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Recording One
录音一
Psychology research has tended to portray solitude as a negative experience.
心理学研究通常将独处描述为一种消极体验。
Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1990s suggested that people felt less happy when alone as compared to being with others.
20 世纪70年代和90年代所进行的研究表明，相较于与他人为伴，在独处时人们感到不那么快乐。
However, a new paper shows an alternative view of solitude, one in which solitude can be positive.
然而，一篇新的研究报告呈现了关于独处的另一种看法，即独处可以是积极的。
Let's start by looking at the earlier research.
让我们先来看看先前的研究。
It had a couple of shortcomings.
这些研究有几个不足之处。
First, it measured emotion on a scale from positive to negative, overlooking the possibility that our positive and negative emotions can fluctuate independently.
首先，它们都用一个“积极——消极”的(双向)尺度来衡量情绪，忽略了我们自身积极和消极的情绪各自都有起伏变化的可能性。
Also, it categorized emotions as simply positive or negative.
此外，它们都将情绪简单地归类为积极和消极，
It didn't consider that emotions arouse us to different degrees, and that both positive and negative emotions can arouse us a lot or a little.
没有考虑到情绪对人的激发程度是不同的一积极和消极的情绪都可能或高或低地激发我们。
That is, whether positive or negative, emotions can be either high-arousal or low arousal.
换言之，不论是积极还是消极，所有情绪都可以是高激发或低激发的。
High-arousal emotions include excitement on the positive side or anger on the negative side, while low arousal ones include feeling calm on the positive side or lonely on the negative.
高激发情绪包括积极的兴奋和消极的愤怒，而低激发情绪包括积极的平静和消极的孤独。
This new research attempted to overcome these shortcomings.
这项新研究试图克服以上这些缺点。
Researchers began with a simple study.
研究人员从一项简单的调研开始。
They asked participants to spend 15 minutes sitting alone without engaging in any activity, and measured how this solitude influences their emotional state.
他们要求参与者独坐15 分钟，不进行任何活动，然后测量这种独处状态如何影响他们的情绪状态。
This experiment specifically aimed to determine the effect of solitude on high-arousal emotions.
具体来说，这项实验的目的是明确独处对高激发情绪的影响。
It looked at positive emotions such as being excited or interested, and negative emotions including being scared or distressed.
它同时考察了积极情绪(如兴奋和兴趣盎然)和消极情绪(包括恐惧和痛苦)。
The results were clear.
结果很明显。
After 15 minutes of solitude, the participants showed reductions in both types of emotion.
经过15分钟的独处之后，参与者的这两类情绪都有所减弱。
A second study measured the effects of solitude on low- arousal emotions.
第二项调研测量了独处对低激发情绪的影响。
These included both positive and negative emotions, such as feeling calm, relaxed, sad or lonely.
这些情绪既包括积极的，也包括消极的，如平静、放松、悲伤、孤独。
That experiment found that all of these: emotions were increased by time alone.
该实验发现，所有这些情绪都会因独处时间而增强。
Thus it seems past depictions of solitude were wrong.
由此看来，过去对独处的描述是错误的。
It doesn't have a simple emotional effect that can be characterized as good or bad.
它对情绪的影响并不能被简单地界定为好或坏。
Rather, it changes the intensity of our inner experience.
而是说，它改变了我们内心感受的强度。
It amplifies quieter emotions, but it diminishes the intensity of stronger feelings.
它放大平静的情绪，但同时也降低强烈情绪的强度。
It's worth clarifying that these findings relate to relatively brief periods of solitude.
需要澄清的是，这些发现均指向相对短暂的独处。
This is distinct from prolonged loneliness.
这与长期的孤独截然不同。
Research has demonstrated that the latter is correlated with an assortment of negative physical and psychological effects.
研究表明，后者与各种消极的生理和心理作用相关。
How can people benefit from being alone?
人们如何从独处中获益？
The findings here suggest that people can use solitude to regulate their emotions.
这里的研究结果表明，人们可以用独处来调节自己的情绪。
Solitude can help us become quiet after excitement, calm after an angry episode, or simply feel at peace.
独处可以帮助我们在兴奋之后平静下来，在经历愤怒之后冷静下来，或者仅仅是感到心境的平和。
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
请根据你刚听到的录音回答16到18题。
Question 16: What is one of the criticisms directed at the early research(on solitude?
问题16:针对早期关于孤独的研究的批评之一是什么?
Question 17: What do we learn about the results of the new research?
问题17:关于这项新研究的结果，我们了解到了什么?
Question 18: What did the second experiment in the new research find about solitude?
问题18:关于孤独，这项新研究的第二个实验发现了什么?
