背景介绍

【背景】

生活中，我们每一个人，都在追求健康，然而怎样才能健康呢？是不是有简而易行的方法呢？有，只要你每时每刻能够做到“眉心舒展，面带笑容”，你就告别了一切疾病，你就能够拥有一个健康的体魄。

当你发自内心笑的时候，不是皮笑肉不笑（善于观察的朋友，在生活当中常常遇到这样的人，同事啊，朋友啊，同学啊，彼此之间，见面之后，为了应付一下，勉强做一个笑脸，只是脸上崭时堆了一些鄒褶而已，急促堆积而没有绽放的过程，这样的笑容不好看，因为这是做了一个假动作，其内心并没有真笑，这对身体健康无益。）当你从内心笑出来的时候，笑容是由内往外的绽放开的，汗毛孔都会逐渐放开放大，你全身的每一个细胞都在笑。这样的笑，身体才会松，松才能通，通则无病。因此，笑能治百病。在临床实践中，凡是得了“忧郁症”而又不会笑的人，即使用各种名贵的药物，也很难治愈。

英文原文

【原文】

Laugh for the Health of It

Patients and medical practitioners alike have long believed in the healing power of humor. It is claimed that humor not only affects patients' moods, but can actually help them recover faster.

Several studies, as well as a lot of anecdotal evidence, seem to support this. Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts. Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.

Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced. They point to the fact that many afflictions have been known to disappear spontaneously, with or without a daily dose of laughter. They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first.

Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better. On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us. On another, it releases powerful endorphins in the brain that act to alleviate pain.

There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person's health. It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe.

Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list. Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis of ideas. Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick endings, which did not depend on a particular context. When pressed , the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings. They simply did not find them funny.

Of course, humor is largely an individual matter. The next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain. However, you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it.

参考译文

笑能治百病

长期以来，病人和医生都相信幽默能治病。有人宣称，幽默不仅能影响病人的情绪，还能使他们早日康复。

好几项研究和很多奇闻轶事的证据似乎都能证明这一点。情绪比较好的病人，免疫细胞比较多。有一些人甚至宣称通过看漫画和喜剧治好了自己的重病。

尽管如此，许多研究人员并没有被说服。他们指出，事实上不论病人是否接受一日剂量的笑疗，很多苦恼都会自动消失。他们也表示，虽然一般看来乐观的心态确实与健康有联系，但是很难确定哪个更重要。

在受到压力时保持幽默，无疑会使我们心情舒畅。从某个方面而言，笑能使我们远离烦恼，身心放松。就另一个方面来说，幽默的时候脑部会释放能量强大的脑啡肽来减轻疼痛。

有一些案例表明，能欣赏好笑的笑话，的确和健康情形有关。举例来说，它能说明一个人脑部某个特定的部位──右脑额叶是否受到损伤。

科学家通过实验证实这一点。实验的方法是叫一些人阅读笑话，然后请他们从一份目录中挑出最好笑笑话的结尾。脑部情况正常的受测试者选出的结尾，往往是经过相对复杂综合思维之后才能得出的。脑子某个特别部位受到损伤的人，只对闹剧式的笑话结尾有反应，这种笑话并不需要依赖特定的上下文。对脑部受损伤的测试者施加一定压力之后，他们才会看出正确结尾的逻辑，但不觉得好笑。

当然，笑话是否好笑是因人而异的。下次你的朋友听不懂你讲的笑话时，没有必要笑人家笨。但是，你可以建议为了健康，让他放轻松点儿。

词汇讲解：

1.practitioner 从业者

如：A skilled practitioner; an expert.
行家技术熟练的行业者; 专家

2.anecdotal 逸话的, 多逸事趣闻的, 轶事一样的
如：
anecdotal conversation; an anectodal history of jazz; he was at his anecdotic best.
专讲逸闻趣事的交谈；爵士乐逸史；他正大讲逸闻趣事。

3.spontaneously adv. 自发地(自生地, 自然产生地, 自然地, 天然地)
如：
I had never been spontaneously approached by a publisher and such condescension rather turned my head.
还从没有一个出版商主动来与我接洽, 这种屈尊有点让我受宠若惊。

4.confirm v. 确定, 批准, 证实

如：He looked around to confirm that he was alone.
他四处张望, 要确定周围没人。

The news confirmed my resolution.
这消息加强了我的决心。

(可可英语版权所有,未经允许请勿转载)