为什么大选结果会让男人激动难抑？

Don't be shocked if guys pound their chests or shake their fists at Tuesday night's election results. It's hormonal.

周二晚上大选结果公布时，如果你看到男人们捶胸顿足或是挥拳相向，千万不要感到震惊。这不过是荷尔蒙在作怪。

For men, presidential-election nights affect testosterone levels as if they're watching their favorite team compete in the World Series or Super Bowl, according to a study that explored voters' reactions to the 2010 contest.

一项探讨了选民对2010年大选结果反应的研究揭示，对于男人来说，总统大选之夜会影响他们体内的睾丸激素水平，这就好像他们在看自己喜欢的球队在美国职棒大联盟“世界大赛(World Series)或橄榄球“超级碗(Super Bowl)中比赛一样。

The study, published in October 2010 in the journal PLoS One, measured the testosterone levels of 163 men and women before and after Barack Obama's defeat of John McCain during the last presidential race. The study subjects, aided by chewing gum, gave saliva samples to researchers for testing.

这项研究发表在2010年10月号的PLoS One杂志上。研究测量了163名男女在2010年美国总统大选冲刺阶段奥巴马(Barack Obama)击败麦凯恩(John McCain)前后的睾丸激素水平。研究对象用口香糖向研究人员提供测试所需的唾液样本。

Testosterone levels typically fall throughout a normal day. But levels stayed about the same among male Obama supporters on the 2010 election night. Among those who supported the losing side, the hormone levels dropped more than they normally would have岸some 30% from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., the study found. (The election's outcome didn't affect testosterone levels in women, as researchers had expected.)

在正常的一天中，睾丸激素的水平通常会下降。但在2010年的大选夜，奥巴马男性选民的睾丸激素水平始终保持在大致相同的水平。研究发现，在那些支持麦凯恩的选民中，其睾丸激素水平的下降幅度大于正常情况，从晚上8点至凌晨1点大致下降了30%（但正如研究人员所预期的那样，大选结果没有影响女性的睾丸激素水平）。

It was as if the men weren't just watching the outcome but closely identifying with one of the candidates, said Kevin LaBar, a Duke University neuroscientist who helped conduct the study. Similar hormonal changes have been observed in devoted male sports fans watching their favorite team play, he said.

帮助开展这项研究的杜克大学(Duke University)神经学家拉巴尔(Kevin LaBar)说，这就好像这些男性选民不只是在关注投票结果，而且是在和其中一位候选人结成了相当密切的关系一样。拉巴说，已经观察到类似荷尔蒙变化出现在那些忠诚的男性体育迷观看他们喜欢的球队比赛的时候。

'There's kind of a correlation between sports competitions and political contests in terms of their effects on the fans,' Dr. LaBar said.

拉巴说，就这两种活动对粉丝的影响而言，体育比赛和总统大选之间存在某种相关性。

Such events are present-day versions of contests for social dominance, age-old fights between alpha males for power, mates and food, Dr. LaBar said.

拉巴说，这些活动就是争取社会统治地位竞赛的现实版本，是阿尔法男性之间为了权力、配偶和食物进行的古已有之的争斗。

The hormonal changes may provide a biological basis for helping people fit in to larger groups, Dr. LaBar said. Studies that look at changes in the brain among sports fans have shown that regions involved in putting oneself in someone else's shoes are activated during games.

拉巴说，荷尔蒙的变化可能提供了一个生物学基础，以帮助人们融入大群体中。那些观察体育爱好者大脑变化的研究发现，大脑中那些能让一个人对他人感同身受的区域会在比赛过程中被激活。

A potential downside looms, however. The biological investment in the outcome may explain the violence that erupts after sporting events, Dr. LaBar said.

但这也有一个潜在的不利因素。拉巴说，在生理上对比赛结果的投入也许可以解释体育赛事结束后爆发的暴力行为。

Fans of the winning team feel empowered to take risks, he said, while the powerlessness felt by the loser's supporters can result in acting out.

拉巴说，获胜球队的球迷感到自己有力量了，可以承受风险，而失败一方的支持者所感到的无能为力则可能导致他们出现出格行为。

The changes are thought to be temporary. By the next morning, testosterone levels return to their normal levels, researchers believe.

这种荷尔蒙的变化被认为是暂时的。研究人员认为，到了第二天早晨，睾丸激素水平就会恢复正常。