英語美文朗讀 第379期 Tips on how to be happy
There are thousands of tips and psychological techniques to help you feel happy and learn to rejoice each day. But what if our own body had a say in the matter? Here are some findings from neuroscientists — the people who know exactly when and why your brain can give you the feeling of total satisfaction! The first tip is our favorite – it's helpful and very easy to do.
有成千上萬的方法和心理技巧，來幫助你感到快樂，并學(xué)會享受每一天。但如果我們自己的身體在這件事上有發(fā)言權(quán)呢？以下是神經(jīng)科學(xué)家的一些發(fā)現(xiàn)——他們知道你的大腦在什么時候、以及為什么能給你強烈的滿足感！
#8.Engage in pleasant expectations
The process of waiting for something nice, such as food or sex, is similar to the learned salivation response. Our brain experiences pleasure by simply anticipating the fun event. That's why we're so fond of counting the hours and minutes to some special moment — be it a birthday or a wedding, a meeting with a friend, or just an end to a long working day.
充滿美好的期望。 等待美好事物的過程，如食物或性，類似于所學(xué)的唾液反應(yīng)（條件反射）。我們的大腦在充滿期待的過程中，就能產(chǎn)生快樂。這就是為什么我們?nèi)绱藷嶂杂谟嬎隳硞€特殊時刻的到來——無論是生日、婚禮、與朋友會面，還是結(jié)束漫長的工作日。
#7.Solve problems one at a time
Our brain never stops searching for solutions to every problem that worries us. This takes a lot of energy, so whenever the brain gets tired and the problem remains unresolved, we feel anxiety and irritation. On the other hand, for every right decision, our brain rewards itself with a dose of neurotransmitters that calm the limbic system and help us once again see the world in a better light. Therefore, you need to try to deal with one problem at a time.
一次只解決一個問題。 我們的大腦從來不停止尋找解決問題的方法。這需要消耗大量的能量，所以每當(dāng)大腦疲勞，問題仍未解決時，我們都會感到焦慮和不安。另一方面，對于每一個正確的決定，我們的大腦都會獎勵自己一劑神經(jīng)遞質(zhì)，它能使大腦邊緣系統(tǒng)平靜下來，幫助我們再次以更好的視角看待世界。因此，您只需要一次處理一個問題。
#6.Don't keep things pent up: talk about what bothers you
The processes of wordlessly going through something unpleasant and talking about your predicament involve making use of different parts of the brain. In the latter case, negative emotions have a lesser impact on your well-being. It is, therefore, advisable not to keep your problems pent up. Whenever you talk about them, your brain triggers the production of serotonin and even manages to find some positive sides to the situation.
不要把事情憋在心里：說出你的煩惱吧。 把不愉快的事情憋在心里，或者是與別人交流自己的困境，利用的是大腦不同區(qū)域。在后一種情況下，負面情緒對你的健康影響較小。因此，最好不要把你的問題隱藏起來。每當(dāng)你談?wù)撍鼈儠r，你的大腦會觸發(fā)血清素的產(chǎn)生，甚至?xí)O(shè)法找到一些積極的方面。
#5.Touch and embrace
To us, humans, social interaction is really important. Various forms of physical support, especially touches and embraces, can speed up a person's recovery after an illness. If you remove physical interaction from your life, the brain perceives its absence the way it perceives physical pain: the same brain zones become activated in both instances. This, in turn, triggers the processes that affect your mood and contribute to the development of depression.
觸摸和擁抱。 對我們?nèi)祟悂碚f，社交是非常重要的。各種形式的身體接觸，特別是觸摸和擁抱，可以加速一個人在疾病后的恢復(fù)。如果你從從來不與別人發(fā)生身體接觸，大腦會像感知身體疼痛那樣感知到它的缺失：在這兩種情況下，相同的大腦區(qū)域都會被激活。這反過來又觸發(fā)了影響你情緒的過程，并有助于抑郁的發(fā)展。
#4.Learn, learn, and, once again, learn!
For the brain, acquiring new knowledge means permanent adaptation to a changing environment. Using this process, our brain develops, rewarding its own attempts to absorb and process new information with dopamine, the hormone of joy. If you want to be happy, don't be afraid to try something new, to change your surroundings, to learn new things.
學(xué)習(xí)，學(xué)習(xí)，再次學(xué)習(xí)！ 對于大腦來說，獲得新知識意味著對不斷變化的環(huán)境的適應(yīng)。利用這個過程，我們的大腦會進化，用多巴胺（快樂的荷爾蒙）來獎勵自己。如果你想快樂，不要害怕嘗試新事物，改變你的環(huán)境，學(xué)習(xí)新事物。
#3.Play sports
Physical activity is stress for the body. As soon as the stress ends, your body gets a reward: a dose of endorphins, released by the pituitary gland. The effect is similar to that of opiates (e.g., morphine), which reduce pain and elevate the mood. You don't need to run marathons to achieve this result — even an regular walk can do wonders! Incidentally, many writers and composers consider taking walks an indispensable part of the creative process.
參加體育活動。 體力活動是對身體的壓力，一旦壓力結(jié)束，你的身體就會得到獎勵：一劑內(nèi)啡肽，它由腦垂體釋放。其作用類似于鴉片類藥物（如嗎啡），可減輕疼痛并提高愉悅感。你不需要跑馬拉松來達到這個結(jié)果——即使是普通的散步也會讓你感到愉快！順便說一下，許多作家和作曲家認為散步是創(chuàng)作過程中不可或缺的一部分。
#2.Always try to get a good sleep
Start using a sleep mask. As long as your brain thinks it's night time, it keeps on sleeping. While we sleep in the dark, our body secretes the hormone melatonin. This hormone slows down all processes in the body, helping it to recover and increasing the level of serotonin in the hypothalamus. If the brain detects a change in lighting, it triggers the release of the stress hormone to awaken the body quickly. Therefore, it is important to sleep 6-8 hours a day and only in darkened environments.
睡個好覺 ?？梢試L試使用睡眠面罩。只要你的大腦認為是夜晚，它就會繼續(xù)睡覺。當(dāng)我們在黑暗中睡覺時，我們的身體分泌褪黑激素。這種激素減緩了身體的所有進程，幫助它恢復(fù)和增加下丘腦的血清素水平。如果大腦檢測到光線的變化，它會觸發(fā)壓力荷爾蒙的釋放，從而迅速喚醒身體。因此，重要的是每天睡6-8小時，而且必須是在黑暗的環(huán)境中。
#1.Learn to say Thank you
When we say a person, or even fate, for something, we focus ourselves on the positive aspects of life. Pleasant memories trigger serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex. This technique is often used for treating depression.
學(xué)會說謝謝 。當(dāng)我們談?wù)撃硞€人，某件事，甚至是命運時，我們把自己集中在生活的積極方面。愉快的記憶觸發(fā)扣帶回皮層前血清素的產(chǎn)生。這項技術(shù)常用于治療抑郁癥。
