離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Lavender ’takes edge off horror’ 薰衣草減輕恐怖的感覺
◎鄭寺音
Taking a deep sniff of lavender before you settle down for a horror film might stop you getting so scared - but only if you are a woman, a study has found.
研究發現，看恐怖片之前，深深吸一口薰衣草的味道，可以讓你沒那麼害怕 ——不過這只對女性有用。
Men should avoid the smell unless they crave a more unsettling experience, a paper being presented to the British Psychological Society suggests.
在英國心理學會發表的報告顯示，男性應該避免這種味道，除非他們想要更加不安。
Volunteers were given either capsules containing lavender or a placebo. Their physiological responses to neutral, scary and light-hearted film clips were then observed.
自願者拿到含有薰衣草或安慰劑的膠囊。接著研究人員觀察他們對中性、緊張與輕鬆影片的生理反應。
Women who took lavender had an increased heart rate variation - an indicator of a more relaxed state - during all three films.
吸薰衣草味道的女性，在觀看這三種影片期間，心跳變化增加，顯示較為放鬆的狀態。
Aromatherapy is rooted in the idea that certain fragrant smells can stimulate the limbic system - the emotion-related parts of the brain - causing changes in the function of the body and mind.
芳香療法的根據是，部分香味可以刺激腦中與情緒相關的邊緣系統，造成身心功能改變。
新聞辭典
take the edge off：片語，減少某種令人不悅、不舒服的感覺或影響。例句：Have an apple - it’ll take the edge off your hunger.（吃個蘋果吧，你就沒那麼餓了。）
sniff：動詞／名詞，嗅，聞。例句：Have a sniff of this medicine - it smells revolting, doesn’t it?（聞聞看這個藥，味道是不是很惡心？）
crave：動詞，渴望獲得。例句：Many young children crave attention.（許多小孩渴求獲得注意。）
