时差N小时 养宠物可以减压?(下)

The researchers divided around 130 students into two groups and assigned each a task.

研究者们将130名左右的学生分成两组，每组分配一项任务。

One group played an Operation like game that involved removing small objects from a hole without touching¹ the sides.

其中一组进行一种操作类的游戏，在不接触孔洞侧面的条件下将小物件从洞中移出。

A second group was tasked with finding a number in a random² sequence.

另一组则是要求在随机序列中找到一个数字。

Within each group, participants were shown pictures either of puppies and kittens or of grown cats and dogs.

在每一组里，研究者给参与者展示小狗小猫或是成年猫狗的照片。

A subset of participants in one of the groups was also shown pictures of appealing foods.

而在其中一个实验组里的一小组参与者面前展示的是诱人食物的图片。

The participants that saw the puppies and kittens consistently performed better than the others.

结果是，看到小狗小猫图片的参与者们一致表现得优于其他人。

As for why viewing these cute images resulted in improved performance, the study doesn't say.

至于为何观看这些可爱的图像能够得到更好的表现，这项研究并没有给出原因。

It seems reasonable to speculate, though, that feelings of happiness or warmth elicited³ by cute pictures helps relieve stress,

尽管如此，我们可以合理地猜测，由可爱的图片所激发的开心和温暖的感觉有助于舒缓压力，

thereby⁴ enabling the brain to focus and concentrate with greater power.

由此使得大脑以更高的效率集中精神。

1 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

2 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

3 elicited   

引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
• The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。

4 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。