There’s probably something you do that you class as a cringeworthy bad habit. Relieve your guilt and stop your self-flagellation by reading about the good sides to ten common bad habits, and how you can use them to your advantage。
有時候你覺得自己的某些言行是壞習慣。這時，請看看下面10個常見壞習慣的好處，停止自責，停止自我苛求，學著把這些壞習慣變成自己的優(yōu)勢吧。
1. Being Disorganized Enhances Creativity
雜亂無章可以激發(fā)創(chuàng)造力
People who are messy may sound like they’re making up lame excuses for their bad habits by pointing out how disorder helps them to be creative. It turns out they’re telling the truth, and scientific research backs them up. Chaos does indeed encourage people to think outside the box and come up with novel solutions. Volunteers in a study at Northwestern University were faster at solving puzzles when they were in a messy room as opposed to a tidy one. They also drew more creative pictures in a messier setting。
那些雜亂無章的人貌似總為自己找些蹩腳借口，說什么“亂七八糟有助于激發(fā)創(chuàng)造力”。其實，科學研究證明，還真有這么回事�；靵y確實能夠激發(fā)人們跳出思維框框，進而想出有創(chuàng)意的方案。在西北大學[微博]的一項調查中，當志愿者被安排在凌亂房間時，可以更快地解開謎團;而且，在環(huán)境更為混亂的情況下，他們還可以畫出極具創(chuàng)意的畫作。
Since disorder has such a powerful effect on the mind, you may want to save your mess for the right context. Keep your accounts tidy and orderly, but allow clutter in spaces where you need more creativity。
既然紊亂能對思維產生如此大的影響力，或許維持恰當的混亂也不失為過。在條目綱領上做到井然有序，在具體空間部分維持混亂以激發(fā)創(chuàng)造力。
2. Watching Cute YouTube Videos Can Make You More Productive
看萌寵視頻有助于提高辦事效率
What could be a bigger waste of time than trawling the internet for cute animal pictures or amusing videos of pets doing daft things? Plenty of things, surprisingly. Studies have shown that, as counter-productive as it seems, this common habit can actually help your brain to focus and complete tasks accurately. Researchers at Hiroshima University found that viewing images of cute baby animals triggered care-giving instincts, making people take more care on subsequent tasks。
耗在網上翻看萌寵圖片或萌寵搞笑視頻是不是太浪費時間了呢?要知道，這些玩意兒數也數不清啊。不過，研究卻發(fā)現(xiàn)，雖然看上去不利于提高工作效率，但實際上這個小習慣卻有助于大腦更集中更精確地完成任務。廣島大學的研究員發(fā)現(xiàn)，看萌寵圖片會激發(fā)人們獻愛心的本能，進而使人們更專注于接下來的任務。
Now that you can guiltlessly surf the web for cute animal images, bear in mind that it’s even better if you can find a video of a puppy or kitten doing something hilarious. Laughter reduces blood pressure, relieves pain and makes the body more resilient to stress。
所以，你不僅可以毫無愧疚地網搜萌寵圖片，還可以觀看貓狗蠢萌視頻哦。歡笑可以降低血壓、減輕疼痛，還可以讓身體更精神百倍地對抗壓力。
3. Biting Your Nails Boosts Immunity
咬指甲可以提高免疫力
Nibbling on your nails is considered a bad habit, but only because of social convention. Back before we had nail scissors, humans would likely have bitten their nails for two reasons. First, it keeps them from getting too sharp and from injuring us, and second, it exposes the immune system to bugs. Research consistently shows that small exposures to bugs will help boost immunity。
根據社會約定成俗的看法，咬指甲是個壞習慣。在指甲鉗發(fā)明之前，人類咬指甲主要有兩個原因：首先，這樣可以防止指甲長得過于尖長而傷到自己;其次，這樣會使病菌有機可乘進入免疫系統(tǒng)。而一直以來研究都表明，一定程度的病菌入侵反倒有助于提高免疫力。
If you’re not a nail-biter, rest assured, you don’t have to start. Follow the principle that small amounts of exposure to bacteria are health-boosting, so don’t sterilize, scrub or scour your body too much。
如果你不喜歡咬指甲，當然最好還是不要養(yǎng)成這個習慣。請記�。荷倭考毦鋵嵤怯幸嬗诮】档�，所以不要過分清潔自己的身體。
4. A Good Gossip Boosts Your Mood
良性八卦可以改善心情
Talking about other people seems to be a global fascination. People can’t resist a good story or secret, and there are whole magazines devoted to celebrity gossip and members of the public telling tales. Sharing other people’s news has a whole range of mood-boosting benefits. Researchers at Brown University found that most people’s mood improved for up to four hours after spending just 20 minutes gossiping with a friend. 96 percent of people were able to reduce tension and anxiety this way。
說別人閑話似乎儼然是一種全球通病。誰都無法抵擋精彩故事或小道秘密的誘惑，數不清的雜志媒體都在不停八卦名人明星。閑話他人私事其實能為改善情緒帶來很多好處。布朗大學的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，哪怕只跟朋友八卦了20分鐘，大部分人的心情都要好上4個小時。96%的人都會通過八卦來降低緊張焦慮的情緒。
The benefits of gossip are really about bonding and connecting with others. Use gossip positively, and not as a way of judging, criticizing, or ostracizing other people。
八卦的好處主要在于和他人建立社交關系。所以，請良性利用八卦，而不要將八卦用來評判、批評或排斥他人。
5. Swearing Relieves Stress
說臟話可以減輕壓力
Your mother may have told you that cursing is a sign of a limited vocabulary but using a little blue language can actually make you feel better when you’re subjected to stressful experiences. Swearing may be particularly useful in the workplace, especially in times of crisis. Swedish scientists have revealed that employees who suffer unfair treatment at work, and don’t find ways to express their anger, double their risk of having a heart attack. Researchers at the University of East Anglia found that swearing at work helps employees to cope with stress and frustration, and cursing can encourage team spirit。
從小媽媽可能就告訴過你，講臟話是不對的。但是，當你遇到壓力極大的情況時，偶爾說兩句臟話其實可以讓你感覺好受些。在工作場合，尤其是面臨危機的時候，說臟話或許還挺奏效。瑞典科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)，職場遭遇不公平對待卻又無處發(fā)泄的員工，患心臟病的幾率要高出一倍。而東安格利亞大學的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，工作時發(fā)點牢騷有助于員工應對壓力和沮喪情緒，而且有時還能激發(fā)團隊精神。
Make sure you let off a little steam when you’re suffering from stress, including an odd choice curse or two if it helps to lower your blood pressure. Make sure you only use naughty words in front of people who are unlikely to find it offensive, and be aware that certain words may prove too fruity for most ears。
所以，當你壓力山大時，完全可以發(fā)點小牢騷。說一兩句臟話有助于降低血壓。當然，說臟話時要確保對方能夠接受，而且講話分寸要能讓大多數人接受。
6. Sleeping In Protects Heart Health
睡眠能夠保護心臟健康
You may have been led to believe that ‘early to bed, early to rise’ was the best way of organizing your sleep, and may have come to think that having a lie-in is a bad habit. But research by Japanese endocrinologists shows that people who wake up before 5am may put themselves at risk of cardiovascular disease. Hardened arteries, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and obesity were more likely in people who got up earlier, scientists found. These findings held true, even though the amount of sleep was the same. Research at Stanford University previously concluded that the most restorative sleep occurs between 2:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m。
你可能一直信以為真，覺得“早睡早起”才是最佳作息方式，而且還覺得睡懶覺是個壞習慣。但是，日本內分泌專家的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，5點之前起床的人可會具有患心血管疾病的風險。而且，科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)，起得比較早的人更有可能患上動脈硬化、心率衰竭、中風、高血壓和肥胖癥。盡管早起和晚起的睡眠時間差不多，但以上研究發(fā)現(xiàn)依舊成立。先前斯坦福大學的研究總結表示，最佳質量睡眠發(fā)生的時間是凌晨2點至早上6:30。
If you have to be woken by an alarm clock, this shows that you haven’t got enough sleep. Respect your natural sleep cycle, by going to sleep when you’re tired and letting yourself have as much sleep as you need。
如果你必須由鬧鐘鬧醒才起床，那就說明你沒睡夠。所起，請遵循自己的自然睡眠規(guī)律，累了就去睡，然后盡可能睡飽。
7. Fidgeting Improves Alertness
坐立不安可以提高警覺性
Fidgeting may seem like a sign of restlessness but when you’re doing it, you’re actually trying to make the brain more alert and focused. Just as you yawn when tired to bring more oxygen in to keep the brain awake, when you fidget, you’re trying to self-stimulate in order to boost mental and physical alertness. And fidgeting is a really effective way of increasing attention. Studies show that this particular habit improves your working memory performance. If you’re not convinced by that, then consider that fiddling and fidgeting also speeds up your metabolism, helping your body to stay fit。
坐立不安可能看上去比較心浮氣躁，但事實上，這時你在潛意識里讓大腦保持警覺專注。這就好比你通過打呵欠吸進更多氧氣來保持大腦清醒一樣，當你坐立不安時，你其實是在自我刺激，以便保持身心的警覺性。而且，坐立不安是獲取更多關注的有效方法。研究表明，這一特殊習慣有助于提高記憶力。如果你不信，那你可以考慮這一點：坐立不安可以加速新陳代謝過程，進而使你保持身心苗條。
If you feel bored, tired, or your attention to a task is waning, try doodle, twiddle your thumbs, or tapping your foot to bring your focus back。
如果你感到困倦，或者對任務的集中力開始下降，可以嘗試信手涂鴉、撥弄手指，或者踢踢腳，這樣可以讓注意力再次集中起來。
8. Throwing Tantrums Reduces Tension
大發(fā)雷霆可以緩解緊張情緒
Angry outbursts can be habitual for some people. They seem to always throw a wobbly if they don’t get their own way. Expressing small amounts of anger can help to relieve tension and stress in a healthy way, and can help you stop bottling up your frustration and turning it against yourself. Unexpressed anger can turn into anxiety or sadness, and researchers at Carnegie Mellon University revealed that anger is a healthier emotion because it produces less cortisol than fear。
對有些人而言，大發(fā)雷霆可能已經習以為常了。如果事與愿違，他們似乎總會大發(fā)一通脾氣。偶爾發(fā)泄一下憤怒可以很好地緩解緊張和壓力，還能使你免于沮喪和自責。壓抑著的憤怒會轉化為焦慮或悲傷。卡內基梅隆大學的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，憤怒其實是比較健康的情緒，因為較之于恐懼，憤怒所產生的皮質醇要少得多。
Keep your tension levels low by expressing anger in healthy ways; a mini-rant, punching a pillow, or pounding the streets during an angry run, are all good ways of letting out stress。
所以，你可以用積極的方式表達自己的憤怒，進而緩解緊張情緒。稍微吼兩句、揮幾拳枕頭或啪嗒啪嗒跑步都是緩解壓力的好方法。
9. Social Media Keeps You Accountable
社交媒體使你對自己更負責
So many people have the bad habit of checking social media sites at every opportunity. But having a social media presence can help you behave better and stick to your goals. Research shows that announcing intentions on social networking sites allows an individual to more easily stick to their plan. And if you’re checking social media often, you’re helping others to stay on track, too。
很多人都有時不時登陸社交網站的壞習慣。其實，參與媒體社交有助于自我監(jiān)督，進而更堅定自己的目標。研究表明，如果在社交網絡上說出自己的目標，人們會更容易堅持實現(xiàn)相應計劃。而且，如果你經常刷新社交媒體，你其實也在幫助別人堅持目標。
If you have an important goal you want to achieve, announce it on Twitter and Facebook so others can keep you accountable and cheer you on。
如果你想實現(xiàn)某個重大目標，可以嘗試在推特網或臉譜網上說出來，這樣別人也可以監(jiān)督并鼓勵你了。
10. Daydreaming Helps You Solve Problem
白日夢可以幫你解決問題
Sometimes if you focus too hard on a problem, you can end up more confused and stuck than before. Using conscious thought means you can become too rigid and limited in your thinking. While daydreaming is sometimes thought of as a form of procrastination or non-commitment, researchers have found that it could actually help you to think outside the box to solve tough problems. Scientists at University of British Columbia scanned the brains of people when they daydreamed and found that the habit activated brain regions linked with problem-solving abilities。
有時如果你太專注于某個問題，反倒變得更加困惑無助。有意識的思考會使你太刻板地陷在自己的思維框框里。雖然白日夢有時候被認為是一種拖延和不負責的形式，研究人員卻發(fā)現(xiàn)，它其實可以幫助人們跳出思維框框并解決棘手問題。不列顛哥倫比亞大學的科學家掃描了人們做白日夢時的大腦活動，結果發(fā)現(xiàn)，這一激活大腦區(qū)域的習慣和解決問題的能力大有關聯(lián)。
The reason why daydreaming is so powerful is that the thoughts you have come from your unconscious mind. You can encourage your unconscious to be activated by using hypnosis or performing a task you know so well that your mind is free to wander。
白日夢之所以具有如此神奇的力量，原因在于你的一切想法都源于潛意識思維。你可以通過催眠或萬分專注于某個任務的方式來激發(fā)自己的潛意識思維。
