Rapid Thinking Makes People Happy

　　Lousy day? Don’t try to think happy thoughts—just think fast. A new study shows that accelerated thinking can improve your mood. In six experiments, researchers at Princeton and Harvard universities made research participants think quickly by having them generate as many problem-solving ideas (even bad ones) as possible in 10 minutes, read a series of ideas on a computer screen at a brisk pace or watch an I Love Lucy video clip on fast-forward. Other participants performed similar tasks at a relaxed speed.

　　今天不爽么？不要试图想一些高兴的事情——就试试快速思考吧！一项新的研究表明快速思考能让我们心情更好。来自普林斯顿（Princeton）和哈佛（Harvard）大学的研究人员做了6项实验，他们让实验参与者在10分钟内快速地想出尽可能多的解决问题的方法（即使是一些糟糕的方法），或者让他们在计算机屏幕上快速阅读一系列的想法，或者让他们以快进的方式观看电视剧《我爱露西》（I Love Lucy）的一个片段。研究者让其他的参与者悠闲地做上述这些活动。

　　Results suggested that thinking fast made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful. Activities that promote fast thinking, then, such as whip?ping through an easy crossword puzzle or brain-storming quickly about an idea, can boost energy and mood, says psychologist Emily Pronin, the study’s lead author.

　　研究结果认为快速思考让实验参与者感觉更加高兴、更具创造力；同时让他们感觉更加有活力和强大（在程度上弱一些）。心理学家Emily Pronin是该项研究的主要作者，他说，促进我们快速思考的活动能增强我们的活力，提升我们的心情。这些活动包括比如快速做一些简单的填字游戏或者针对一个想法迅速地想出一些独创性的方法。

　　Pronin notes that rapid-fire thinking can sometimes have consequences. For people with bipolar disorder, thoughts can race so quickly that the manic feeling becomes aversive. And based on their own and others’ research, Pronin and a colleague propose in another recent article that although fast and varied thinking causes elation, fast but repetitive thoughts can instead trigger anxiety. (They further suggest that slow, varied thinking leads to the kind of calm, peaceful happiness associated with mindfulness meditation, whereas slow, repetitive thinking tends to sap energy and spur depressive thoughts.)

　　Pronin注意到快速的思考有时候也带来一些问题。对于那些患有两极型紊乱的人，他们的思考变得非常快，以至于使狂热的感觉会变为厌恶的感觉。Pronin和他的一名同事根据他们自己的以及他人的研究结果，在最近另外的一篇文章中提出，虽然快速和多变的思考能使人高兴，不过快速但重复的思考相反能引起焦虑。（他们进一步提出缓慢多变的思考有助于获得那种安宁祥和的幸福，人们一般把这种幸福与全神贯注的沉思联系在一起。但是，缓慢重复性的思考容易使人疲惫和引起抑郁。）

　　It is unclear why thought speed affects mood, but Pronin and her colleagues theorize that our own expectations may be part of the equation. In earlier research, they found that people generally believe fast thinking is a sign of a good mood. This lay belief may lead us to instinctively infer that if we are thinking quickly we must be happy. In addition, they suggest, thinking quickly may unleash the brain’s novelty-loving dopamine system, which is involved in sensations of pleasure and reward.

　　人们还不清楚为什么思考速度能影响心情，不过Pronin和她的同事提出的理论认为我们自身的期盼可能在整个过程中起到一定的作用。在早期的研究中，他们发现人们一般认为快速思考是好心情的标志。这种非专业的观念可能导致我们本能地推断：如果我们在快速地思考，那么我们肯定幸福。另外，Pronin和她的同事们认为快速思考可能引发大脑的“喜好新奇”多巴胺系统，这个系统与感知快乐和收获相关。

　　The kind of rush that a person gets from rapid-fire thinking may be transient, but “these little bursts of positive emotion add up,” says psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside. Studies have demon?strated that happiness yields myriad benefits, including greater productivity, stronger social support and improved immune function, she explains, adding that “even brief periods of heightened mood can lead to upward spirals.”

　　一个人从快速思考中获得的那种激情可能很短暂，但是来自加州大学河滨分校（University of California, Riverside）的心理学家Sonja Lyubomirsky说：“这些积极情绪虽然细微的展示也能起到叠加的作用。”研究已经显示幸福感能带来无穷多的益处，包括更高的效率、更牢固的社会关系以及更强大的免疫功能，Sonja Lyubomirsky补充解释说：“即使是短暂的好情绪也能引导我们积极向上。”