

"This is good news because although it may be difficult to change your personality, you may be able to alter your view of time and boost your happiness," Howell said.

The authors suggest that savoring⁷ happy memories or reframing painful past experiences in a positive light could be effective ways for individuals to increase their life satisfaction.

Numerous studies over the last 30 years have suggested that personality is a powerful predictor of a person's life satisfaction. These latest findings help explain the reason behind this relationship.

"Personality traits influence how people look at the past, present and future and it is these different perspectives on time which drive a person's happiness," Howell said.