男士在下午六點最"聽話"

A woman may not always gets what she wants... but she may stand more chance if she waits until 6 pm to ask for it. This is the time when a man is likely to grant a loved one’s wishes, according to a poll.

Anything from taking out the rubbish to a romantic weekend away is likely to be looked on more favourably if broached at the end of the working day.

Henpecked husbands should, however, steer clear of having a row mid-afternoon. That’s because 3 pm is the best time for the fairer sex to win an argument, the poll of more than 1,000 men and women found.

And when it comes to asking for a pay rise or promotion, a woman would do best not to pounce on the boss when he or she arrives for work in the morning, but to wait until 1 pm.

This is the time that managers are likely to be most receptive to employees’ demands, according to the poll carried out for pharmaceuticals giant and contraceptives manufacturer Bayer Schering Pharma.

Women, however, will be glad to know that they are not the only sex affected by ‘mood swings’, with the male mindset also changing over the course of the day.

Some 86 per cent of the 1,019 men and women polled said they were aware of regular peaks and troughs in their mood. But, perhaps not surprisingly, less than half of these had even thought of capitalising on the phenomenon.

The findings suggest that by being more in touch with biorhythms, or the body’s natural rhythms, we could get what we want more often.

Mood can be affected by hormones, including those in contraceptives as well as stress, food and alcohol.

Commenting alongside Bayer’s poll, Evie Bentley, a psychotherapist with a special interest in biorhythms, said: ‘Each biorhythm cycle is regulated by the brain, which controls what hormones and how much of each are produced in order to balance bodily functions.

‘A great deal of how a person feels physically, intellectually, and emotionally, is caused by their biorhythms.

‘For example, the hormones in our bodies can affect our moods. It is important to choose the right contraceptive option for you to ensure you are in tune with yourself, to complement your natural rhythms.’

一個女人也許不是總能得到她想要的，但是如果她等到下午六點再提出要求，那麼她成功的可能性會更大。根據一項調查，在下午六點男人很可能會滿足愛人的心願。

如果女人在工作結束的時刻提出要求，不管是扔垃圾還是外出過個浪漫週末，都可能會被欣然接受。

然而，怕老婆的丈夫應該避免在午後和老婆發生爭吵。因爲，這項涵蓋1000多名男性和女性的調查發現，在下午三點女性最容易在吵架中獲勝。

如果是要求加薪或升值，女性最好不要在老闆早上剛來上班時去找他/她，而應該等到下午一點。

根據這一調查，在這一時段經理們最樂於接受僱員的要求。該調查是製藥業巨頭、避孕藥生產商拜耳先靈醫藥公司委託開展的。

男性的心態也會在一天當中有所變化，由此女性可以高興地發現並非只有她們纔會受到情緒波動的影響。

接受調查的1019名男性和女性當中約有86%的人說他們能意識到自己情緒規律性的起伏，但是，想過對這一現象進行利用的人還不到一半，這也許並不讓人驚訝。

調查結果表明，對生物節律或人體的自然節奏多一些瞭解，我們就能更多地得到我們想要的東西。

情緒會受到荷爾蒙的影響，包括避孕藥中的激素以及壓力、食物和酒精引起的荷爾蒙的變化。

對研究生物節律有特殊興趣的精神治療醫師伊維•本特利在拜耳公司的調查結果旁評論道：“每個生物節律週期都是由大腦來調控的，大腦對分泌的荷爾蒙的種類和數量進行控制，以平衡身體機能。

“一個人身體、智力、感情上的很多感覺都是由生物節律引起的。

“例如，我們體內的荷爾蒙會影響我們的情緒。選擇適合自己的正確的避孕方式很重要，從而保證自身的協調，與身體的自然節奏相輔相成。”

Vocabulary:

broach: to begin talking about a subject that is difficult to discuss, especially because it is embarrassing or because people disagree about it 開始談論，引入（尤指令人尷尬或有異議的話題）

steer clear of: 避開

pounce on: 一把抓住

trough: a period of time when the level of something is low（低谷）

capitalise on sth.: to gain a further advantage for yourself from a situation（充分利用；從……中獲得更多的好處）

biorhythm: cyclic pattern of physical, emotional, or mental activity said to occur in the life of a person（生物週期；生物節奏）