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  3. Four Ways to Be Happier If there were a Dr. Happiness, would you rush to get in line to see him, especially if his prescript

Four Ways to Be Happier If there were a Dr. Happiness, would you rush to get in line to see him, especially if his prescript

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问题                       Four Ways to Be Happier
    If there were a Dr. Happiness, would you rush to get in line to see him, especially if his prescriptions were for things like joy, inner peace, and contentment (no side effects identified)? Of course you would! And the really joyful news is that he’s not imaginary. Dr. Happiness is a nickname given to Ed Diener, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. OK, he doesn’t give you joy, but he has studied it, plus other positive emotional states we’re all capable of. And research shows that their benefits include boosting our immune system and defenses against illnesses ranging from colds and flu to cancer and heart disease. Here’s a look at the emotions that can actually help your body perform its best—and why.
More laughter
    Have a chuckle (低声笑)—and your blood vessel will thank you. A March 2005 study at the University of Maryland showed for the first time that happiness may promote heart health by making blood vessels work more efficiently. Twenty healthy, non-smoking male and female volunteers’ watched two movies selected to provoke opposite emotional extremes—the disturbingly violent opening scene of 1998’s Saving Private Ryan and a merry sequence from Kingpin, a 1996 comedy. The effect on an artery in the arm was measured before and after by ultrasound (超声波). The two films produced dramatically different effects. Viewing the Private Ryan scene caused the volunteers’ blood flow reduce by an average of 35 percent. Laughing over the comedy, however, increased the subjects—blood flow by 22 percent—an improvement similar to the effect of having exercises. Although they aren’t sure why laughter has such a powerfully positive effect, the experts think that either the movements of the organs in the body as we laugh, or possibly the release of feelgood chemicals, may be the explanation.
Love of your spouse
    Love of your spouse can also help keep your heart healthy, according to a September 2003 study. The study found that women who are satisfied with their romantic relationship had fewer risk factors of heart. Not only did the happily married women have a higher level of good cholesterol (胆固醇) and a lower one of bad cholesterol, but their blood pressure was also lower, compared to single or unhappily married women, who tended to show a blood pressure increase. Why would the state of your spouse have any effect on your cholesterol levels? First, a loving relationship means less stress, which means that fewer hormones (荷尔蒙) are released. Less weight gain, in turn, helps decrease the threat of heart disease, the number-one killer of American women. Indeed, the study, which made a survey about 500 women aged from 42 to 50 over a 13-year period, found that happy wives typically avoided weight gain, even during middle age, a time when women often gain extra pounds, while those who were single or unhappily married usually got heavier over the years. That’s dangerous, because being overweight brings more risk for cancer and heart disease.
    Support from your spouse can also boost your motivation to get rid of heart-harming habits, such as smoking or a high-fat diet. Consider Glynis Buschmann, in California. Until her marriage, in 2002, she didn’t like sports at all whose only exercise was an occasional walk. After marriage, her husband added her to his gym membership and since then, she started working out three to five times a week with exercise machines. "My husband has commented on how much healthier I look. My posture is better, I feel more confident, and I sleep better knowing that I’m beside someone who loves me." says the 42-year-old wife.
Strong determination
    We’ve all heard the expression "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." It turns out those tough types may boast better health than those who shrink from misfortune. Researchers are looking for a link between a hardy spirit and a healthy body. A 1998 study conducted by UCLA followed 40 women who had suffered loss of relatives. Those most determined to find meaning in their loss also showed improved immunity to illness. "Literature is full of stories about people who make much life changes after a tragedy, but nobody has really looked at this medically," says Julienne Bower, assistant professor at UCLA. Dr. Bower followed women who had lost a relative—usually their mother—and evaluated their immune functions. Those who placed the greatest importance on setting and achieving emotionally significant goals, such as improving relationships, had the highest level of activity in their "natural killer" cells, the immune-system soldiers that attack viruses.
    There’s already some evidence, but no hard proof, that determination may make a difference for cancer patients, according to an Arizona State University review. Drawing on past studies, researchers report that "active coping", attacking the problem through direct action instead of escaping, is linked to better immune system function and hormonal balance, factors that play a role in combating the spread of the disease. This suggests that coping style may influence the patient’s outcome.
Expressiveness of feelings
    Women who control their feelings are making a potentially fatal mistake, found a February 2005 Boston University study of about 4 000 people. Although the study was originally designed to see the role marital happiness plays in heart-disease risk, the doctors were amazed to discover that expressing emotions during arguments actually helps wives—but not husbands—live longer. Married women, who usually control their feelings to avoid conflict with their mate, were more than four times more likely to die of all causes than those who let their feelings fly during fights. "Ironically, taking control of their feelings may have helped preserve the women’s relationships, but it definitely didn’t preserve their lives. " says Elaine D. Eaker, lead investigator of the study. Although men were actually more likely than women to keep quiet during disputes, doing so had no impact on their health or life span. The reasons for this gender gap are currently a mystery, but what we do know is that men and women are physiologically stressed by different aspects of marriage, so we need to dig deeper to find out why.

The reason why laughter has such a powerfully positive effect is probably that ______
选项 A、the organs in the body work more efficiently as we laugh
B、laughter makes blood vessels work more quickly
C、when we laugh, we’ll release feel-good chemicals
D、when we laugh, we get rid of all the sadness
答案C
解析 信息明示题。本题考查笑对人体具有积极作用的原因。由定位句可知。“尽管研究员还不确定为什么笑会有如此巨大的积极作用。但专家们认为，当我们笑的时候，人体器官的运动或者可能释放一种令人感到良好的化学物质，也许可以解释这一原因。”因此C)为本题的正确答案。
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