《中英對照讀新聞》Name that feeling： You’ll feel better 說出感覺，你會好過點

◎胡立宗

Putting feelings into words makes sadness and anger less intense, U.S. brain researchers said, in a finding that explains why talking to a therapist -- or even a sympathetic bartender -- often makes people feel better.

將感覺形諸語言文字，會讓悲傷或憤怒的感覺不那麼強烈，美國腦部研究人員表示，這個研究結果解釋了為什麼和（心理）諮商師交談－甚至只是和有同情心的酒保聊天－常常可以讓人好過一點。

They said talking about negative feelings activates a part of the brain responsible for impulse control.

他們說，談論負面感受，會啟動大腦中控制衝動的區塊。

"This region of the brain seems to be involved in putting on the brakes," said University of California , Los Angeles researcher Matthew Lieberman.

「腦部這區塊似乎與啟動煞車有關，」加州大學洛杉磯分校研究員立柏曼說。

He and colleagues scanned the brains of 30 people -- 18 women and 12 men between 18 and 36 -- who were shown pictures of faces expressing strong emotions.

他和同僚掃描了30個人的大腦－包括18女和12男，年齡在18到36歲之間—讓這些受試者觀看展現強烈情緒的臉部照片。

They were asked to categorize the feelings in words like sad or angry, or to choose between two gender-specific names like "Sally or Harry" that matched the face.

受試者被要求將這些臉部表情界定為「悲傷」或「憤怒」，或是在類似「莎莉」、或「哈利」等性別區分明顯的名字之中挑選吻合臉部表情者。

What they found is that when people attached a word like angry to an angry-looking face, the response in the amygdala portion of the brain that handles fear, panic and other strong emotions decreased.

他們發現，當受試者為憤怒的臉冠上「憤怒」這類字眼時，腦中負責害怕、慌亂、和其他強烈情緒的杏仁核體反應會減弱。

新聞辭典

responsible for：由於…的原因，負責…。We cannot reach the one responsible for your case.（我們找不到負責你的案子的人。）

to put on：演出、穿戴、假裝；但本文中的putting on the brake（s），意思是踩煞車，同義的還有to step on the brake（s）。

to attach ... to：屬於…，將…附屬於。You need to attach an index to your thesis.（你的論文得加上個索引。）

來源：自由時報

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++