Rapid Thinking Makes People Happy

　　Lousy day? Don’t try to think happy thoughts—just think fast. A new study shows that accelerated thinking can improve your mood. In six experiments, researchers at Princeton and Harvard universities made research participants think quickly by having them generate as many problem-solving ideas (even bad ones) as possible in 10 minutes, read a series of ideas on a computer screen at a brisk pace or watch an I Love Lucy video clip on fast-forward. Other participants performed similar tasks at a relaxed speed.

　　今天不爽麼？不要試圖想一些高興的事情——就試試快速思考吧！一項新的研究表明快速思考能讓我們心情更好。來自普林斯頓（Princeton）和哈佛（Harvard）大學的研究人員做了6項實驗，他們讓實驗參與者在10分鍾內快速地想出盡可能多的解決問題的方法（即使是一些糟糕的方法），或者讓他們在計算機屏幕上快速閱讀一係列的想法，或者讓他們以快進的方式觀看電視劇《我愛露西》（I Love Lucy）的一個片段。研究者讓其他的參與者悠閑地做上述這些活動。

　　Results suggested that thinking fast made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful. Activities that promote fast thinking, then, such as whip?ping through an easy crossword puzzle or brain-storming quickly about an idea, can boost energy and mood, says psychologist Emily Pronin, the study’s lead author.

　　研究結果認為快速思考讓實驗參與者感覺更加高興、更具創造力；同時讓他們感覺更加有活力和強大（在程度上弱一些）。心理學家Emily Pronin是該項研究的主要作者，他說，促進我們快速思考的活動能增強我們的活力，提升我們的心情。這些活動包括比如快速做一些簡單的填字遊戲或者針對一個想法迅速地想出一些獨創性的方法。

　　Pronin notes that rapid-fire thinking can sometimes have consequences. For people with bipolar disorder, thoughts can race so quickly that the manic feeling becomes aversive. And based on their own and others’ research, Pronin and a colleague propose in another recent article that although fast and varied thinking causes elation, fast but repetitive thoughts can instead trigger anxiety. (They further suggest that slow, varied thinking leads to the kind of calm, peaceful happiness associated with mindfulness meditation, whereas slow, repetitive thinking tends to sap energy and spur depressive thoughts.)

　　Pronin注意到快速的思考有時候也帶來一些問題。對於那些患有兩極型紊亂的人，他們的思考變得非常快，以至於使狂熱的感覺會變為厭惡的感覺。Pronin和他的一名同事根據他們自己的以及他人的研究結果，在最近另外的一篇文章中提出，雖然快速和多變的思考能使人高興，不過快速但重複的思考相反能引起焦慮。（他們進一步提出緩慢多變的思考有助於獲得那種安寧祥和的幸福，人們一般把這種幸福與全神貫注的沉思聯係在一起。但是，緩慢重複性的思考容易使人疲憊和引起抑鬱。）

　　It is unclear why thought speed affects mood, but Pronin and her colleagues theorize that our own expectations may be part of the equation. In earlier research, they found that people generally believe fast thinking is a sign of a good mood. This lay belief may lead us to instinctively infer that if we are thinking quickly we must be happy. In addition, they suggest, thinking quickly may unleash the brain’s novelty-loving dopamine system, which is involved in sensations of pleasure and reward.

　　人們還不清楚為什麼思考速度能影響心情，不過Pronin和她的同事提出的理論認為我們自身的期盼可能在整個過程中起到一定的作用。在早期的研究中，他們發現人們一般認為快速思考是好心情的標誌。這種非專業的觀念可能導致我們本能地推斷：如果我們在快速地思考，那麼我們肯定幸福。另外，Pronin和她的同事們認為快速思考可能引發大腦的“喜好新奇”多巴胺係統，這個係統與感知快樂和收獲相關。

　　The kind of rush that a person gets from rapid-fire thinking may be transient, but “these little bursts of positive emotion add up,” says psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside. Studies have demon?strated that happiness yields myriad benefits, including greater productivity, stronger social support and improved immune function, she explains, adding that “even brief periods of heightened mood can lead to upward spirals.”

　　一個人從快速思考中獲得的那種激情可能很短暫，但是來自加州大學河濱分校（University of California, Riverside）的心理學家Sonja Lyubomirsky說：“這些積極情緒雖然細微的展示也能起到疊加的作用。”研究已經顯示幸福感能帶來無窮多的益處，包括更高的效率、更牢固的社會關係以及更強大的免疫功能，Sonja Lyubomirsky補充解釋說：“即使是短暫的好情緒也能引導我們積極向上。”

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