DISCOVERY #6
Listening to music can improve your mental abilities.
**發現六：聆聽音樂可以提升你的心理能力。**Functional MRI studies show that our early exposure to different types of music will shape our musical preferences.
**功能性 MRI 研究顯示，我們早期接觸到的各種類型音樂，會形塑日後的音樂偏好。**
If you grew up listening to rock and roll, chances are you prefer the Rolling Stones over Mozart.
**如果你從小聽搖滾樂，之後很可能會比起莫札特，更偏愛滾石合唱團。**
Listening to a favorite song or classical piece often sparks chemical reactions in our brains that lift or lower our mood, depending on how we felt when we first connected with the music.
**聽到自己喜愛的歌曲或古典樂段時，大腦常會產生化學反應，讓心情高昂或低落，而這取決於我們第一次與這段音樂產生連結時的情緒。**
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Musical memories can be strong emotional triggers.
**與音樂相關的記憶，可能是非常強烈的情緒引爆點。**
If you fell in love at a time when you were enjoying a particular song, listening to that song years later probably elicits warm and romantic memories.
**如果你在戀愛時常聽某一首歌，多年後再聽到它，往往會勾起溫暖又浪漫的回憶。**
If you were heartbroken at a time when a particular song was popular, hearing that tune may make you feel sad.
**相反地，如果你在情傷時剛好某首歌很流行，再度聽到那段旋律就可能讓你感到難過。**
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The 1960s and 1970s were a time when many baby boomers listened to rock and roll while experimenting with recreational drugs.
**在 1960 到 1970 年代，許多嬰兒潮世代一邊聽搖滾樂、一邊嘗試娛樂性藥物。**
By 2030, all of the nearly 80 million boomers will have reached their 65th birthday—the age when their risk for Alzheimer’s increases to 10 percent—many wonder whether their drug use back in the day may have contributed to their current age-related memory complaints.
**到了 2030 年，將近八千萬名嬰兒潮族都會滿六十五歲——這個年齡層罹患阿茲海默症的風險提升到一成——許多人不禁懷疑，年輕時的用藥行為是否造成如今隨年齡而來的記憶問題。**
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Marijuana was the most frequently used recreational drug at that time, and chronic use has been shown to impair memory and attention.
**當時最常被使用的娛樂性藥物是大麻，而長期使用已被證實會傷害記憶與注意力。**
The good news is that any potentially harmful effects of marijuana on brain function appear to diminish after people stop or cut back on their use of the drug.
**好消息是，一旦人們停止或減少使用，大麻對大腦功能可能造成的傷害似乎會逐漸減輕。**
But the cognitive effects of marijuana vary depending upon the strain of the cannabis.
**不過，大麻對認知的影響會依其品種而異。**
The main active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes the euphoria that many users enjoy, while a second chemical, cannabidiol, has a calming effect.
**大麻的主要活性成分四氫大麻酚（THC）會帶來許多使用者喜愛的欣快感，而另一種成分大麻二酚（CBD）則具有鎮靜效果。**
Investigators at the University of London found that marijuana low in cannabidiol impairs recall during intoxication, whereas strains of the drug that are high in cannabidiol do not seem to impair cognition.
**倫敦大學的研究者發現，含 CBD 較少的大麻，在人醉茫茫時會損害回憶能力；而 CBD 含量較高的品種，似乎不會明顯影響認知。**
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Some people report that using marijuana enhances their sexual enjoyment.
**有些人表示，使用大麻會增加性愛的愉悅感。**
However, making love, with or without pot, appears to have its own positive effect on brain health.
**然而，不論有沒有大麻，做愛本身似乎就對大腦健康有正向影響。**
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DISCOVERY #7 A healthy sex life is good for your brain.
**發現七：健康的性生活有益於大腦。**
Dr. Benedetta Leuner and associates at Princeton University and Claremont Colleges found that daily sexual activity in laboratory animals reduced stress, stimulated growth of new memory cells in the brain, and strengthened connections between those cells.
**普林斯頓大學與克萊蒙研究團隊的 Benedetta Leuner 博士發現，在實驗動物身上，每天的性活動能降低壓力、刺激大腦中新記憶細胞的生長，並加強這些細胞之間的連結。**
In human studies, more frequent sexual activity in men has been associated with longer life expectancy.
**在人類研究中，男性較頻繁的性活動與更長的壽命有關。**
This may result from the release of the hormone DHEA during orgasm, which lowers the risk for a heart attack.
**這可能與高潮時釋放的荷爾蒙 DHEA 有關，它能降低心臟病發作的風險。**
Orgasm also reduces tension and helps both men and women sleep better, in part through the release of endorphins and other hormones.
**性高潮同時能舒緩緊張，並幫助男女雙方睡得更好，部分是因為會釋放腦內啡及其他荷爾蒙。**
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Remaining sexually active also improves the body’s immune system—its ability to fight off infections.
**維持活躍的性生活也有助於增強免疫系統，提升身體對抗感染的能力。**
In a study of college students, those engaging in sexual activity once or twice a week had a 30 percent higher Immunoglobulin A level compared to students who were sexually abstinent.
**一項針對大學生的研究發現，每週有一到兩次性行為的學生，其免疫球蛋白 A 的濃度比禁慾的學生高出三成。**
Immunoglobulin A is one of our most important antibodies that protects us from infectious diseases.
**免疫球蛋白 A 是保護我們免受感染性疾病侵害的關鍵抗體之一。**
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A recent longitudinal study of more than 1,600 respondents showed that for adults aged 62 to 74, better sexual quality, defined as feelings of physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction, was linked to better cognitive functioning.
**一項追蹤超過一千六百名受試者的縱貫研究顯示，在 62～74 歲的成年人中，性品質較好——也就是在身體愉悅與情感滿足上有較佳感受——與較佳的認知功能相關。**
For those aged 75 to 90, more frequent sex was associated with better cognitive functioning.
**而在 75～90 歲族群中，較頻繁的性行為則與較佳的認知功能有關。**
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You don’t have to be intimate with someone for your brain to benefit from social interactions with them.
**不過，你並不一定得與他人有親密關係，大腦才能從社交互動中獲益。**
Just an engaging discussion boosts cognitive health.
**只要是投入的、有互動的對話，就能促進認知健康。**
Psychologists at the University of Michigan found that even a brief but stimulating conversation will increase memory performance and mental speed.
**密西根大學的心理學家發現，即便只是短暫但有刺激性的談話，也能提升記憶表現與思考速度。**
And if you chat with an empathic friend about a troubling issue, that interaction can lower your stress levels and further protect your brain neurons.
**而當你與一位具同理心的朋友談論讓你困擾的事情時，這樣的互動可以降低壓力水平，進一步保護大腦神經元。**
