心懷感激能提升耐心？

我們總是認為要培養耐心，靠的是個人的意志力，Time雜誌卻報導，研究指出想提升耐心，可能比你原本所想的還要簡單--只要經常抱持感激的心！進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：

A) 抵消
B) 面臨
C) 培養

Why are human beings impatient? Because "the human mind has a tendency to value the present more than the future," says David DeSteno, a professor at Northeastern University. We often blame a person's impatience on their emotional state, and we thought the way to (A) counteract this effect was by logic and willpower. However, DeSteno's new study found that gratitude helps people become more patient.
為什麼人時常沒有耐心？因為「人的大腦傾向認為當下比未來更重要」，大衛・狄史丹諾，美國東北大學的教授指出。我們常認為沒耐心是一種情緒狀態，並且認為抵銷的方法是透過邏輯與意志力。但是，狄史丹諾的新研究發現，「感恩」能幫助人們提升耐心。

In the study, the participants were asked to complete a task on a computer, and they would (B)encounter a frustrating situation where the computer broke down, and the experimenter would tell them that they had to start over from the beginning once the computer was fixed. Then an actor would come in to help them solve the technical problem so they could (1) pick up where they left off on their task. Most people were grateful for the help of the actor.
在研究中，受試者被要求用電腦完成一項作業，過程中會碰到電腦當機、令人沮喪的狀況，主持實驗者會告訴他們，當電腦修好後，他們的作業必須從頭開始再做一次。接著一個暗樁演員將會進來幫忙解決電腦的問題，讓他們能從停止處開始，繼續完成作業而不用重新來過。大多數人都對那個演員感到感激。

The researchers continued to measure their gratitude levels for the next three weeks and found that those who felt more gratitude during the task were more likely to feel gratitude throughout their week. After the three weeks, the participants were offered the choice of some cash immediately or a higher amount later on. Those who were more gracious were more willing to wait for more money (2) down the line.
研究者在接下來的三個禮拜中持續測量受試者們的感激程度，並發現，那些在實驗過程中較感激的人，在接下來一周中也較多帶著感激。三週之後，實驗者給予受試者選擇：立即得到現金，或是，之後得到更高的金額。感激程度較高的人較願意等待、在之後獲取更高金額。

The result of the study shows that gratitude enhances people's self control and ability to wait. The way to (C) cultivate gratitude is to not always focus on the bigger things in your life that you're thankful for, but to focus on smaller things, like a nice favor someone did for you. "By taking time to (3) count your blessings and focus on things that you are grateful for, you are enhancing your self control," DeSteno says.
研究顯示出，感恩能夠提升人的自制力與等待能力，感恩會增加一個人的自我控制，並提升耐心。培養感恩之心的方法並非著重於令你感激的人生大事，而是注意生活中的小事，例如他人對你的小小幫助。狄史丹諾說明：「當你花時間去想想生命中的美好恩典，並注意那些令你感激的事情，你就是在提升自我控制的能力。」 

口語字彙

1. Pick up where someone left off 從之前停止的地方再度開始
之前在哪裡停下，就從那裡開始。
It's starting to rain so we will have to stop the game for now. We will pick up where we left off once it stops raining. 
開始下雨了，我們只好暫停球賽。等雨停了我們就從暫停的點再繼續開始。 

2. Down the line 未來，一段時間後
字面上是「沿著線下去」，也就是指一段時間以後。
If we don't solve the problem now, we still have to face it down the line. 
如果我們不現在解決問題，一段時間後還是必須面對它。

3. Count one's blessings 想想生命中的美好事物並感到感恩
Blessings 指的是上帝賜予的恩典，整句話即「細數你的恩典」，提醒人對擁有的一切要感恩知足。
Whenever I feel sad, I count my blessings and realize that I am very fortunate. 
每當我感到悲傷沮喪時，我就會想想我生命中所擁有的美好事物，並發現原來自己非常幸運。

參考資料：Time.com 

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