读者文摘:幽默能让我们更聪明(5)

In Western cultures, at least, it's often by the person's sense of humor.

至少，在西方文化中，它经常是通过这个人的幽默感来判断的。

Because creating and appreciating jokes both require us to make connections between many discrete¹ pieces of information,

因为创造和欣赏笑话都能需要我们在很多分立的信息块里制造联系，

having a sense of humor demonstrates that we possess a wide breadth of knowledge

有幽默感表明我们拥有广博的知识，

and that we know how to think about it in novel and innovative² ways.

我们知道如何以新颖和创新的方式思考它。

Take Amir's and Biederman's favorite cartoon, for example: A mouse is standing³ outside his house,

就拿阿米尔和彼得曼最喜欢的卡通来举例，一只老鼠站在他的房子外面，

having just pulled a gun on a cat, who is depicted⁴ with one paw raised in mock submission⁵.

他掏出枪指着猫，这只猫举起一只爪子假装服从。

"Six rounds. Nine lives. You do the math," the cat says.

这只猫说，“你有六发子弹，我有九条命，你自己算。

In order to appreciate this joke, you need to know that mice are usually the victims of cats, many revolvers have six bullets,

为了欣赏这个笑话，你需要知道，老鼠通常是猫的受害者，许多左轮手枪有六颗子弹，

and cats are said to have nine lives because of their ability to always land on their feet.

据说猫有九条命，因为它们总能站起来。

You also need to be able to subtract six from nine to understand that the cat has the upper hand (or paw, as the case may be) in this scene after all.

你也得能做九减六的计算才能知道猫占有优势，此例中"hand"可改为"paw"。

A University of New Mexico study of 400 college students found that

一项新墨西哥大学对400名大学生的研究发现，

those who scored highest on intelligence tests also scored high on humor ability—and they reported having more sex.

智力高的人幽默感也好-而且据说他们的性经历也更多。

This confirmed a wide body of literature that suggests that "humor is not just a reliable intelligence indicator⁶ ...

这证实了大量的文献表明“幽默不仅仅是一个可靠的智力指标...

but may be one of the most important traits for seeking human mates."

但这可能是寻找人类伴侣最重要的特征之一。”

Being funny is not only a powerful sign of smarts; it also makes potential mates feel good.

幽默不仅是聪明的有力标志；它也让潜在的伴侣感觉良好。

And by ensuring that only the cleverest, fittest, and most creative people procreate, it helps safeguard the survival of the human race."

通过确保只有最聪明、最健康、最有创造力的人生育，这有助于保护人类的生存。”

Humor has several unique powers," says Amir. "It forces people to consider different perspectives.

阿米尔说，幽默有一些独特的能量。“它让人们换位思考。

It brings people together; if they are laughing together at something, they must agree with each other on some level.

幽默让人们联系在一起；如果人们一块发笑的话，他们肯定在一定程度上同意对方。

It reduces the pain associated with life's difficulties. It exercises your brain. And it makes you happy."

它能减少生活的艰难带来的疼痛。幽默能锻炼你的大脑。它让你开心。”

If a healthy sense of humor can make you smarter, sexier, and happier,

如果健康的幽默感能让你更聪明，更性感，更快乐的话，

then one thing is clear: Finding time in your day for a good joke or two is no laughing matter.

那么有一件事情是清晰的：在一天中找时间看一两个笑话可不是闹着玩的。

1 discrete   

adj.个别的，分离的，不连续的

参考例句：

• The picture consists of a lot of discrete spots of colour.这幅画由许多不相连的色点组成。
• Most staple fibers are discrete,individual entities.大多数短纤维是不联系的单独实体。

2 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

5 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

6 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。