万花筒 2010-02-28&03-01 微笑吧，你会长命些

It is said that happiness is contagious¹. The supporting evidence is everywhere: from the streets of Rio during Carnival² to more obscure celebrations elsewhere in the world. But long-term happiness may also be healthy. New York researcher Dr.Karina Davidson certainly thinks so. Dr. Davidson is a lead researcher in a 10-year study of more than 1,700 healthy men and women. The study revealed that people who are happy and content with their lives are 22% less likely than unhappy people to have a heart attack or suffer from symptoms of heart disease.

 

We know that there is a direct physiological³ impact on the body of experiencing happiness or satisfaction or enjoyment⁴. So, when you sit and watch a movie, say, or read a book that you really enjoy, your stress hormones⁵ go down and something cultural barrier reflex system is actually up regulated. We know an animal study said those things across time actually protect the heart.

 

The observational study is the first to show an independent relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease. But Dr. Davidson stresses that more work and clinical trials are needed before any treatment recommendations can be made. She says, though, that the study is the first step in providing doctors better insight and how to interact with their patients.

 

I think this may eventually shift healthcare providers to thinking about how we can help patients make sure that the things that make them happy stay in their routine. Because that is protective of your mental health for sure and this is one of the first studies to show it may also protect your physical health.

 

Heart disease is the leading killer⁶ of men and women in most industrialized countries. Dr. Davidson says she hopes her report will shine a light on a new approach for prevention. Ben Gruber, Reuters.

 

1 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。

2 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

3 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

4 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

5 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• 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。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

6 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。