我們戀愛吧：戀愛讓你更聰明的5個理由

In love? You have a built-in brain-booster sitting right across the breakfast table. Here's how to make the most of it for extra smarts:
戀愛了？那麼坐在餐桌對面的那個TA，就爲你裝了一臺內置的智力推動器。下面就來看看怎樣通過戀愛讓你更聰明：

1. Marry someone similar to you, if a bit smarter
找一個和你一樣聰明、甚至更聰明的人結婚

A Seattle Longitudinal Study found that the most stable relationships were those in which people were similar in intelligence, flexibility of attitudes, social responsibility, and education levels. Researchers also found that after 14 years together, spouses with the better grasp of verbal meanings and word fluency had pulled the lower-functioning spouses up to their level.
一項西雅圖縱向研究發現，那些在智力、態度靈活性、社會責任感以及教育水平方面相似的夫妻，關係最穩定。研究人員還發現，共同生活14年後，夫妻雙方中對語義和語言流暢性掌握得更好的一方，會將另一方的能力也提升到和自己相同的水平。

2. Hold hands whenever possible
只要可能，牽住愛人的手

In addition to creating feelings of warmth and closeness, holding hands can help inoculate you from stress. One study using brain scans found that when married women were told they were about to receive an electric shock, just holding their husbands' hands minimized their brains' response to the threat. Women in the closest relationships experienced the greatest decrease in stress-related brain activity.
手牽手不僅可以讓人產生溫暖和親近的感覺，還可以幫助你減輕壓力。一項研究通過腦部掃描發現，當妻子得知她們要接受一次電擊，握住丈夫的手會讓她們的大腦對於這次威脅的反應減到最小。而妻子和丈夫的關係越親密，她們的大腦對壓力產生的反應也就越小。

3. Kiss at least once a day
每天至少接吻一次

This intimate touch triggers the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol - but that's not all. Researchers say that when we kiss, we activate nearly half of the cranial nerves that affect cerebral function. All of the sensory information of a kiss - the smell and warmth of your partner's skin, the taste and feel of soft lips - shoots into your brain, delighting your neurons and forging new connections.
這種親密接觸會促進腦下垂體後葉荷爾蒙的分泌，而且會降低壓力激素皮質醇的水平。不僅如此，研究人員稱當人們接吻時，我們會調動將近一半可以影響大腦功能的腦神經。所有關於接吻的感官信息——你伴侶身上的味道和溫度、柔軟雙脣的觸覺和感覺——會全部發送到你的大腦中，這會讓你的神經元興奮，併產生新的聯繫。

4. Put pictures of your honey on your desk
把愛人的照片擺在桌上

Brain scans show that looking at a photo of your beloved, especially in the early stages of your relationship, activates a part of the brain associated with pleasure and reward as well as focused attention and motivation. When you're in the throes of new love, your prefrontal cortex also gets into the action, anticipating more time together and planning future events.
腦部掃描表明，注視愛人的照片會激活大腦中和愉悅相關的某個部分，從而有助於注意力集中、更有積極性。對於戀愛初期的人來說更是如此。當你陷入愛情的苦惱時，你的前額皮質也會活躍，你會期望更多的相處時間並對未來做出計劃。

5. Just be together
和愛人在一起

One study found that average blood pressure was lower when a person spent time with his or her spouse than when they spent time alone or with other people. Even if you don't talk, just spend time in the same room, reading, watching TV, surfing the web, or doing crossword puzzles.
一項研究發現，當人們和伴侶在一起時，他們血壓的平均值會比自己獨處或和其他人相處時要低。哪怕你和愛人並不交談，只是坐在同一間房裏，看書、看電視、上網，或者做填字遊戲。