新奇事件簿 婚姻可以缓解压力

A new study suggests that marital¹ bliss² has beneficial health effects. The research is from Carnegie Mellon University in the USA. It concludes that being married reduces your levels of a stress hormone³ called cortisol. Researchers tested for cortisol in the saliva⁴ of 572 adults aged⁵ 21-55 on three different, non-consecutive days. Multiple saliva samples were taken throughout each 24-hour period. The researchers found that the married people in the sample had less cortisol than people who were single, separated, divorced or widowed. The researchers said: "Married people tend to be healthier than both the previously⁶ and never married, but the mechanisms⁷ through which this occurs remain unclear."

一项新的研究表明，婚姻幸福有益健康。这是来自美国卡内基梅隆大学的研究。研究称，结婚会降低一种名叫皮质醇的压力荷尔蒙的水平。研究人员选取了不连续的三个日期检测了572名21岁至55岁的成年人唾液中皮质醇的水平。每24小时内采取多个不同的唾液样本。研究人员发现，已婚人士样本中的皮质醇水平低于单身，分居，离异或寡居人士。研究人员表示：“已婚人士比以前曾经结婚或从未结婚的人更健康，但是发生这种现象的机制仍然不清楚。”

The stress hormone cortisol has many different functions in our body. It regulates blood sugar levels, immune responses and inflammation and can increase the risk of heart disease. It also increases the chances of surviving cancer. High levels of cortisol have been linked to mental conditions such as anxiety and depression. Laboratory director Sheldon Cohen said: "These data provide important insights into the way in which our intimate social relationships can get under the skin to influence our health." Researcher Brian Chin added: "It is exciting to discover a physiological⁸ pathway that may explain how relationships influence health and disease."

压力荷尔蒙皮质醇对我们的身体有许多不同的作用，会调节血糖水平，免疫反应和炎症，增加心脏病风险，还会增加患癌症的机会。高水平的皮质醇与焦虑和抑郁等精神疾病有关。实验室负责人Sheldon Cohen表示：“这些数据为我们的亲密社交关系如何穿透皮肤影响我们的健康提供了重要的视角。”研究员Brian Chin补充说：“发现这种可能解释夫妻关系如何影响健康和疾病的生理通道，非常令人兴奋。”

1 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

2 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

3 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

4 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。