时差N小时 科学如何解释厌倦?(上)

A listener writes:

一位听众写道：

Dear A Moment of Science, everyone gets bored from time to time. But I was wondering–what is boredom¹ exactly, scientifically speaking?

亲爱的《科学一刻》栏目：每个人都会时不时对某事产生厌倦。但是我想很好奇---从科学的角度看，厌倦究竟指的是什么？

Interesting question. Boredom is one of those really common things that, partly because it’s so common, is rarely investigated with much rigor².

厌倦是一个普遍存在的现象，因为其过于普遍，人们很少花费时间、精力进行调查研究。

But a study by researchers in Canada aims to change that. In fact, they’ve come up with a definition of boredom.

加拿大研究人员试图改变这种现状。事实上，他们对厌倦给出了定义。

Hit me! Okay. According to the study, boredom is "an aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity," arising from failures in one of the brain's attention networks.

告诉我吧！调查研究表明，厌倦是指“一种渴望却无法参与理想活动的反感状态”，源于大脑注意力网络故障。

1 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

2 rigor   

n.严酷，严格，严厉

参考例句：

• Their analysis lacks rigor.他们的分析缺乏严谨性。||The crime will be treated with the full rigor of the law.这一罪行会严格依法审理。