當你玩手機時大腦仍然處于高負荷運轉狀態(tài)

當你玩手機時大腦仍然處于高負荷運轉狀態(tài)

When you collapse on the couch after a long workday and start scrolling through social media, you're not doing your tired brain any favors, says author Celeste Headlee.

當你在漫長的工作日后癱倒在沙發(fā)上，開始瀏覽社交媒體時，你疲憊的大腦并沒有得到任何幫助，作家塞萊斯特黑德利說。

"Your brain sees your phone as work," she explains. "To your brain, any time that phone is visible, part of your brain is expending part of its energy on preparing for a notification to come in. It's like a runner at the starting gate."

“你的大腦會把你的手機當成工作，”她解釋道。“對你的大腦來說，任何時候只要看到手機，你的一部分大腦就會把部分能量花在準備接收通知上。它就像一個在起跑線上奔跑的人。”

Researchers have found that simply having your phone nearby can tax cognition. "You're carrying your work literally everywhere," Headlee says. "As far as your brain and body are concerned, you're never taking time off."

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，僅僅是把手機放在附近就會增加認知能力。“你把工作帶到任何地方，”黑德利說。“就你的大腦和身體而言，你從來沒有休息過。”

In her new book, Do Nothing, Headlee, a longtime journalist and public radio host, encourages readers to be intentional about protecting their downtime. She came to that realization after she found herself sick in bed for the second time in just a couple of months.

在她的新書《無所事事》中，資深記者兼公共電臺主持人黑德利(Headlee)鼓勵讀者有意識地保護自己的停機時間。當她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己幾個月來第二次臥病在床時，她才意識到這一點。

"I was more successful than ever," she recalls. "Things were going really well for me. So why was I not just sick, but miserable?"

“我比以前更成功了，”她回憶道。“對我來說，一切都很順利。那么，為什么我不僅病了，而且還很痛苦呢?”

Headlee started digging into the research and found evidence thatthe brain works best when it can alternate between focused labor (not multitasking!) and rest. Because even when it's "resting," your brain is busy doing critical tasks. In fact, the brain is nearly as active during periods of rest as it is during periods of focus, Headlee says.

黑德利開始深入研究，發(fā)現(xiàn)證據表明，當大腦可以在專注的工作(而不是多任務處理!)和休息之間切換時，它的工作狀態(tài)最好。因為即使在“休息”的時候，你的大腦也在忙著做重要的事情。事實上，大腦在休息的時候幾乎和集中注意力的時候一樣活躍，黑德利說。

"It's sifting through memories," she explains. "It's making new connections. It's doing surprising things because it's not focused on a task. So that's where a lot of creativity comes from."

“這是對記憶的篩選，”她解釋道。“它正在建立新的聯(lián)系。它做著令人驚訝的事情，因為它沒有專注于一項任務。所以這就是很多創(chuàng)造力的來源。”

Where did our work culture come from?

我們的工作文化從何而來?

Headlee believes some of America's obsession with work can be traced back to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe. Ideas about working your way to heaven, Headlee explains, "meant that every idle hour was one in which you were not earning your spot with the divine. ... It was your work that made you a good person. And therefore, obviously, if you're not working all the time, you should feel guilty."

黑德利認為，美國對工作的一些癡迷可以追溯到16世紀歐洲的馬丁路德和新教改革。黑德利解釋說，關于如何通往天堂的想法，“意味著每一個空閑的時間都是你無法在神圣的世界中贏得一席之地的時候。是你的工作讓你成為一個好人。因此，顯然，如果你不是一直在工作，你應該感到內疚。”

She also points to the Industrial Revolution as a "mile marker" in forming America's work culture.

她還指出，工業(yè)革命是形成美國工作文化的“里程碑”。

Headlee says it's time for a reexamination of America's obsession with efficiency and speed. She believes that humans are pushing our brains and bodies in ways that are not adaptive.

黑德利說，是時候重新審視美國對效率和速度的癡迷了。她認為，人類正在以不適應的方式推動我們的大腦和身體。

Headlee also observes that in an age of social media, Americans are comparing themselves with celebrities — to people far outside their social circles.

黑德利還注意到，在社交媒體時代，美國人把自己與名人作比較，與遠遠超出他們社交圈的人作比較。

"I think one sociologist said that we're no longer keeping up with the Joneses — we're keeping up with the Kardashians," Headlee says.

“我想，一位社會學家曾說過，我們不再是在與鄰居攀比，我們是在與卡戴珊攀比，”黑德利說。

It's no wonder Americans feel the need to work harder, put in longer hours, to forever self-improve.

難怪美國人覺得需要更加努力地工作，投入更長的時間，才能永遠自我提高。