60秒科學：嚼口香糖能提高注意力？

by Amy Kraft

STEP 1 先脫離文字聽一遍，總結研究人員得出的成果，然后簡要回答以下的問題：研究人員做了一個實驗，具體是怎樣的？研究結果證明了什么？為什么嚼口香糖能提高集中力？

STEP 2 現在聽第二遍，對照文字檢查剛剛的回答是否正確。

Teachers might want to think twice[三思] about posting “no gum-chewing” signs in the classroom. It turns out that the sticky substance[物質] might help students concentrate[集中精神].

Researchers had two groups of 20 people each listen to a 30-minute recording that included a sequence[序列] of numbers. After listening， the participants were asked to remember the sequence. But only one groups chewed gum—and they had higher accuracy[準確性] rates and faster reaction times than the non-gum chewers. Those chewing gum also maintained focus longer during the exercise. The study is in the British Journal of Psychology—and contradicts[駁斥] a 2012 study that found gum chewing decreased[降低] short-term memory performance.

The researchers say that gum increases the flow of oxygen to regions of the brain responsible for attention. More oxygen can keep people alert[機敏的] and improve their reflexes[反射性反應]. Research also shows that you wont get the same effect by just pretending to chew gum.

So the next time your mind is wandering in class， maybe try some gum. If it doesnt help you concentrate， youll at least be asked to leave.

老師們在教室里張貼“禁嚼口香糖”的標語之前可能要三思了。事實證明，這個黏糊糊的東西也許能幫助學生們集中注意力。

研究人員讓兩個20人小組分別聽一段30分鐘的錄音，里面包含一個數字序列。聽完后，參與者被要求回想這列數字，但只有一組邊聽邊嚼口香糖——而與沒嚼口香糖的那組相比，他們的準確率更高，反應時間更快。同時，那些嚼口香糖的人在練習中保持注意力的時間更長。此項研究結果發表在《英國心理學雜志》上——與2012年的一項研究結果正好相反，當時的結果發現嚼口香糖會減弱短期記憶的能力。

研究人員稱，口香糖增加了大腦負責注意力的區域的氧氣流量。更多的氧氣能夠使人們保持思維敏捷，并提高他們的反應能力。研究還表明，只是假裝嚼口香糖是無法得到相同效果的。

所以下次當你在課堂上走神的時候，不妨吃點口香糖。如果它不能幫助你集中注意力，至少你會被請出教室（不用上課）。

C hew ing G um Fun Fac ts

1. During WWII， U.S. military personnel[軍人] spread the popularity of chewing gum by trading it and giving it as gifts to people in Europe， Africa， Asia and around the world.

2. The color of the first successful bubble gum was pink because it was the only color the inventor had left. The color “stuck，” and today bubble gum is still predominantly[大多] pink.

3. Swallowed gum wont clog up[阻塞] your intestines[腸道]， but it will be with you for a few days. Gum base[主要成分] cant be digested[消化] so it will pass through your system in one piece.

4. Humans are the only animals on earth that chew gum. If you give a monkey a piece he will chew it for a couple of minutes， then he will take it out and stick it to his hair.

5. Chewing gum after meals may help prevent heartburn[胃灼熱].

6. Chewing gum burns around 11 calories[卡路里] per hour.

7. Chewing gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears.

8. Turkey is the country with the most gum companies； the United States is second.

口香糖趣聞

1. 二戰期間，美國軍人將口香糖作為禮物進行交換和贈予別人，使其在歐洲、非洲、亞洲和世界各地廣為流傳。……