美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Trump 10': Packing On The Pounds In An Age Of Stressful Politics

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There have been all kinds of societal effects because of the current political climate. Here's one you might not have heard of, though. It's causing celebrities¹ and others to gain weight. Here's NPR's Allison Aubrey.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE²: A few weeks back, Stephen Colbert welcomed a Tony Award-winning actress onto his show.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT")

STEPHEN COLBERT: Please welcome Jane Krakowski.

AUBREY: Krakowski walked onto the set. She greeted Colbert with a quick kiss on the cheek and got personal.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT")

JANE KRAKOWSKI: Now that I've put on my Trump³ 10, I've got to work out a little bit.

(LAUGHTER)

COLBERT: I haven't heard about the Trump 10.

KRAKOWSKI: Yeah, like a freshman⁴ 15.

COLBERT: No, I understand that. No, no, I totally have the Trump 10.

KRAKOWSKI: You do, too?

COLBERT: I'm just stress eating...

KRAKOWSKI: See? (Laughter).

COLBERT: ...All the time.

AUBREY: So is there anything to this? I put the question to Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of The Ohio State University. She studies stress.

(LAUGHTER)

JANICE KIECOLT-GLASER: You know, it's easy to laugh at. But in terms of what we know about stress, it really does make sense.

AUBREY: So you think that this Trump 10 phenomenon could be real?

KIECOLT-GLASER: Yes because when people are stressed, they typically do reach for the higher-calorie, higher-sugar foods that are more likely to put on pounds.

AUBREY: Now, to be clear, there is no direct evidence pinning weight gain to the presidents. And let's face it, it's convenient to blame someone else for our personal struggles. But one hint that the effect could be real comes from a recent poll. The American Psychological Association surveys Americans about stress levels, and researcher Elissa Epel of UC San Francisco says the findings are telling.

ELISSA EPEL: The survey does ask whether the political climate is stressing them out.

AUBREY: More than half of those who responded said yes; the current political climate is a source of stress. And Epel says the unease cuts across party lines.

EPEL: Regardless of whether people are pro-Trump or anti-Trump, most people do not like what they're seeing on the news.

AUBREY: People who stay super plugged-in, taking in every tweet, every news cycle, are more likely to be stressed out, the poll suggests.

EPEL: Constant checking of the news on your phone or on TV, it's a bad idea. It's keeping you in a vigilant⁵ state.

AUBREY: And that can add to your stress. So maybe this explains a recent tweet from Barbra Streisand. She tweeted, Donald Trump is making me gain weight. I start the day with liquids. But after the morning news, I eat pancakes smothered⁶ in maple⁷ syrup⁸. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

5 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

6 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

7 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

8 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。