热到脑子转不动？别怀疑，你是真的被热“傻”了

你有没有发现：

天一热，人就容易犯迷糊，做事丢三落四，反应变慢，思考也变得吃力。

很多人以为只是自己状态差、犯懒，总调侃“我被热傻了”。但你可能不知道，被热到脑子不好使，不全是主观感受，高温真的会实实在在影响大脑的运转效率。

今天一起来看一篇外刊文章，帮你彻底搞清楚：高温究竟是怎么悄悄拖垮你的专注力、反应力的。

原文连接：

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/decisions-and-the-brain/202606/how-the-heat-hinders-our-thinking

How the Heat Hinders(妨碍) Our Thinking

高温如何妨碍我们的思维

Heat waves are becoming more common, with severe health consequences ranging from cardiovascular (心血管的), respiratory (呼吸的), and renal (肾脏的) difficulties to death due to extreme heat exposure or heat stroke. But even setting aside those direct risks, heat has severe indirect consequences. A large number of studies have shown that high temperatures impair (损伤) cognitive (认知的) functions, which in turn leads to poor decisions.

热浪正变得越来越常见，并带来严重的健康后果，包括从心血管、呼吸系统和肾脏疾病，到因极端高温暴露或中暑而导致的死亡。但即便抛开这些直接风险不谈，高温还会产生严重的间接影响。大量研究表明，高温会损害认知功能，进而导致人们做出糟糕的决策。

heat wave 热浪期，（尤指）奇热时期

severe adj 严重的

consequence n [学术词] 后果；结果

range from ... to 包括从...到...之间

exposure n [学术词]暴露；显露（expose + -ure）

set aside 把...置于一旁；留出

in turn 转而；依次；反过来

01

Your Brain Without AC (空调)

没有空调时你的大脑

Cedeño Laurent and coauthors (2018) conducted a study on university students' cognitive functions during the 2016 heat wave in Boston, MA. Over 12 days in July, students completed two tests daily. One was a numerical (数字的) task requiring addition or subtraction (减法) of two-digit numbers. The other was the Stroop task, a classic in cognitive psychology that measures the ability to inhibit (抑制) impulses (冲动) and direct attention.

塞德尼奥·劳伦特及其合著者（2018年）在2016年波士顿热浪期间，对大学生进行了认知功能研究。在7月为期12天的时间里，学生们每天完成两项测试。一项是数字任务，需要完成两位数的加减法运算。另一项是斯特鲁普任务，这是认知心理学中的经典测试，用来测试人抑制冲动、集中注意力的能力。

conduct v [学术词]实施；进行

require v [学术词] 需要；要求

classic n [学术词]经典

measure v 估量；衡量

direct v [熟词生义] 对准某一目标（方向）

What made the study particularly interesting is that some students lived in buildings with air conditioning (AC), while others did not. The AC group experienced temperatures in the 17–25°C range, averaging 21°C (70 °F). The non-AC group endured (忍受) temperatures in the 20–30°C range, averaging 26°C (79 °F). That difference was enough: students in the non-AC group gave fewer correct responses per minute on the numerical task and were slower on the Stroop task.

这项研究尤其有趣之处在于，部分学生住在有空调的楼里，而另一些则没有。有空调组所处的温度范围在17–25°C之间，平均为21°C。无空调组则承受着20–30°C的温度，平均为26°C。这一差异已经足够明显：无空调组的学生在数字测试中每分钟答对的题目更少，在斯特鲁普任务中反应也更慢。

particularly adv 特别，尤其（particular + -ly）

range n [学术词]范围；界限

average v 平均为

Studies like this one have limitations, including small and specific samples (38 university students, in this case). But they have been accumulating (积累) over the years. Laboratory studies, in which people are randomly assigned to different ambient (周围的) temperatures, have consistently found that those exposed to higher temperatures display impaired memory, reduced attention, and lower performance in executive (执行的) functions, including problem-solving, understanding complex tasks, and decision-making. So, yes: heat might quite literally make you dumber (更笨的).

这类研究存在局限性，包括样本量小且特定（本研究仅为38名大学生）。但多年来，这类研究不断积累。诸多实验室研究将受试者随机置于不同环境温度下，一致发现：身处高温环境的受试者，其记忆力、注意力以及执行功能（包括解决问题、理解复杂任务以及做决策）的表现均会下降。所以，没错：高温确实可能会实实在在让人脑子转不动。

limitation n 限制；局限（limit + ation）

specific adj [学术词]特定的

sample n 样本

randomlyadv [学术词]随机地（random + -ly）

assign v [学术词]指派；委派

consistently adv [学术词]始终如一地（consistent + -ly）

be exposed to 被暴露于…；处于…（环境）

complex adj [学术词]复杂的

literally adv 确实地；真正地（literal + -ly）

02

Practical Strategies During Heat Waves

热浪期间的实用应对策略

practical adj 实用的

As discussed in a previous post, carrying too much in your mind (what psychologists call “cognitive load”) can lead to poor decisions. That is why "multi-tasking" is a bad idea, and you should single-task instead. Financial worries cloud judgment in much the same way, which is the reason that poverty is often found to cloud your brain. The mechanism behind heat-impaired judgment is different and more directly physiological (生理的). But the practical takeaways are similar.

正如之前文章所讨论的，头脑中承载过多内容（心理学家称之为“认知负荷”）会导致决策失误。这就是为什么“多任务处理”不是好主意，你应该专注于单一任务。财务忧虑也会以类似方式蒙蔽判断力，这也是贫困往往会影响人思维判断的原因。高温损害判断力的作用机制与之不同，属于更直接的生理层面。但实际应对策略是相似的。

previous adj [学术词]先前的；以前的

load n 负荷

financial adj [学术词]财务的；金融的

cloud v [熟词生义] 使模糊

judgment n 判断力（judge + -ment）

poverty n 贫穷

mechanism n [学术词]机制

takeaway n [熟词生义] 要点；收获（take + away）

The old expression “in the heat of the moment” usually refers to poor choices driven by strong emotions, but it turns out to hold more literally as well. As climate change makes heat waves more frequent and high-temperature days more frequent, you should be wary (谨慎的) of when and how you make decisions. Beware (小心) of decisions made during or shortly after a heat wave.

老话说的“in the heat of the moment（一时冲动）”通常指人被强烈情绪裹挟做出草率选择，但事实证明，它也可以从更字面的意义上理解。随着气候变化使热浪和高温天气更加频繁，你应当警惕做决策的时机与方式。要当心在热浪期间或是热浪刚结束不久做出抉择。

refer to 指；意即

emotion n 情感；情绪

turn out 证明（是）；结果（是）

as well 也

frequent adj 频繁的

Avoid important decisions on high-temperature days when you can. Maybe you should delay buying that big-ticket item if it’s a hot day (unless it is an AC system!). As always with consequential (重要的) choices, give yourself time. Do not trust your gut (直觉). Check your reasoning carefully. Seek outside advice. Wait until you can achieve some emotional and cognitive distance.

尽可能避免在高温天做出重要决策。如果是个大热天，也许你应该推迟购买那件高价商品（除非买的是空调系统！）。与以往一样，面对重要的抉择时，给自己留出时间。不要相信直觉。仔细检查自己的推理。寻求外部建议。等到情绪、思维都平复之后再下判断。

avoid v 避免

delay v 推迟

reasoning n 推理

emotional adj 情绪（上）的（emotion + -al）

distance n 距离

And if it is hot outside and you have to make an important decision, cool down first.

而如果外面很热，你又必须做出重要决定，那就先让自己凉快下来。

cool down （使）变凉；（使）冷静