SSS 2008-12-17
时间：2018-12-24 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(十二)月
This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute.
When it comes to pain, it’s the thought that counts. Because pain hurts more when it’s inflicted 1 on purpose. Or so say researchers from Harvard University in the December issue of Psychological Science.
Forty-three people were paired off with a partner for what they were told would be a test of psychological perception. Then they were hooked up to some electrodes, and given a quick zap. Sometimes the shock was “intentional.” So, the partner would call for a shock to be administered, and zzzt it came. But sometimes the shock was unintentional. That is, the partner called for the subject to hear a pleasant tone, but those zap-happy researchers hit the shock button instead.
They then asked the subjects to rate the pain. The results? On a scale of one to seven, with seven being “extremely uncomfortable,” the shocks that were done on purpose rated a respectable 3.6. But the same exact shock when given by accident only rated a 3.
That emotional response to pain makes evolutionary 2 sense, the researchers say. Because an ouch that’s just an accident is probably one-time thing. Whereas someone who wants to do you harm will probably do it again. In which case it may be a good idea to pull off your electrodes and just go home.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.
- They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
- Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。
- Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
- These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。