Why Thinking Makes Us Feel Tired?为什么思考会让我们感到疲惫？

Have you ever wondered why thinking too much makes you tired？ A new studyhas found out some answers to this question. Researchers from the Paris BrainInstitute looked at why mental1 effort makes us tired. They found that when peoplethink a lot， the brain releases a chemical called glutamate2. Too much glutamateupsets the brain’s functions. It means the brain tells the body it is tired and that itmust rest. People who spend more than six hours working on a task that requires alot of thought are more likely to feel tired. A period of rest allows the brain to returnto normal. This explains why a power nap3 is good for us.

你想过为什么过度思考会让你感到疲惫吗？一项新的研究已经发现了这个问题的一些答案。来自巴黎脑科研究所的研究人员研究了为什么脑力劳动会使我们疲惫。他们发现，当人们思考过多时，大脑会释放一种叫做谷氨酸的化学物质。太多的谷氨酸会扰乱大脑的功能。这意味着大脑告诉身体它已经累了，它必须休息。在一项需要大量思考的任务上花费六个小时以上的人更有可能感到疲惫。一段时间的休息可以使大脑恢复正常。这就解释了为什么打一会儿盹对我们有好处。

The research team looked at the behaviour4 of 40 participants5 in theirresearch. 24 of them had to perform challenging tasks. These included looking at acomputer screen and matching different letters that appeared. The other 16participants did a similar， but easier task. Both teams worked for six hours， and hadtwo ten-minute breaks. The researchers scanned6 the brains of the participants. Theyfound that the group who had the more difficult task had higher levels of glutamatein their brain. Study author said， “It would be great to find out more about howglutamate levels are restored.”He asked， “Is sleep helpful？ How long do breaksneed to be to have a positive7 effect8？”

研究小组在研究中观察了40 名参与者的行为。其中24 人必须执行具有挑战性的任务。这些任务包括看着电脑屏幕并匹配出现的不同字母。其他16 名参与者执行了一个类似的，但更简单的任务。两个小组都工作了六个小时，并有两次时长十分钟的休息。研究人员对参与者的大脑进行了扫描。他们发现，执行更困难任务的小组人员大脑中的谷氨酸水平更高。研究作者说：“如果能了解更多关于谷氨酸水平是如何恢复的真相就更好了。”他问道：“睡眠是否有帮助？要多长的休息时间才会产生积极的影响？”

（英语原文选自：breakingenglishnews.com）

▏Notes

1. mental. 思考的；精神的

2. glutamate. 谷氨酸盐；谷氨酸酯

3. nap. 小睡，打盹

4. behaviour. 行为，举止

5. participant. 参加者，参与者

6. scan. 扫描检查

7. positive. 积极的，建设性的

8. effect. 作用，影响