When I need to unwind, there's nothing I love more than an "experience."

當我需要放鬆時，我就會去體驗新事物。

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, zip-lining or even just riding roller coasters at Coney Island.

例如：去大堡礁潛水、高空滑索或是到康尼島玩雲霄飛車。

These aren't relaxing activities by any stretch.

這些聽起來不像是放鬆身心的活動。

In fact, they get my adrenaline pumping, so physiologically I'm experiencing "stress," but I still enjoy them, and I still feel better after them.

老實說，它們會讓腎上腺素激升，等同於生理上的壓力，但我仍然樂在其中且感到放鬆。

Stress usually gets a bad rap.

壓力常被貼上負面評價。

Some studies have linked chronic stress to depression, obesity, and heart disease.

有些研究也會把長期壓力跟憂鬱症、肥胖問題、心臟疾病連結在一起。

But my happy experiences with briefly stressful activities got me thinking...

但我從事的那些稍微有壓力的活動卻會讓我有開心的體驗，我便開始思考...

Are there times when a little stress can be good for us?

是否有時給自己適當的壓力也許對我們有好處呢？

I'm Vanessa and you're watching BrainCraft.

我是 Vanessa 而你正在收看 BrainCraft。

We explore the psychology in your every day life.

我們喜歡探索日常生活當中的心理學。

Now, scientists have actually done a lot of studies on the potential benefits of short-term, acute stress.

近期，科學家也做了許多研究，關於短期壓力帶來的潛在好處。

A group of researchers at the University of Wisconsin wanted to know if the stress hormone cortisol affects how well people learn and remember.

威斯康辛大學有組研究團隊想知道腎上腺皮脂素會對人的記憶力造成什麼影響。

A study that's relevant for students cramming for exams all over the world!

一項攸關正埋頭苦讀準備各種考試的學生的重要研究。

Now, cortisol is naturally released when our "fight or flight" systems are activated.

當「戰鬥或逃跑反應」被激發時，我們的身體就會釋放出腎上腺皮脂素。

Chronically high levels of cortisol are linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, digestive issues, anxiety and depression.

當腎上腺皮脂素長期處於高濃度狀態，就會引發高血壓、心臟病、消化系統問題、焦慮或是憂鬱症。

But in spurts, cortisol works as a signal to increase dopamine, which improves perception and attention.

但如果只是短期，腎上腺皮脂素則可以增加多巴胺，進而提升我們的注意力和敏捷度。

In this study, researchers gave participants a placebo, 20 milligrams, or 40 milligrams of cortisol.

這份研究中，研究人員分別在參與者身上注射安慰劑、二十毫克或是四十毫克的腎上腺皮脂素。

Then they gave them a list of words to memorize.

接著，再給他們一張單字表，要求他們背起來。

Two days later, people who received a 20-milligram dose did the best job of recognizing the words that they'd been asked to memorize.

兩天後，施打二十毫克腎上腺皮脂素的參與者在背單字的表現上最好。

So a little stress, but not too much, can actually help us learn.

結論就是，適當的壓力有助於學習。

Beyond a boost in memory, researchers were curious about how these small bursts of stress could impact our relationships with others.

除了增強記憶力，研究人員也對腎上腺皮脂素會如何影響和他人建立感情關係感到好奇。

Would stress bring us together or push us apart?

壓力究竟會讓彼此更親密或疏離呢？

So, they put people through stress-inducing tasks, and then measured their social behaviors compared to control participants.

他們讓參與者做一些會產生壓力的差事，接著再跟對照組比較他們的社交表現。

The stressed participants were more trustworthy and more likely to share in a game where they could compete or cooperate to win money.

壓力較大的參與者表現得較可靠，在一場透過競爭或合作來贏得獎金的遊戲中，他們也較願意與他人分享。

This result is supported by how communities respond to disasters in the real world.

這個實驗結果顯示出人們是如何面對現實世界中的困境。

Research shows that people are more cooperative, open, and giving after a disaster.

研究顯示人們在經歷困境後，往往會較願意與他人合作、心胸寬大、樂於幫助他人。

Acute stress can bring communities together too.

所以，短期壓力是可以使人們更團結的。

And the way that we think about stress can have a huge influence on the way it affects us.

看待壓力的方式也會深深地影響到它所帶來的影響。

People who view stress as potentially beneficial are less negatively impacted by adverse life events than people who think stress can only be bad. -[Stressfull events can help me grow as a person]

如果你認為壓力對你是有益的，那麼它對你造成的負面影響就會比認為它是有害的人來得小。

So, think about presenting or speaking in front of a crowd.

想像一下自己在眾人面前演講或報告。

Everyone has a physiological stress response to public speaking: cortisol levels and heart rate go up, you might feel a little nauseous or jittery.

演講或報告都會讓每個人產生生理壓力，例如：腎上腺皮脂素升高、心跳加速，你可能會緊張到想吐。

Would you describe this as anxiety or excitement?

你會把這種感受稱作焦慮還是興奮呢？

The physical sensation is the same, but someone who describes that feeling as "excitement" is more likely to enjoy public speaking than someone who describes it as "anxiety."

在生理上它們都是一樣的，但認為這種感受是興奮的人往往都比認為這是焦慮的人更喜歡在眾人前演講。

Simply learning that symptoms of stress may be beneficial, and can lead to healthier responses to stress in the future.

了解到壓力是有益的可以讓未來的你用更健康的方式處理壓力。

So while chronic high stress is known to be harmful, short-term, acute stress isn't necessarily bad.

長期壓力有害健康，但短期壓力則並非如此。

Instead of focusing on the negatives, think about a time that you enjoyed stress, like during a horror movie, or while riding a roller coaster.

與其想著壓力的壞處，不如多想想看恐怖電影或是搭雲霄飛車時你所享受的刺激感受。

Think of times when stress helped you cram for an exam or when a stressful experience brought you closer to a friend or colleague.

還有壓力推著你準備各種考試，或是因為壓力讓你可以跟朋友同事更加親近。

Reframing your thinking about stress can have real benefits for how you experience day-to-day challenges.

重新塑造你對壓力的看法會幫助你解決生活中的挑戰。

So instead of being stressed about stress, try to focus on how you can use it to your advantage!

所以，別再為壓力而煩惱，試著思考該如何把它轉化為前進的動力。

Now, if you're trying to stress less, one thing that can help is password manager.

如果你想要減輕壓力，我有個法寶——密碼管家。

You don't have to stress about remembering every single password you've ever used or weak passwords, either.

你不需要煩惱忘記密碼或是密碼強度太弱等問題。

Dashlane, the sponsor of this video, keeps you safe online in every way.

這部影片的贊助商 Dashlane 可以確保你的網路安全。

Their password manager will create a single master password that never transmitted over the Internet, not even to dashlane.

它們的密碼管家會幫你創立一個密碼產生器，別擔心，它並不會外流到網路上或者是 dashlane。

You can also save an auto-filled information, like addresses, phone numbers, credit cards to fill out forms in a single click.

此外，你可以建立自動填寫資訊，譬如：住址、電話號碼、信用卡卡號等，按一個按鍵就可以立即填好表格。

So, to make your interneting faster and easier, visit dashlane.com/braincraft for a free 30 day trials of dashlane premium.

想讓上網變得更快速簡單，你可以拜訪 dashlane.com/braincraft 去體驗三十天的 dashlane 豪華會員試用期。

And if you like it, you can use braincraft as a code for 10 percent off, thanks!

如果喜歡的話，你可以用 braincraft 作為九折的折扣碼，謝謝大家！