想提高智商?去爬樹呀!大綱

If crosswords are too easy and Sudoku a touch boring, why not go and climb a tree?

如果你覺得填字遊戲太過簡單，數獨（一種運用紙、筆進行演算的邏輯遊戲）又難的有點單調，爲什麼不去爬爬樹呢？

A study found that childish pastimes such as climbing trees, running barefoot and crawling dramatically boost memory.

一項研究證明，爬樹、赤腳跑、爬行等兒時的娛樂活動能夠有效的提高記憶力。

Working memory - the type of memory we use every day to remember phone numbers, follow directions and use a shopping list - improved by 50 per cent.

這些兒童遊戲能讓我們的工作記憶——即我們每天用以記住電話號碼，認清方位，寫出購物清單的記憶能力——提升了50%之多。

The University of North Florida researchers put 72 men and women aged between 18 and 59 through a test of working memory, in which they had to remember lists of numbers in reverse order.

北佛羅里達大學的研究人員對72名年齡在18-59歲之間的男女進行了研究，他們讓這些調查對象記住若干寫滿倒序數字的數列，從而測定他們的工作記憶力。

Some then spent two hours doing a range of obstacle course-like activities.

之後，一些調查對象參加了2小時類似障礙跑之類的體育活動。

These included climbing trees, running barefoot and crawling along a narrow beam.

這些活動包括爬樹，赤腳跑步和沿着一根狹窄的木道爬行。

Others listened to a lecture or did a yoga class, before working memory was tested again.

另一些調查對象則去聽了一場演講或參加了一節瑜伽課，然後研究人員再次測量了他們的工作記憶。

Only those who had done the obstacle course did better.

只有那些進行了障礙賽跑活動的調查對象在第二次測試中成績有所提高。

Climbing a tree and balancing on a beam hone ‘proprioceptive’ skills – the brain’s ability to sense where the legs, arms, hands and feet are in space without looking.

爬樹和走橫木等活動能夠鍛鍊人的“本體感受力”——通過這種能力，我們不用看到自己的四肢和手腳，就能感受到這些身體組織的存在。