英國流行住棚屋 專家稱其有益於健康

They are often damp, cold and home to a rich variety of creepy crawlies.

But for a growing number of men the once-humble shed is fast becoming a home-from-home.

And what's more, new research claims the solitude it provides at the bottom of the garden could actually be good for their health.

A study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that the peaceful retreat may help lower blood pressure.

Its author, Professor Alan White, of Leeds Metropolitan University, said

“There's a sense of achievement that men get from starting a task to seeing it through to completion. Men know what a shed means and they feel comfortable.”

Professor White's study found that working men in Britain were almost twice as likely to die prematurely as their female counterparts.

He claims that sheds and the solitude they provide could actually turn the tide.

The “Men's Shed”s' initiative has its roots in Australia. But 20 communal shed have already sprung up in the UK from the Lake District to Greenwich.據英國《每日郵報》12月1日報道，棚屋通常又溼又冷，還充滿了各種各樣的爬蟲，但是在英國，越來越多的人選擇這種曾經不起眼的小棚屋作爲家外之家。

而且更爲重要的是，一項新研究聲稱，獨居在花園深處的棚屋裏實際上是有益健康的。

發表在《英國醫學雜誌》上的一項研究揭示，安靜祥和的休息住所能幫助降低血壓。

該文章的作者是來自英國利茲城市大學的教授艾倫-懷特，他說：“完成一項任務的過程能讓男性獲得成就感，他們知道一間棚屋意味着什麼，而且棚屋讓他們覺得很舒服。”

懷特教授的研究發現，英國的務工男性過早死亡的概率是他們配偶的兩倍。

他聲稱棚屋和獨居能有效扭轉這種趨勢。

“男人工棚”最先出現在澳大利亞，但是在英國從湖區到格林威治已經有20間公共棚屋如雨後春筍般建立起來。