时差N小时 恋爱中的大脑

DON:I'm trying to write a poem to my sweetheart.

唐:我想给我的爱人写首情诗。

Can you think of a good metaphor¹ for love?

你有没有一个好的爱情隐喻呢?

YAEL:How about hunger or thirst?

雅艾尔:牵扯挂肚或饥渴难耐怎样呢?

DON:I don't know about that.

唐:我不是很明白。

I was thinking something like love is a rose, except less cliche².

我在想爱情是玫瑰之类的东西,除了少些陈词滥调。

YAEL:You must be talking about a later stage of romantic love because that metaphor is entirely³ off target when it's very early love that we're talking about.

雅艾尔:你必须谈论浪漫的爱情后期,因为隐喻是完全偏离早期我们谈论的爱情。

DON:And hunger or thirst IS on target for early love?

唐:那饥饿或口渴是爱情伊始时的目标?

Are you saying that our need for love is as basic as our needs for food and water?

你是在说我们对于爱情的需求是基本的，就像我们对于食物和水的需求吗?

YAEL:Something like that.

雅艾尔:就是这样的东西。

When we're craving⁴ things like food, water, or drugs, or anticipating getting them, two areas deep within the brain, the ventral tegmental area and caudate nucleus⁵, are active.

当我们渴望诸如食物、水、药品,或期待得到它们,大脑深处两个区域的腹侧被盖区和尾状核就会呈现活跃状态。

A neurochemical called dopamine is released from the ventral tegmental area into the caudate nucleus.

一种名为多巴胺的神经化学物质被从腹侧被盖区释放出来进入尾状核。

Neuroscientists have produced brain scan images of the brains of people falling in love,

神经科学家已经扫描坠入爱河之人的大脑影像,

when they're feeling the passion of a very new relationship that has yet to become comfortable and secure.

当他们感到尚未到来的一段非常新的关系激情会舒适和安全。

What they found is that the brain in love looks a lot like the brain craving or anticipating things like food or drugs.

科学家发现恋爱中的大脑看起来很像大脑对于诸如食品或药品等的渴望或预测。

The same areas of the brain are active.

相同的大脑区域都是活跃状态。

Interestingly, this region is located in a different area of the brain from the region associated with determining physical attractiveness.

有趣的是,这一地区位于不同的大脑区域,与决定外貌的区域有关。

DON:You mean that our brain makes a distinction between simply finding someone attractive and being mad about them, as they say?

唐:你的意思是,就像他们所言，我们的大脑在简单找到有吸引力的人及并为之疯狂之间做出区分?

YAEL:Yes. That these emotions activate⁶ completely different parts of the brain suggests that romantic love doesn't just feel different than sexual attraction,

雅艾尔:是的。这些情绪完全激活大脑的不同部分表明浪漫的爱情不只是相对于性吸引力感觉不同,

but that our brains register these as two different urges.

但是,我们的大脑会记录下这两种不同的冲动。 

1 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

2 cliche   

n./a.陈词滥调(的)；老生常谈(的)；陈腐的

参考例句：

• You should always try to avoid the use of cliche. 你应该尽量避免使用陈词滥调。
• The old cliche is certainly true:the bigger car do mean bigger profits.有句老话倒的确说得不假:车大利大。

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

5 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

6 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。