新奇事件簿 人类热衷白日梦

New research from America’s Harvard University shows people spend nearly half of their waking hours daydreaming¹, and not thinking about what they are actually doing. Moreover², they say this mind wandering is a sign of unhappiness. The study, to be published in the journal³ ‘Science,’ surveyed the thoughts and moods of over 2,200 volunteers. The participants downloaded an iPhone app and sent more than 250,000 messages during the day and night. Researchers Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert conclude that most of us are in another world for more than 46 per cent of our waking hours, and that means we are unhappy: "A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind,” they said.

美国哈佛大学最新研究表明，人们每天用一半清醒时间做白日梦，与正在处理的事情完全不搭边。称思绪飘忽预示着不快乐。该研究刊登在了《科学》，研究人员对2200多名志愿者的情绪和思想进行了研究。被调查者下载了一款手机应用，并不分白昼发出了25万多条短信。研究员马修·基林斯沃思和丹尼尔·吉尔伯特总结到，多数参与者都“生活”在另一个世界，比例占据了清醒时间的46%，这说明我们不快乐，称人们的思绪处于飘忽状态，飘忽的思想是不幸福的表现。

Dr Killingsworth said “mind-wandering” was “ubiquitous across all activities” in our daily lives. His study found that we are happiest when exercising, chatting with friends or making love and least happy when working or using our computer at home. He added: "Mind-wandering is an excellent predictor of people's happiness,” and that “our mental lives are filled, to a remarkable⁴ degree, by the non-present”. Professor Gilbert believes daydreaming is one of the things that make us human. He said: “Unlike other animals, human beings spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around them, contemplating⁵ events that happened in the past, might happen in the future or will never happen at all.”

基林斯沃思博士称在日常生活中，走神在所有活动中都非常普遍。该研究发现，人们在参加体育锻炼，和朋友攀谈或是在发生性关系时最高兴，在工作或在家使用电脑时最不快乐。他还指出：“走神是判定高兴与否的最佳标准，精神生活被非存在物质大量充斥。吉尔伯特教授相信，白日梦是人类的特殊属性。他表示：“不像其它动物，人类会花费更多时间思考非当下事，冥想以前，未来或是永远不会发生的事。

1 daydreaming   

v.想入非非，空想( daydream的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Stop daydreaming and be realistic. 别空想了，还是从实际出发吧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Bill was sitting and daydreaming so his mother told him to come down to earth and to do his homework. 比尔坐着空想， 他母亲要他面对现实，去做课外作业。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 moreover   

adv.再有，此外，而且

参考例句：

• The rent is reasonable, and moreover,the location is perfect.这房租合理，而且地点优越。
• The task is difficult, and moreover,time is pressing.任务艰巨，并且时间紧迫。

3 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。