时差N小时 心情能够影响你的嗅觉

Our sense of smell can have a large impact on how we think and feel.

我们的嗅觉对我们的思维和感觉能够产生很大影响。

But did you know that mood can affect how we smell?

但你知道吗，心情也是能够影响嗅觉的。

According to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison, feeling anxious can make typically neutral smells seem repugnant.

根据威斯康星麦迪逊大学研究人员的一份报告显示，焦虑的心情能够让典型的中性气味变得刺鼻。

The study involved a dozen volunteers who rated a panel of neutral smells.

该项研究邀请了12名志愿者并让他们辨别一组中性气味。

Then, while inside an MRI machine, subjects were made to feel anxious with disturbing images of car crashes and grisly war scenes.

然后通过向他们播放撞车和可怕的战争场景图像来使他们产生焦虑的情绪，并用核磁共振仪进行观察。

They were then asked to rank the panels of neutral smells once again.

接着，志愿者们被要求再次对这组中性气味进行辨别。

But now, after having been made anxious by the images, they described some of the smells as negative.

但是由于之前看到的影片产生了焦虑感，他们这次则表示闻到的气体是刺鼻的。

MRI revealed that during induced anxiety, the smell related circuits of the brain became intertwined with the brain's emotional circuitry.

核磁共振结果显示，由于心情焦虑，大脑中跟嗅觉有关的回路跟情绪相关的回路产生了交织。

Normally, those circuits don't interact much, but when the subjects were anxious, the circuits morphed into something like a unified¹ network, essentially² rewiring the brain.

正常情况下，这些回路并不会发生太多的互动，但是当人体变得焦虑时，这两种回路就会变成一个看似交织在一起的网络，本质上来说就是对大脑的回路进行了重组。

And somehow, that rewiring affected³ how the subjects interacted with theworld through smell.

而且，不知何故，这种改变影响了志愿者通过嗅觉与外界进行联系的方式。

So why does this matter?

为什么知道这一点会很重要呢？

First, because it helps explain how anxiety can feed on itself.

首先，它可以有助于解释焦虑是如何变强的。

In sofar as being anxious makes things smell generally worse, those worse smells may in turn cause greater anxiety, creating an anxiety feedback loop.

如果说一定程度的焦虑会让人感觉闻到的东西很刺鼻，那么越刺鼻的气味则会反过来引发更强烈的焦虑感，由此便产生了一种焦虑的恶性循环。

On the bright side, understanding how emotion and smell can intert wine may also lead to ways to use smell as a way to combat anxiety and other mental disorders⁴ an intriguing⁵ possibility that maybe borne out with more research.

好的一面是，如果理解了情绪跟气味是如何互动的原理，我们可以利用气味来战胜焦虑和其他的心理疾病，但是这种有趣的可能性还需要投入更多的研究来加以证实。

1 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》