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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Blowing off steam? An outburst of swearing actually raises your stress levels 發洩怒氣？飆髒話其實增加你的壓力
◎管淑平
It’s news that might surprise foul-mouthed celebrities such as Gordon Ramsay and Wayne Rooney.
這是或許會讓戈登．藍賽、韋恩．魯尼這種滿嘴髒話的名人感到意外的新聞。
Scientists now believe that swearing actually increases, not decreases, our stress levels.
科學家現在相信，說髒話其實是增加、而非減低我們的壓力。
This is because using foul language triggers a reaction deep inside the emotional centre of the brain, according to a study.
這是因為講粗話會引發大腦情緒中樞深層的反應，根據一份研究。
The research contradicts the long-held belief that uttering a string of profanities when something goes wrong is a natural way of letting off steam.
這項研究與長期以來認為，出狀況時飆一堆髒話是自然紓壓方式的看法相反。
The researchers asked trial participants to read from three lists - one with swear words on it, another with euphemisms of those swear words, and a third containing neutral words, and then measured the volunteers’ autonomic responses by electrodermal activity. They found that swearing was more stressful than not swearing.
研究人員要求試驗參與者讀3份分別寫有髒話、委婉表達髒話用語、中性字眼的字句，然後藉由皮電位活動測量這些志願者的自主反應。他們發現，說髒話比不說更有壓力。
Lead researcher Professor Jeffrey Bowers, of Bristol University’s School of Experimental Psychology, said: ’Taboo words can evoke strong emotions even when they are uttered without any desire to offend.’
研究負責人布里斯托大學實驗心理學院教授傑弗瑞．鮑爾斯說，「就算不帶冒犯之意地說出禁忌語，也可能挑起強烈情緒。」
新聞辭典：
blow off steam：動詞片語，發洩怒氣。
foul-mouthed：形容詞，滿嘴髒話的。例句：Her father is a foul-mouthed man and always blows off steam at her mother.（她的爸爸是滿嘴髒話的人，總是拿她媽出氣。）
profanity：名詞（常用複數形），褻瀆的言語或行為，不雅話。例句：The politician uttered many profanities in his speech.（這名政治人物在他的演講中說了很多髒話。）
