细节改变生活：8种特别的方式让生活更美好

New scientific research offers surprising ways to shower yourself with tranquility, creativity, longevity and more.

新的研究发现有很多方式能让自己更加安静、富有创造力和长寿。

1. Optimism

乐观积极

Never mind if you don't have hours a day—even a few minutes spent in quiet contemplation once in a while yields noticeable benefits. A group of adults who meditated an average of six hours and 13 minutes over the course of five weeks developed patterns of brain activity typically associated with positive moods.

就算你每天没有太多的时间也没关系，仅仅几分钟的沉思就能让你获得不少好处。研究显示，在五周的时间里平均沉思6小时13分钟的成年人，有效地提升了脑力，心态也变得更加积极。

2. Serenity

平静

When mice were fed a strain of probiotics found in some yogurt, they became calmer under stress, Irish and Canadian scientists observed. The were less likely to panic like their broth-fed brethren, and they produced fewer stress hormones—effects similar to those brought on by antidepressants. Look for yogurt that has active probiotic cultures, and say, "Mmmm."

爱尔兰和加拿大的科学家观察发现，用某种酸奶里含有的活益生菌喂食老鼠，能让它们在压力之下显得更加冷静。相比那些食肉的老鼠而言，它们似乎更不容易陷入恐慌，还能分泌出较少的压力荷尔蒙——这和服用抗抑郁症药物的效果一样。喝喝那些富含活益生菌的酸奶吧，然后大赞一句“好喝”。

3. Creative Thinking

创造性思维

Volunteers who worked in rooms lit by a lamp with an incandescent lightbulb instead of overhead fluorescents solved problems requiring novel thinking more successfully. Scientists say the symbolism of the bulb (not just its light spectrum) led to the subjects' bright ideas, and cited "a growing body of research showing that perception of objects...can subtly influence our behavior."

房间里的灯泡对创造性思维有影响。相比头顶是日光灯的志愿者而言，头顶是白炽灯泡的似乎更能轻而易举的解决需要创新性思维的难题。科学家表示，灯泡的象征主义（不仅仅它的光谱）能帮助被试者想出不错的点子，并且“越来越多的行为研究表明对物体的感知能潜移默化的影响我们的行为”。

4. Belonging

归属感

Undergraduates who considered chicken soup a comfort food and then were fed some scored higher on a psychological test of social connectedness than those who weren't given any soup. When given a word fragment like incl, they converted it into a "relationship word" such as include, instead of a neutral term, like incline, because the dish stirred a sense of connection.

在社交连通性的心理测试中，我们给那些把鸡汤看成是安慰食物的大学生准备了一些鸡汤，结果显示他们的得分要比没有喝鸡汤的那群人更高。比如我们给出词根incl， 他们会迅速转化成“关系词汇” 比如include，而非中性词汇incline，因为鸡汤激起了他们心中的归属感。

5. Vitality

活力

Tired? Draggy? Stuck in your office? Picture yourself outside beneath an arching sky and canopied branches. Daydreaming about nature is energizing, according to a new study. And if you can go outdoors, even better: As little as 20 minutes in a natural setting demonstrably increased people's energy levels for the day.

累了？乏了？被困在办公室了？想象一下自己正在户外，蓝天下，绿茵旁吧。新的研究显示，做点关于自然的白日梦能增加能量。如果你真能去户外那就更好了，每天只需要在自然环境下待上20分钟就能有效提高一天的能量了。

6. Longevity

长寿

Using data from about 10,000 adults tracked over 50 years, scientists discovered that volunteering, especially for altruistic motives, can be a lifesaver. People who reported giving their time because they wanted to help others outlived those who didn't volunteer at all, as well as those who did so mostly for their own satisfaction.

根据对10000个成年人长达50年的追踪研究，科学家发现，志愿活动尤其是那些无私利心的，可以是救命稻草。那些花时间帮助别人的人们要比其他人更加长寿，即使他们帮别人只是为了自己开心。

7. Bliss

狂喜

Researchers asked volunteers to rate their level of happiness the last time they spent money on themselves or on someone else. Not only were the givers happier, but when presented with extra cash to use as they wished, they were more apt to spend it on others. The study's authors concluded "a positive feedback loop" exists between offering gifts and well-being.

研究者要求志愿者回想一下上次为自己或别人花钱时到底有多开心。事实上，花钱者不仅更开心了，给他们多余的钱时，他们还会乐于花在别人身上。研究作者总结道，给礼物和人之间有着“积极的回馈循环”。

8. A Healthier Diet

健康饮食

To make better choices at the grocery store, bring dollar bills, a revelatory study shows. Analyzing 1,000 households, researchers found that shoppers who paid by credit card tended to select chips, cookies, and other junk food. The theory: Shelling out cash is more psychologically painful, so people are less likely to spend it on unhealthy goods.

一项启示性的研究显示，想在便利店做出正确的选择，用现金吧。对1000个家庭的分析发现，那些用信用卡付账的顾客似乎更易选择薯片、饼干和其他垃圾食品。理论：花现金才更会肉疼，人们也就不会多买那些垃圾食品了。