A new study from the Florida State University suggests that inadequate amount of stimulation in the workplace and an unclean working environment can both affect the brain functions of employees on the long run.
佛罗里达州立大学的一项新研究显示，缺乏刺激的工作区域、不洁净的工作环境从长远来看均会影响员工的大脑功能。
"Psychologists say that the brain is a muscle, while industrial hygienists point to chemicals in the work environment that may cause decline," explained Joseph Grzywacz, the Norejane Hendrickson Professor of Family and Child Sciences and lead researcher on the study, in a statement.
家庭和儿童科学教授、此次研究的首席研究员约瑟夫·格雷兹瓦兹在一份声明中说道：“心理学家们表示，大脑是一种肌肉，而工业卫生师指出工作环境中的化学物质可能会导致脑部肌肉萎缩，”

The new study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, suggests that both workplace cleanliness and stimulation plays an important role in the long-term cognitive well-being of employees.
这一新研究发表在《职业和环境医学》期刊上，介绍了工作场所的清洁和刺激在长期来看对员工的认知健康起着重要的作用。
"There are real things in the workplace that can shape cognitive function: some that you can see or touch, and others you can't. We showed that both matter to cognitive health in adulthood," Grywacs added in a press release.
格雷兹瓦兹在一份媒体稿件上补充说道：“在工作场所真的有一些东西能够塑造认知功能：一些东西你看得见摸得着，一些却不能。我们展示了这些东西对成年人的认知健康有影响，”
For the study, researchers analyzed the data of 4,963 adults aging from 32 to 84 from the 48 contiguous states.
此次研究数据来自48个州，年龄在32岁到84岁的4963名成年人。
The researchers the individual workplace of each participant and later use information they learned. Executive functioning skills such as their ability to complete tasks, manage time and pay attention were also observed.
研究人员分析了每个参与者的工作环境以及随后运用所获取的信息的能力。他们还观察其执行能力，比如完成任务，管理时间和专注力等。
Their study resulted into two major findings.
他们的研究得出了两大结论。
First, researchers discovered that learning new skills and facing new challenges resulted in stronger cognitive performance particularly for women as they aged.
首先，研究人员发现，学习新技能和面对新挑战会导致更强的认知能力，特别是对于年龄增长的女性来说。
On the other hand, cognitive decline were observed in both men and women exposed to dirty working environment.
另一方面，在一个肮脏的工作环境中工作的男人和女人，认知能力都会有所下降。