真愛是最好的止疼藥 竟能減輕痛苦
研究人員發現，真愛原來真的可以幫助減輕痛苦的感覺。
Tests on 17 women found that they were less affected by stinging sensations while looking at pictures of their partners.
在對17位女性進行了一項測試，結果顯示，在將注意力集中在了和她們的伴侶的合照上之後，受測者受到刺痛感覺的影響明顯減少了。
But their levels of discomfort actually increased when they were staring at images of spiders, objects or strangers.
不過當她們全省關注盯着照片內容是蜘蛛、某物體或陌生人時，她們不適的感受反而增加了。
The findings could help to pinpoint how emotions act on different areas of the brain and how uncomfortable feelings can be dealt with.
這項研究的結果有助於弄清楚情緒因素對於大腦不同部位的作用效果，以及不舒服的感覺對於有何影響。
'On a practical level if you are someone enduring pain or going in for a painful procedure bringing a loved one with you or brining a picture of a loved one with you may reduce the pain of the experience,' the study's lead author Naomi Eisenberger told the Toronto Star.
“說得實際一些，如果你正在感受或者即將感受到痛苦疼痛，有心愛的人陪在身邊，或者隨身帶一張與其的合照，這將減輕你對於難受的感知。”主導這項實驗的Naomi Eisenberger如是說。
Ms Eisenberger, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, carried out the tests on 17 different women who were in long-term relationships.
身爲美國洛杉磯大學心理學助理教授的Eisenberger女士在17名正處於長期穩定感情關係的女性身上進行了該實驗。An earlier study discovered that women felt less pain while they were either looking at a picture of their partner or while the person was holding their hand.
在這之前的一項實驗發現，女性在看着愛人的照片，或者和他手牽手的時候，對於痛苦的感受會有所減少。
But this study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, is the first time that scientists have been unable to find the area of the brain that is responsible for the feelings.
不過如今的這項實驗則是科學家們首次無法確定到底是大腦的哪個區域對這種感覺做出了反應。
Researchers used MRIs to monitor the women’s brains while administering stinging shocks to their body.
研究者們一邊利用核磁共振儀器觀測女性大腦的活動，一邊對她們的身體進行突然性的刺激。
The women stared at pictures varying from their partner, strangers, or solid objects. They were then given a 20-point scale to use to rate their pain after each shock.
受測女性觀看的圖片多種多樣，有她們的伴侶、陌生人或者固體物體。她們將感受到的痛感運用20分滿分的方式進行區隔。
The pain scores were significantly lower for the women when they were looking at a picture of their partner.
在觀看自己愛人的照片時，感受到的痛感的“得分”則特別的低。
The researchers discovered activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex which is associated with a feeling of safety.
研究者發現，在女性大腦正中前額葉皮層會出現一種與感受到安全感相關的腦活動。
The longer the women had been in the relationship and the more supported they were by their partner, the greater the level of activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, or VMPFC
女性處於感情關係的時間越長，或者獲得伴侶更多，大腦正中前額葉皮層，也就是所謂的VMPFC的活動就越強烈。
The VMPFC is capable of inhibiting other pathways in the brain responsible for fear and anxiety. This area was also able to reduce pain, the researchers found.
VMPFC能夠抑制大腦產生恐懼和焦慮的途徑，這一區域也有夠減輕對於痛苦的感知。
Researchers also discovered that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, an area responsible for stress response, was less active when the women were looking at the photos of their other halves.
研究人員還發現，在女性觀看愛人的照片時，她們大腦中對於壓力做出反應的區域的活動也減少了。
She said that it could be arguesd that people who have been in their relationship longer may view their partner as a stronger cue for safety.
Naomi Eisenberger解釋到，當長期處於穩定的感情關係之中，人們會將自己的伴侶看做是一個強有力的安全因素。
She added: 'This shows how strong of an effect our loved ones can have on us. They can lead us to feel less pain even when we’re simply reminded of them or looking at a picture of them.'
她還說：“這顯示了愛人對於我們會產生多大的影響力。光是看看照片，就更夠讓我們感到並非有那麼痛苦。”
Ms Eisenberger said that the images of snakes and spiders could have produced the opposite effect because 'over the course of our evolutionary history things like snakes and spiders have threatened our survival'.
Eisenberger表示蛇和蜘蛛的照片會產生相反的作用，因爲“在我們進化的過程中，像蛇和蜘蛛這樣的生物都曾威脅到人類的生存。”
