看看闻闻笑笑：三招立减节前高压

In some ways, the hallmarks of the holiday season can do a more than just spread cheer at your company. Some of the season's core attributes can also help boost engagement and creativity, and lower stress as well.

某种程度上说，假期来临的标志不只是在公司传播出一种欢乐的气氛。迎接假期的核心特质还包括让员工更加投入、更有创造力，甚至还可以降压。

In an article, Harvard Business Review editor Andrew O'Connell compiles some of those curious stats, which show how creativity can be enhanced by sensory effects. And wouldn't you know it, they all reflect a little bit of holiday spirit.

哈佛商业评论编辑奥康奈尔在一篇文章中引用了一系列有意思的数据以论证创造力是通过感官效果增强的。此外，他还指出，不管你有没有意识到，这些感官效果都或多或少受了节日的气氛的影响。

1. The smell of peppermint

闻闻薄荷油的味道

Peppermint has been shown to improve engagement, as shown by a study of peoples' performances on the Nintendo Wii. This wasn't the first look into the effects of the scent of peppermint; O'Connell writes, "Other studies have suggested that peppermint enhances attention, memory, alertness, and mood." Go buy some candy cane air fresheners tonight.

在一份分析人们玩游戏时表现的研究中，薄荷被证明可以提高人们的投入程度。而之前关于薄荷味作用的研究也不少见，奥康奈尔写道：“还有一些研究证明薄荷可以提高注意力、记忆力、警觉性及情绪。”所以，今晚就去买点儿糖果味空气清新剂吧！

2. The color green

多看看绿色

The wreaths and holly and, hey, maybe even an office Christmas tree — anything green, really, is good to look at. "Why not red, blue, or gray?" O'Connell writes. "Unclear, say the researchers, but they point out that green has strong associations with growth in many cultures."

圣诞花环、冬青树，或者仅仅是办公室的一棵圣诞树，只要是绿色的，都请多看看吧！奥康奈尔指出：“为什么不是红色、蓝色或者是灰色呢？研究者们尚不清楚。但是他们称绿色在很多文化中都和生长有着密不可分的关系。”

3. A big smile

一个大大的笑容

Hey, it's the holidays. Brighten up! A study tracing heart rates shows that people who were forced to smile (quite literally, with chopsticks placed in their mouths) saw their heart rates drop by about 7% during a task. The holidays get a lot of flack for being a stressful time of year in general, but embracing the season and smiling a bit might at least counteract the pressure.

嘿，快要放假了，所以振奋起来吧！一项研究通过追踪人们的心跳发现那些被迫去笑（字面意思就是把筷子放在嘴里强迫别人去笑）的人在做任务时心跳平均会降低7%。 总的来说，假期的来临确实会增加工作压力，也会让人感到疲惫；但是放松心态拥抱假期以及一个大大的笑容至少可以冲抵一些压力。