People facing unpleasant tasks from drinking medicine to passing on bad news could ease these painful moments by simply tensing their muscles. A study published in the Consumer Research journal, found that clenching your fists temporarily boosts your self-control and willpower.
Iris Hung from the National University of Singapore and Aparna Labroo from the University of Chicago, put a group of volunteers through a range of self-control dilemmas that involved accepting short term pain for long term gain. These included placing hands in icy water, drinking watered down vinegar, watching a charity appeal and resisting unhealthy foods.
The authors found participant's who tightened any muscle at the moment they faced an internal struggle were better able to withstand pain or discomfort and to resist tempting foods.
However, if the volunteers tensed up too long beforehand they felt depleted by the time they had to make a choice.
The scientists concluded: 'The mind and the body are so closely tied together, merely clenching muscles can activate willpower. 'Thus simply engaging in these bodily actions, can serve as a non-conscious source to recruit willpower.
參考譯文:
當(dāng)人們面對(duì)不開心事情的時(shí)候,如吃藥、傳達(dá)壞消息等,通過拉緊肌肉可舒緩這些痛苦時(shí)刻。目前,《消費(fèi)者調(diào)查》雜志刊出的一項(xiàng)研究指出,暫時(shí)“握緊你的拳頭”能增強(qiáng)你的自制力和意志力。
來自新加坡國(guó)立大學(xué)的Hung以及美國(guó)芝加哥大學(xué)的Aparna Labroo將一群志愿者置于一系列“自我控制”困境中——長(zhǎng)時(shí)間刺激下導(dǎo)致其短暫痛苦。測(cè)試內(nèi)容包括,將手放進(jìn)冰水之中、飲用沖淡的醋、觀看慈善募捐以及抵制不健康食物。
作者發(fā)現(xiàn),在內(nèi)心掙扎時(shí)將任意某部位肌肉拉緊的受試者能更好的承受痛苦或不舒服并抵制那些誘人的食物。
然而,若受試者事先緊縮肌肉的時(shí)間過長(zhǎng),在最終作選擇的時(shí)刻則可能也會(huì)失去良好的自控力。
研究人員總結(jié),人體的身心是聯(lián)系在一塊的,腦袋想什么,身體就會(huì)做出相應(yīng)的反應(yīng)。當(dāng)我們遇到誘惑的時(shí)候,如果環(huán)境需要我們短暫忍耐一下疼痛,科學(xué)告訴我們只要稍微緊握拳頭,或許就能達(dá)到我們想要的目的了。