新研究：咖啡能提高你解決問題的能力

Famous authors and artists are commonly photographed alongside a trusty mug of coffee, but that cup of joe is more likely to help the Great American Manager. Caffeine, it turns out, does not improve creativity, but it significantly enhances problem-solving, according to a new study.
著名作家和藝術家拍照時旁邊經常會有一杯咖啡，但這杯咖啡更有可能會給這位美國好經理帶來幫助。一項新的研究表明，咖啡因並不能提高創造力，但能顯著提高解決問題的能力。

This is news, given how strongly we associate coffee with creative occupations and lifestyles. The study, published today in Consciousness and Cognition, followed 80 participants after they consumed either a placebo or 200 mg of caffeine—the equivalent of 12 ounces of coffee—and then tracked their problem-solving, creative idea generation, working memory, and mood.
考慮到我們平時以爲咖啡和創造性職業以及生活方式有很大聯繫，所以這是個新發現。這項研究現在發表在《Consciousness and Cognition》上，在80名參與者分別喝了無效對照劑和200 mg咖啡因（相當於12盎司咖啡）之後，跟蹤觀察他們解決問題的能力、創意的形成、工作記憶力和情緒。

While problem-solving abilities improved significantly, the caffeine had no effect on memory or creativity. Subjects also reported feeling “less sad.”
解決問題的能力顯著提高，但咖啡因對記憶力或創造力毫無影響。研究對象也說“憂傷感並未減少”。

Previous studies have shown that caffeine improves alertness, focus, attention, and motor skills, but little research existed on creativity.
此前的研究表明咖啡因能提高機敏度、專注力、注意力和運動能力，但關於創造力的研究很少。

This means that caffeine helps some kinds of thinking, specifically convergent thinking, such as when you need correct answers, for instance, while taking a GRE or MCAT or recalibrating a budget.
這就意味着咖啡因有助於思考，特別是收斂性思維，比如你需要正確答案的時候，像參加GRE或MCAT考試，或者重新調整預算。

It will not help you in the divergent thinking of creativity, such as brainstorming a novel plot or imagining a new design. “It also doesn’t make it worse,” notes lead author Darya Zabelina, assistant psychology professor at the University of Arkansas, “so keep drinking your coffee. It won’t interfere.”
它在創造性發散思維方面對你沒有幫助，比如腦洞大開地設計新情節或者思考新的設計。研究的第一作者Darya Zabelina是阿肯色大學的心理學助理教授，她指出：“咖啡也不會減弱這方面的能力，你可以繼續喝，沒有任何影響。”