雙語達人:有錢人的心腸更硬嗎?

Wonder why some wealthy people seem so aloof? How about this for an answer?

想知道爲什麼有錢人都看起來冷冰冰的嗎？看看下面的解釋吧。

A series of studies published in Psychological Science found that money can influence responses to both emotional and physical pain. The researchers found that handling physical money makes a person less sensitive to physical pain and reduces the distress of being excluded in social situations.

《心理科學》發表的一系列研究結果顯示，金錢可以影響一個人對情感和生理痛苦的反應。研究人員發現，摸錢能降低人對生理痛苦的敏感程度，並減輕人在社會中被排斥在外時的痛苦感。

In other words, wealth makes you as hard and cold as steel. Or so the study says.

換言之，財富能讓你變得像鋼鐵一樣又硬又冷。至少這份研究報告是這麼說的。

The methodologies for this study were odd to say the least.

不過退一步講，這次研究的方法很是古怪。

For one of the tests, test subjects were told to count out a stack of $100 dollar bills and then immerse their hands in hot water. Those who handled the money reported less pain than those who handled slips of blank paper.

其中一個測試要求一組受測者數一沓100美元面額的鈔票，然後將手浸入熱水中。這組的痛苦程度不及另一數白紙、然後手浸熱水的對照組。

In another, a group of students counted the stack of $100 bills and then played a computer game involving a ball toss with three other simulated players. Some of the players were excluded from the ball toss during the game. Those who handled the money felt little or no distress at being excluded, while those who handled paper felt lower self-esteem.

在另一個測試中，一組學生先數了百元大鈔，然後開始玩計算機遊戲，其中一個是和三個程序模擬的對手玩投球遊戲。有一些受測者被排斥在了遊戲之外，那些數過錢的學生對遭排斥一事幾乎毫不沮喪，而那些數白紙的人則覺得自尊心受到了傷害。

"Acquired symbolic value of money, perhaps because of associations with power or control, can influence responses to both emotional and physical pain," writes Harriet de Wit, a psychiatry professor at the University of Chicago. "Conversely, thoughts of monetary loss may enhance physical or psychological pain."

芝加哥大學精神病學教授韋特寫道：“獲得金錢的象徵意義可以影響一個人對情感和肉體痛苦的反應，這或許是因爲它與權力或控制力相關聯；反之，破財的念頭可能會加重人的肉體或生理痛苦。”

Do you think the studies findings are accurate? Does money dull physical or emotional pain?

你認爲這份研究報告的結果準確嗎？金錢是否會麻醉人們肉體和精神上的痛苦？