每天只做1件烧脑的事，反而会让人感到快乐

 　　Grumpy humans of the world, listen here. According to a new University of Otago study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology¹, the path to that happy state of mind you’ve heard so much about requires you get creative ― quite literally², and just once a day.

　　全世界暴躁的人类，给我听好了。根据奥塔哥大学发表在《积极心理学》杂志上的一篇新文章，文绉绉的说法，也许你听过很多次了，你的快乐很大程度上取决于你的创造力，其实你只需要每天做一件烧脑的事情，你就会很快乐。

　　So you’re not the next Picasso. Same. But flexing³ your creative muscles doesn’t have to mean preparing an oeuvre for your eventual⁴ solo show. A creative exercise can take the shape of anything from kitting to writing to singing to designing. All that matters is that you choose a creative goal for yourself and follow through, something that involves expressing original ideas in a useful or artistic⁵ way.

　　你不是下一个毕加索，所以，说动用一下你的创造力也不是说让你去准备个人艺术展。一项创造性的活动可以是任何事情，不管是编织还是写作，唱歌亦或是设计。重要的是：你要为自己顶一个需要动用创造力的目标并完成它，这个目标应该需要你动用自己的原创力，不管是走艺术路线还是实用路线。

　　“There is growing recognition in psychology research that creativity is associated with emotional functioning,” Dr. Conner explained in a statement. “However, most of this work focuses on how emotions benefit or hamper⁶ creativity, not whether creativity benefits or hampers⁷ emotional wellbeing.”

　　“越来越多的认知心理学研究表明，创意性的活动与情绪有关。”康纳博士解释道，“然而这些研究的大部分主要探讨情绪对于创意性活动的正面或者负面的影响，而不是创意性活动对于情绪是否有积极或是消极的作用。”

　　To test their hypothesis, psychologists conducted a 13-day study of a sample of 658 young adults to gauge⁸ the effect of creative activity on one’s emotional state of mind. Every day, the participants used a diary to document how much time they spent on creative exercises and the emotional changes they experienced, both positive and negative, as a result. Researchers used the term “PA,” or “positive affect,” to refer to feelings of happiness, joy, excitement and enthusiasm they encountered.

　　为了验证他们的假设，心理学家们对658名年满18岁的青年进行了一项为期13天的样本调查。每天参与者们用日记记录下他们每天进行的创意性活动的时间，以及情绪上正面或者是负面的变化。用术语“PA”来代替“积极的结果”，表明他们在这一天的正面情绪，比如高兴，开心，激动兴奋，对于事物的热情。

　　After 13 days, the psychologists tracked what they described as an “upward spiral for wellbeing and creativity” for those who partook in daily creative tasks. According to the study, getting artistic yields a major boost in “PA” that takes hold the following day.

　　13天以后，那些每天都进行创造性活动的被调查者，心理学家们将调查他们的结果总结为“创造性活动给他们的创造力和好处是螺旋式上升的。”根据研究结果，创意性活动很大程度上产生积极影响，而且这种影响能在之后一天继续保持。

　　However, researchers determined⁹ no “cross-day effect” between creative activities and “PA,” meaning that one’s increased mood could not predict whether or not the subject would participate in another creative exercise the same day. Dr. Conner and her co-researchers expressed that it is, though not predictable, rather likely. As they put it: “engaging in creative behavior leads to increases in wellbeing the next day, and this increased wellbeing is likely to facilitate creative activity on the same day.

　　“研究者们认为创意性活动和积极地情绪之间没有绝对的影响，意味着一个人情绪的变好也不能确定，同一天他是否会参加另一项创造性活动。但康纳博士和一起参加的调研人员认为，虽然不能绝对确定，但是这个人很有可能会参加。他们的观点是“参加一项创造性活动能够提高隔天继续参加的积极性，同时也能够提高当天参加创意性活动的积极性。”

　　The results reflect what many aspiring¹⁰ writers, artists and performers already know: getting creative feels good, and those positive effects can and do seep¹¹ into other aspects of daily life. Also, happy feelings could inspire you to make more art. So start a sketchbook, get crafting, dance around in your underwear ― anything to get your imagination pumping and your senses pulsing. And we mean today.

　　研究的结果也印证了，许多富有激情的作家、艺术家、演员已经知悉的事实，（那就是）创造性的活动让人变得更加积极向上，而这些积极的影响会渗透到日常生活的方方面面。与此同时，这种愉悦的情绪能够创造出更多的艺术杰作。所以（还等什么）拿出你的速写本、开始雕刻、穿着内衣开始起舞——任何让你的思潮涌动、血脉喷张的活动都算。从今天就开始~

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

3 flexing   

n.挠曲，可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• Flexing particular muscles allows snakes to move in several ways. 可弯曲的特殊的肌肉使蛇可以用几种方式移动。 来自电影对白
• China has become an economic superpower and is flexing its muscles. 中国已经成为了一个经济巨人而且在展示他的肌肉。 来自互联网

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

6 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

7 hampers   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Prejudice sometimes hampers a person from doing the right thing. 有时候，偏见会妨碍人正确行事。
• This behavior is the opposite of modeless feedback, and it hampers flow. 这个行为有悖于非模态的反馈，它阻碍了流。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

11 seep   

v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑

参考例句：

• My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
• If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。