经济学人262:身心医学 要相信你的身体很棒

 　　Science and technology - Psychosomatic medicine

　　科学技术

　　Psychosomatic medicine

　　身心医学

　　Think yourself well

　　要相信，你的身体很棒

　　You can. But it helps to think well of yourself in the first place

　　你可以拥有很好的体魄。但首先，你要自我感觉好，这会有帮助的。

　　THE link between mind and body is terrain¹ into which many medical researchers, fearing ridicule², dare not tread.

　　许多医学研究者都不敢探究躯体和心理的关系，因为他们害怕，踏进这一领域会受人嘲笑。

　　But perhaps more should do so.

　　但也许，研究这方面的人应该多一些才好。

　　For centuries, doctors have recognised the placebo³ effect, in which the illusion of treatment, such as pills without an active ingredient, produces real medical benefits.

　　几个世纪以来，医生已逐渐认可了安慰剂效应。因为患者会产生错觉，认为自己在接受治疗。比如，服用无活性成分的药片也能产生实际疗效。

　　More recently, respectable research has demonstrated that those who frequently experience positive emotions live longer and healthier lives.

　　根据最近的可靠的研究表明，平时积极乐观的人会活得更长久、更健康。

　　They have fewer heart attacks, for example, and fewer colds too.

　　比如，他们心脏病发作的次数更少，也很少感冒。

　　Why this happens, though, is only slowly becoming understood.

　　然而，人们才开始慢慢了解这种情况发生的原因。

　　What is needed is an experiment that points out specific and measurable ways in which such emotions alter an individual's biology.

　　人们需要的是做一场实验，明确这样的情绪是通过怎样具体的、可测量的方式来改变人的生理状况。

　　And a study published in Psychological Science, by Barbara Fredrickson and Bethany Kok at the University of North Carolina at Chapel⁴ Hill, does precisely⁵ that.

　　北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校的芭芭拉·弗雷德里克松和贝瑟尼·可可就是按照这个思路做了一项研究，并在《心理科学》上发表了相关论文。

　　Dr Fredrickson and Dr Kok concentrated their attentions on the vagus nerve. This nerve starts in the brain and runs, via numerous branches, to several thoracic and abdominal⁶ organs including the heart.

　　弗雷德里克松博士和可可博士把注意力集中在迷走神经上。这对神经起于颅腔，通过无数分支与胸腔、腹腔的几个脏器相连。

　　Among its jobs is to send signals telling that organ to slow down during moments of calm and safety.

　　它的其中一项工作就是为器官发送信号，让它们在躯体平静、安宁的状态下放缓节奏。

　　How effectively the vagus nerve is working can be tracked by monitoring someone's heart rate as he breathes in and out.

　　他们通过监测一个人吸气、呼气时的心率，追踪记录迷走神经如何有效地工作。

　　Healthy vagal function is reflected in a subtle increase in heart rate while breathing in and a subtle decrease while breathing out.

　　如果吸气时心率略微增加，呼气时略微下降，则说明迷走神经工作正常。

　　The difference yields an index of vagal tone, and the value of this index is known to be connected with health.

　　两次心率之差构成迷走神经张力指数。人们都知道该指数与健康程度有关。

　　Low values are, for example, linked to inflammation and heart attacks.

　　例如，低指数就与炎症、心脏病发作几率有联系。

　　What particularly interested Dr Fredrickson and Dr Kok was recent work that showed something else about the vagal-tone index: people with high tone are better than those with low at stopping bad feelings getting overblown.

　　让弗雷德里克松博士和可可博士特别感兴趣的是最近的研究，因为它显示了迷走神经张力指数的另一个性质：与张力指数低的人相比，指数高的人能更好地防止不良情绪失控。

　　They also show more positive emotions in general.

　　研究也显示，指数高的人大体上情绪更乐观。

　　This may provide the missing link between emotional well-being⁷ and physical health.

　　这也许弥补了心理健康与生理健康之间缺失的环节。

　　In particular, the two researchers found, during a preliminary study they carried out in 2010, that the vagal-tone values of those who experience positive emotions over a period of time go up.

　　尤其值得注意的是，两位研究人员在2010年的初步探究中发现，人们如果体验一段时间的积极情绪，迷走神经张力指数会就增加。

　　This left them wondering whether positive emotions and vagal tone drive one another in a virtuous⁸ spiral.

　　这为他们留下了疑念，积极情绪与迷走神经张力是否处于一个良性循环之中，互相促进？

　　They therefore conducted an experiment on 65 of the university's staff, to try to find out.

　　因此，他们对本校的65名员工展开实验，一探究竟。

　　They measured all of their volunteers' vagal tones at the beginning of the experiment and at its conclusion nine weeks later.

　　他们在实验开始时测量了所有志愿者的迷走神经张力指数，九周后实验结束时又再次测量。

　　In between, the volunteers were asked to go each evening to a website especially designed for the purpose, and rate their most powerful emotional experiences that day.

　　在实验期间，他们要求志愿者每天晚上登录一家专门为此设计的网站，为当天所经历的各种最强烈情绪评定等级。

　　Dr Fredrickson and Dr Kok asked their volunteers to consider nine positive emotions, such as hope, joy and love, and 11 negative ones, including anger, boredom⁹ and disgust.

　　弗雷德里克松博士和可可博士为志愿者提供了九种可供考虑的积极情绪选项，如期待、开心、热爱，还有十一种消极情绪，包括愤怒、疲倦、厌恶。

　　They were asked to rate, on a five-point scale, whether—and how strongly—they had felt each emotion.

　　两位博士要求他们以五分制一一打分：是否有这样的情绪、情绪有多强烈。

　　One point meant not at all; five meant extremely.

　　1分代表完全没有，5分代表非常强烈。

　　In addition, half the participants, chosen at random¹⁰, were invited to a series of workshops run by a licensed¹¹ therapist, to learn a meditation¹² technique intended to engender¹³ in the meditator¹⁴ a feeling of goodwill¹⁵ towards both himself and others.

　　此外，他们还随机邀请了一半志愿者到一个注册治疗师开的一系列工作坊中，学习冥想的技巧，旨在让冥想者产生一种善待自己、善待他人的情绪。

　　This group was encouraged to meditate¹⁶ daily, and to report the time they spent doing so.

　　他们鼓励这组人每天冥想，并向他们报告冥想用的时间。

　　Dr Fredrickson and Dr Kok discovered that vagal tone increased significantly in people who meditated¹⁷, and hardly at all in those who did not.

　　弗雷德里克松博士和可可博士发现，冥想的人的迷走神经张力显著增加，而那些不冥想的人几乎没有任何变化。

　　Among meditators, those who started the experiment with the highest vagal-tone scores reported the biggest increases in positive emotions.

　　在众多冥想者之中，那些实验一开始就拥有最高指数的人，积极情绪增加的幅度最大；

　　Meditators who started with particularly low scores showed virtually no such boost.

　　而一开始指数就很低的人，几乎没有这样的奇效。

　　Taken as a whole, these findings suggest high vagal tone makes it easier to generate positive emotions and that this, in turn, drives vagal tone still higher.

　　作为一个整体来看，这些发现意味着，这迷走神经张力指数越高，越容易产生积极情绪；反过来，积极情绪又能促进指数的提升。

　　That is both literally¹⁸ and metaphorically¹⁹ a positive feedback loop.

　　无论是从直观还是隐含的角度看，这都是一个正反馈循环。

　　Which is good news for the emotionally positive, but bad for the emotionally negative, for it implies that those who most need a psychosomatic boost are incapable²⁰ of generating one.

　　对于情绪乐观的人来说，这是个好消息；但对于消极的人来说，情况正好相反，因为它意味着，那些最需要振作精神的人却往往无法产生积极情绪。

　　A further experiment by Dr Kok suggests, however, that the grumpy need not give up all hope.

　　然而可可博士的进一步研究表明，脾气不好的人也尚存希望。

　　A simpler procedure than meditation, namely reflecting at night on the day's social connections, did seem to cause some improvement to their vagal tone.

　　有一种比冥想简单的方法，即每天晚上对白天的社交活动进行反思，似乎能在一定程度上提高迷走神经张力指数。

　　This might allow even those with a negative outlook on life to bootstrap their way to a mental state from which they could then advance to the more powerful technique of meditation.

　　就算是对生活不抱希望的人，也可能通过这种方式自我解脱，达到另一种精神状态，然后他们可以进一步使用效果更好的冥想技巧。

　　Whether, besides improving general health, the mechanism²¹ Dr Fredrickson and Dr Kok have discovered helps explain the placebo effect remains²² to be investigated.

　　除了提高综合健康水平，弗雷德里克松博士和可可博士发现的机制是否有助于解释安慰剂效应，还有待进一步研究。

　　But it might, because part of that effect seems to be the good feeling engendered²³ by the fact of being treated.

　　但这的确有可能，因为安慰剂效应就包括实验中因治疗产生的良好情绪。

　　More generally, doctors in the ancient world had a saying: a healthy mind in a healthy body.

　　更为普遍的是，古代的医生就有个说法：身体好，精气儿足。

　　This sort of work suggests that though this proverb is true, a better one might be, a healthy mind for a healthy body.

　　而这个实验则启发人们，尽管谚语说得有理，但精气儿足，身体好可能才更准确。

　　1.think well of 对…有好感

　　He always thinks of others. People think well of him.

　　他总是为别人着想。人们对他看法很好。

　　All the teachers think well of yang pei.

　　所有老师都对杨蓓印象很好。

　　2.placebo effect 安慰剂效应

　　The placebo effect's been well-documented.

　　安慰剂效果证据充分。

　　Molassiotis says that the improvements were not down to the placebo effect.

　　莫拉修迪斯说这一改善无法归为安慰剂效应。

　　3.heart attacks 心脏病发作

　　Deaths from heart attacks also declined.

　　因心脏病而死亡的人数也已大大的降低。

　　The end result may be heart attacks or internal blood clots²⁴.

　　最终的结果可能是心脏病发作或体内血块。

　　4.in particular 尤其， 特别

　　Progress is needed in three areas in particular.

　　尤其需要在三个方面取得进展。

　　Unemployment in particular has risen less than once seemed likely.

　　特别是失业率的增速似乎可能有所放缓。

1 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

2 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

3 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

4 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

5 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

6 abdominal   

adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌

参考例句：

• The abdominal aorta is normally smaller than the thoracic aorta.腹主动脉一般比胸主动脉小。
• Abdominal tissues sometimes adhere after an operation.手术之后腹部有时会出现粘连。

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

8 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

9 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

10 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

11 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

12 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

13 engender   

v.产生，引起

参考例句：

• A policy like that tends to engender a sense of acceptance,and the research literature suggests this leads to greater innovation.一个能够使员工产生认同感的政策，研究表明这会走向更伟大的创新。
• The sense of injustice they engender is a threat to economic and political security.它们造成的不公平感是对经济和政治安全的威胁。

14 meditator   

沉思者，冥想者

参考例句：

• The meditator who realises this also realises death and birth. 了悟这些的行者也了悟死与生。
• At that time, the meditator will generally experience many different painful feelings arising in his body. 这时候，禅者通常会经历很多不同的苦受，它们不断在身中生起。

15 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

16 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

17 meditated   

深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑

参考例句：

• He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
• She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

18 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

19 metaphorically   

adv. 用比喻地

参考例句：

• It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
• Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。

20 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

21 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

22 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

23 engendered   

v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The issue engendered controversy. 这个问题引起了争论。
• The meeting engendered several quarrels. 这次会议发生了几次争吵。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》