别在下班后购物，下班后购物智商媲美脑残

 　　My first job in Manhattan was on Fifth Avenue. How lucky I was, I thought, to be in the center of this dream city. Most of all, though, I loved the clothing shops. All I had to do was wrap up the day’s work and step outside, and everything was there. J. Crew, Anthropologie, Loft¹, Banana Republic ...It’s hard to resist those glitzy displays showing off an array of drapery wool coats perfect for mid² fall, dresses to match any personality you’re in the mood to show, and cute socks with fox faces printed on them ― especially when the clothes are super affordable³, as they are at so many hip⁴ retailers⁵ these days. I found myself buying too many clothes all at once, and I wasn’t the only one: Americans as a whole tend to overshop.

　　我的第一份工作地点是在曼哈顿的第五大道。我当时想，我是多么幸运，能够在这个梦想城市的正中心工作。最重要的是，我喜欢服装店。我只要搞定一天的工作然后走出办公楼，就可以各种逛，到处都是J. Crew, Anthropologie, Loft, Banana Republic, 闪闪发亮的展品一排排地陈列在那，垂坠的毛衣对那深秋的季节可谓完美，任何个性、任何心情都能找到合适的衣服来搭配，还有印有狐狸脸图案的可爱袜子，这一切都让人难以抗拒——更何况他们的价格还那么亲民，就像现在很多的服装零售商里那样。我发现我每次一下就会买很多，而且不仅仅只有我一个，整个美国都有这种“买太多”的倾向！

　　别在下班后购物，下班后购物智商媲美脑残

　　There are many reasons why we buy too much clothing, and affordable pricing is one. But new research also points to other factors that can sneakily influence our shopping behaviors ― and we actually have more control over those causes.Neuroscience research shows that being mentally fatigued⁷ can make you an impulsive⁸ shopper. Just a day at work can burn out our limited resources of self-control, and nearly turn off the brain areas in charge of evaluating decisions. In other words, the person who walks out of the office and into the shops downstairs is simply not your best version of yourself, and probably shouldn’t be making decisions involving money and future planning.

　　为什么我们会买这么多衣服，有很多的原因，价格合理是其中一个。但是有新研究表明，有其他的因素潜移默化地影响我们的购买行为，而且事实上我们对这些因素有更多的控制权。神经学研究表明，当我们的大脑疲劳的时候，我们更加容易变成一个冲动消费者。一天的工作就能消耗掉我们那有限的自我控制，管理决策的那部分大脑几乎停止工作。换句话说，那个离开办公室进入楼下商店逛街的人，并不是你最靠谱的一面，最好不要让他做和钱有关的决策或是制定未来的计划。

　　A team of researchers recently set up a situation in the lab resembling the everyday experience of consumers, in order to examine the effects of normal daily fatigue⁶ on making decisions that require some degree of self-control. The researchers wanted to see what fatigue does to the decision-evaluating part of the brain, that wise judge inside your head that says no to beer with friends so you can save money for a bike.

　　有一组研究人员最近在实验室发起一个的实验，情景模拟消费者的日常体验，旨在研究每天工作后的疲劳对于你大脑的决策评估区块有何影响；就是这个区块负责让你为了省钱买一辆自行车而拒绝和朋友一起出去喝啤酒。

　　“The neural⁹ bases of how we make the decision between consuming and saving are somewhat known,” said neuroscientist Bastien Blain, author of the study published in the Proceedings¹⁰ of National Academy of Sciences in June. “For example, to make a decision between an immediate¹¹ monetary¹² reward, say, $10 now, and a bigger but delayed one, say, $100 in one year, requires the brain to attribute a value to each option. If we temporarily inhibit¹³ a particular brain area, people become more likely to choose the immediate reward option.”

　　“我们做出消费还是储蓄的选择时所仰赖的神经基础已经部分被知晓了，”在今年六月，在美国国家科学院院刊上发表过著作的Bastien Blain说。“举个例子，是要一份立马到手的10美元，还是要一份1年之后到手的100美元？若要做这个决定，你的大脑首先得为两个选项给定一个价值。如果我们暂时抑制大脑的某个特定区域，人们则更倾向于选择立刻拿到现金。

　　In Blain’s study, people didn’t show ego¹⁴ depletion¹⁵ after 15 minutes of heavy cognitive¹⁶ work, so the team decided¹⁷ to go beyond the usual short time frame used in similar studies and instead mimic¹⁸ a typical workday. The participants who performed the difficult version of the tasks became more impulsive by the end of the day. The group that performed easy versions of the tasks or enjoyed some breaks during the six-hour episode didn’t show increased impulsivity¹⁹.

　　在Blain的研究中，人们在15分钟的高强度认知工作以后，没有出现自我意识耗损的现象。于是小组决定不限于短时间的框架，而是模拟一个典型的工作日时间。那些从事有难度工作的参与者，在一天结束的时候表现的更加冲动。那些从事简单工作或是在6小时工作间隙有休息的参与者则没有冲动表现。

　　“Our findings demonstrate a concept of focused neural fatigue that might be naturally induced in real-life situations and have important repercussions²⁰ on economic decisions,” the researchers wrote in their paper.

　　“我们的研究表明，神经的疲劳会自然而然影响我们实际生活中的情景，对我们经济决策有着重要的影响。”研究者们在他们的论文中写道。

　　Back at my first job, situated²¹ strategically in the center of a shoppers’ haven²², I was exposed to the lure²³ of beautiful pieces of clothing every single day. Even on a shoestring²⁴ budget of an intern²⁵, I was always able to afford a cute top or a stylish²⁶ pair of shoes — and that was thanks to the glut²⁷ of cheap, trendy clothes that retailers churn out at a breakneck pace.

　　再来讲我的第一份工作，那么有战略意识地正好就在那购物者港湾的中心，我每天赤裸裸的受到那些漂亮衣服的引诱。即使是实习生那么少的工资，也买得起一件心仪的上衣或是一双款式应景的鞋子，这一切都要归功于零售商以极快的速度生产这些又便宜又潮的衣服。

　　I asked Blain whether his findings have made him change his own behaviors. "Yes, definitely," he said. “Now I always wait for the morning or the weekend to make purchasing decisions. I also try to resist an impulse after a day of work, thinking that my desire is purely²⁸ transient and will be different after a night of rest."There is some relief in learning that some of our regretful purchasing decisions may have been caused by unavoidable mental fatigue, and not a fundamental personality flaw.

　　我问Blain，他的这些研究结果对他自己的购买行为有没有产生影响。他回答说：“当然啦，我现在总是等到早上或者周末的时候再做购买决定。我尽量克制工作一天之后的消费冲动，我会想：这些欲望纯粹是暂时的，等睡一觉之后我的感觉就不一样了。”通过研究，我了解到很多让我们感到后悔的消费决策，是因为不可避免的大脑疲劳，而不是本质上的人格缺陷。这多少让我松了一口气。

　　And the solution seems pretty simple. Take breaks during the workday to avoid the accumulation of fatigue. Or, like Blain, just don’t shop right after work and wait for the weekend or mornings instead. Always try to wait a few days to check whether the desire to buy something is fleeting²⁹ ― is your decision based on your particular state of mind or is it objectively a good idea? When feeling an impulse to buy something, remember that you ― and your brain ― really may need to sleep on it.

　　而且应对这种状态的解决方案似乎也相当的简单。在工作的时候尽量多休息，以免疲劳累积。或者，就像Blain一样，不要在工作后购物，等到周末或者早上。总是过几天以后，看看自己想要某个东西愿望是不是没有那么强烈了——来检验你的决策只到底是大脑在某个生理状态下的反应还是一个货真价实的好主意？当你感觉要冲动消费的时候，要让你和你的大脑要好好休息，第二天早上再作决定。

　　Mental fatigue is still only one factor behind a mindless shopping episode. Blain’s study showed that after a six-hour task, people became just 10 percent more impulsive. Obviously there are many more variables constantly influencing how we decide to buy. Mood is one. It’s been shown that listening to pleasant music increases the normal activity of the brain areas involved in valuation, and therefore makes the brain more likely to like what it subsequently sees.

　　精神疲劳只是造成盲目购物的因素之一。Blain的研究说明，在六小时的工作以后，人们冲动消费的概率仅仅上升10%。很显然还有很多动因持续影响着我们怎样决定去买。心情是其中一个。研究显示听令人愉悦的音乐能够让大脑的做评估的区域回复正常活动，因此让大脑变得更容易喜欢你马上看到的东西，（就可以做正确的评估）。

1 loft   

n.阁楼，顶楼

参考例句：

• We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs.我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
• By converting the loft,they were able to have two extra bedrooms.把阁楼改造一下，他们就可以多出两间卧室。

2 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

6 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

7 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

8 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

9 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

10 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

11 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

12 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

13 inhibit   

vt.阻止，妨碍，抑制

参考例句：

• Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
• They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。

14 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

15 depletion   

n.耗尽，枯竭

参考例句：

• Increased consumption of water has led to rapid depletion of groundwater reserves.用水量的增加导致了地下水贮备迅速枯竭。
• Farmers should rotate crops every season to prevent depletion of the soil.农夫每季应该要轮耕，以免耗尽土壤。

16 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

19 impulsivity   

认知的熟虑性？冲动性

参考例句：

• Fortifying executive function and restraining impulsivity are possible with active interventions. 积极干预可能有助加强执行功能和抑制冲动性。

20 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

22 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

23 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

24 shoestring   

n.小额资本；adj.小本经营的

参考例句：

• In the early years,the business was run on a shoestring.早年，这家店铺曾是小本经营。
• How can I take the best possible digital pictures on a shoestring budget?怎样用很小投资拍摄最好的数码照片？

25 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

26 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

27 glut   

n.存货过多，供过于求；v.狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices.咖啡供过于求道致价格急剧下跌。
• There's a glut of agricultural products in Western Europe.西欧的农产品供过于求。

28 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

29 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。