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VOA健康报道2024--Improve Your Mindset, Improve Your Health

时间:2024-07-19 02:40:20

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(单词翻译)

Improve Your Mindset, Improve Your Health

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Prince Bhojwani never thought of himself as a negative person. But three trips to the hospital in one month led him to reconsider his thoughts, or mindset, toward life.

Before May of 2018, he was healthy. He was living in New York City, working at a startup company he founded. He found time to ride his bicycle each day. Yet Bhojwani always felt worried. One day, his health began to suffer. He could barely walk. He could not see clearly. And his blood pressure suddenly increased greatly.

At a hospital emergency room, doctors suspected he had had a stroke. But they never could find the cause of his illness.

A close friend pointed1 out that Bhojwani had a negative mindset. He often lacked the belief that things would go well. The friend suggested that Bhojwani might be burned out. Bhojwani describes this friend as “one of the most optimistic people” he knows.

Bhojwani said that he “started looking at the world very differently…” as soon as recovered. He started deep, calm, purposeful breathing. He started taking time every morning to feel thankful to be alive. And he also found purpose in his life by co-founding a nonprofit, Asana Voices, a South Asian support organization.

In the years since, he has not had any similar health problems. He credits his new positive mindset.

“After there was a life-changing event,” he said, “it kind of forced me to become optimistic. I can’t even imagine living life the way I did back then.”

A longer, healthier life?

Numerous studies over the years have shown a link between a positive mindset and good health.

Experts say a standard for measuring someone’s optimism has long been the 10-question Life Orientation3 Test (Revised), published in 1994.

Questions from that test include:

In uncertain times, I usually expect the best.

It’s easy for me to relax.

I rarely count on good things happening to me.

Respondents answer using a scale of zero to four. Zero means you “strongly disagree” with the statement and 4 means you “strongly agree” with the statement.

“Optimism means the “expectation that good things will happen, or believing the future will be favorable because we can control important outcomes,” said Hayami Koga. She is a researcher at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.

She was the lead writer on a 2022 study that found optimism was linked to longer lives and a greater chance of living past the age of 90.

In another study, published in May in JAMA Psychiatry4, Koga and other researchers found that optimists5 generally stayed in better physical health as they aged6. Over a six-year period, the researchers looked at 5,930 women who had all gone through menopause.

“We know that more optimistic people are more likely to live a healthier life, with healthier habits, eating healthier, having more exercise,” Koga said.

Can I learn to be an optimist2?

Some people are born more optimistic. However, it can be learned, said Sue Varma. She is a professor of psychiatry at New York University. She also wrote the book “Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being7.”

Varma noted8 that her book builds upon the work of Martin Seligman, one of the founders9 of positive psychology10.

Optimism training, Varma said, can improve life satisfaction and reduce worry. She told the Associated Press that some people are not naturally positive. They are more pessimistic. However, they can learn skills to help see the world more in a more positive way.

Varma said that even for people who do not naturally “see the glass half full, there are skills that you can learn.” Someone who “sees the glass half full” views a situation with hope or optimism. Someone who “sees the glass half empty” is more negative or pessimistic about a situation.

So, what skills should glass half-empty people learn to become more optimistic?

Begin by noticing how you deal with uncertainty11, Varma said. Do you worry and wait for the worst to happen? If you do, then try to re-think the situation in a different way. Varman suggests asking yourself some questions. Is there a silver lining12, or something good about the situation? Is this a problem to be solved or a truth to be accepted?”

Varma then suggests imagining the best possible result and a step-by-step path to get there. Varma asks her patients to describe those steps in detail until the problem is resolved. Then she tells her patients to celebrate their success. The result is that people may become more positive and better prepared to deal with difficulties and struggles.

Finding a sense of purpose can also help. Volunteering is a good choice for some. For those who may not have the time for volunteering, Varma suggests bringing your interests to your day job. That could be as simple as organizing outings with co-workers.

Another suggestion is to learn something new. Whether it is a sport, musical instrument or a language, learning a new skill can help keep your mind from thinking too much about negative situations or possibilities.

Even with these and other methods, Varma noted that changing your mindset is not easy. But practice helps.

“It’s a toolset. It’s a mindset,” she said, adding that it is something she practices every day.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo. And I'm Dan Friedell.

Albert Stumm reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

Words in This Story

negative – adj. not positive or helpful

mindset – n. a mental inclination13, tendency, or habit

burned out – phrasal verb worn out

optimistic – adj. expecting everything to come out all right : hopeful

menopause – n. the natural cessation of menstruation that usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55

habit – n. a way of behaving that has become fixed14 by being repeated often

psychiatry – n. a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders15

pessimistic – adj. expecting everything to NOT come out all right : not hopeful

glass half full – idiom viewing the situation optimistically or hopefully : glass half empty (opposite) viewing the situation pessimistically or without hope

silver lining – n. a consoling or hopeful prospect


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
2 optimist g4Kzu     
n.乐观的人,乐观主义者
参考例句:
  • We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者,又是现实主义者。
  • Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说,事情必定是会好转的。
3 orientation IJ4xo     
n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍
参考例句:
  • Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
  • The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。
4 psychiatry g0Jze     
n.精神病学,精神病疗法
参考例句:
  • The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
  • A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。
5 optimists 2a4469dbbf5de82b5ffedfb264dd62c4     
n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句
6 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
7 well-being Fe3zbn     
n.安康,安乐,幸福
参考例句:
  • He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
  • My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福,却被误解为多管闲事。
8 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
9 founders 863257b2606659efe292a0bf3114782c     
n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
  • The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句
10 psychology U0Wze     
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。
11 uncertainty NlFwK     
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物
参考例句:
  • Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
  • After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后,压力开始产生影响了。
12 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
13 inclination Gkwyj     
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
参考例句:
  • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
  • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
14 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
15 disorders 6e49dcafe3638183c823d3aa5b12b010     
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调
参考例句:
  • Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告,厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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