每日英语励志正能量（为什么适当的压力对你有好处）

Why some stress is actually good for you

为什么适当的压力对你有好处

Stress has measurable and significant physical and mental health impacts (a Yale study found chronic stress can actually shrink your brain), and we hear quite a bit about it, as researchers continue examining its long and short-term influence. They've even determined that stress is contagious.

压力对身体和精神健康的影响是可以测量的，而且是显著的(耶鲁大学的一项研究发现，长期的压力实际上会使你的大脑萎缩)。他们甚至确定压力是会传染的。

We know that chocolate has very real anti-stress properties, and that eating a diet high in greens and veggies helps mitigate some of the negative physical effects of stress.

我们知道巧克力有非常真实的抗压力的特性，并且吃大量的绿色蔬菜有助于减轻压力对身体的一些负面影响。

But what's not often talked about is that some stress is beneficial. This is not the chronic stress that can hurt you, but the heightened emotional state one feels before speaking in public or writing an important paper. Scientist have found that our abilities peak under moderate levels of stress. And as long as it doesn't go on too long, that short-duration stress isn't unhealthy.

但人们不常谈论的是，一些压力是有益的。这不是会伤害你的慢性压力，而是在公开演讲或撰写重要论文之前所感受到的高度紧张情绪状态。科学家发现我们的能力在适度的压力下会达到顶峰。只要持续的时间不太长，持续时间短的压力就是健康的。

Short bursts of stress can be good for you — but being perpetually late all the time probably isn't the best way to accomplish that feeling. (Photo: Stokke/Shutterstock)

A study at the University of California, Berkeley, found that “Some amounts of stress are good to push you just to the level of optimal alertness, behavioral and cognitive performance,” said Daniela Kaufer, associate professor of integrative biology at the UC Berkeley, in a news release.

加州大学伯克利分校综合生物学副教授丹妮拉·考弗在新闻发布会上表示，一项研究发现，“一定程度的压力有助于将你的警觉性、行为和认知能力提升到最佳水平。”

Those stress hormones can help animals (and people) adapt to changing environments. For example, we are more likely to remember something if it was accompanied by some level of stress.

这些应激激素可以帮助动物(和人类)适应不断变化的环境。例如，如果某件事伴随着某种程度的压力，我们更有可能记住它。

“I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert,” post-doc Elizabeth Kirby told Forbes magazine.

博士后伊丽莎白·柯比在接受《福布斯》杂志采访时说:“我认为间歇性的压力事件可能会让大脑保持清醒，当你清醒时，你的表现会更好。”

However, when those stressful events are continuous, the opposite occurs and the memory is impaired, she said.

然而，当这些压力事件持续时，相反的情况就会发生，记忆力就会受损，她说。

The key is keeping stress limited to a few moments. When we do, there can be multiple benefits, including longevity, as another study revealed.

关键是把压力控制在几分钟之内。另一项研究显示，当我们这样做的时候，可能会有多种好处，包括长寿。

Researchers found a newly described form of stress called chromatin stress triggers a response in cells that leads to a longer life. Although the research was done in yeast, if it has the same response in humans, it could lead to new treatments in the aging process.

研究人员发现，一种被称为染色质压力的新的压力形式会在细胞中引发一种反应，从而延长寿命。虽然这项研究是在酵母中进行的，但如果它在人类身上也有同样的反应，它可能会带来应对衰老过程的新疗法。