TED演讲:为什么受惊吓那么好玩(2)

 　　Other normal physical differences explain why some may love the dizziness associated with a loop-de-loop, 另外的一些正常生理现象的区别则解释了为何有些人喜爱转圈带来的眩晕感，

　　while loathing¹ the stomach-drop sensation of a steep roller coaster, 却讨厌过山车带来的胃部翻江倒海的感觉；

　　or why some squeal² with delight inside a haunted house, but retreat in terror if taken to an actual cemetery³. 为何有些人在鬼屋中兴奋的尖叫，却不敢到真正的墓园当中。

　　Fear brings more than just a fun, natural high. 恐惧带来的不仅是兴奋和“高潮”。

　　Doing things that we're afraid of can give us a nice boost of self-esteem. 尝试挑战我们害怕的东西对于树立自尊自信益处颇多。

　　Like any personal challenge, whether it's running a race or finishing a long book,  就像很多个人挑战一样，无论是完成了一次跑步比赛，还是读完了一本篇幅很长的书，

　　when we make it through to the end, we feel a sense of accomplishment⁴. 当坚持到最后时，我们都会很有成就感。

　　This is true even if we know we're not really in any danger. 这是事实，即便早已知晓我们并非真正身处险境。

　　Our thinking brains may know the zombies aren't real, but our bodies tell us otherwise. 大脑告诉我们僵尸并不存在，但我们的身体反应却并非如此。

　　The fear feels real, so when we make it through alive, the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment also feel real. 恐惧的感受非常真实，因此当我们挑战成功时，那种满足感和成就感同样真实。

　　This is a great evolutionary⁵ adaptation. 这是一种强大的进化与适应能力。

　　Those who had the right balance of bravery and wit to know when to push through the fear and when to retreat 有些人能够很好的辨别鲁莽和智慧，他们知道何时需要勇往直前，何时需要急流勇退，

　　were rewarded with survival, new food, and new lands. 而他们获得的奖赏则是“生存"，新的食物，新的栖息地。

　　Finally, fear can bring people together. 最后，恐惧还能提高人们的凝聚力。

　　Emotions can be contagious⁶, and when you see your friend scream and laugh, you feel compelled to do the same. 情绪是极富感染性的，无论你看到朋友在尖叫或大笑，都会不自觉的想和他做同样的事情。

　　This is because we make sense of what our friends are experiencing by recreating the experience ourselves. 这是因为我们会再创情境，来使自己感受朋友正在经历的情绪。

　　In fact, the parts of the brain that are active when our friend screams are active in us when we watch them. 事实上，当我们看到看到朋友正在尖叫时，我们自身对应恐惧和尖叫的大脑部分也会活跃起来。

　　This not only intensifies⁷ our own emotional experience, but makes us feel closer to those we're with. 这不仅会加强我们自身的情绪体验，也会拉近我们与身边同伴的距离。

　　The feeling of closeness during times of fear is aided by the hormone⁸ oxytocin released during fight or flight. 恐惧期间产生的亲近感是体内某种激素刺激产生的，而这种激素和我们在搏斗或飞行时产生的是相同的。

　　Fear is a powerful emotional experience, and anything that triggers a strong reaction is going to be stored in our memory really well. 恐惧是种强烈的情绪体验，任何引发这种强烈反应的刺激，都会在我们的头脑中留下鲜活的记忆。

　　You don't want to forget what can hurt you. 你不会忘记那些会对你造成伤害的事物。

　　So if your memory of watching a horror film with your friends is positive and left you with a sense of satisfaction, then you'll want to do it over and over again. 所以当你和同伴一起看恐怖电影的记忆十分刺激，并且带给你极大的满足感时，你就会不断的期望再次尝试。

1 loathing   

n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• She looked at her attacker with fear and loathing . 她盯着襲擊她的歹徒，既害怕又憎恨。
• They looked upon the creature with a loathing undisguised. 他们流露出明显的厌恶看那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

3 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

4 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

5 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

6 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

7 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。