In the age of the social network, there's certainly such a thing as sharing too much. But when it comes to losing weight, sharing could be key。
在網(wǎng)絡(luò)社交時代，肯定有些東西經(jīng)常被分享。但是，當(dāng)提到減肥的時候，分享可能是關(guān)鍵。
A new Northwestern University study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface found that those who actively engage in such online communities lost a higher percentage of their body weight compared to users who participated sparingly。
英國皇家協(xié)會界面雜志上發(fā)表了一篇西北大學(xué)[微博]的新研究，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，與較少參加網(wǎng)絡(luò)社區(qū)的人相比，活躍在網(wǎng)絡(luò)社區(qū)的人減重比例更大。
Scientists analyzed data from people paying a membership fee on CalorieKing.com, which grants them access to weight-loss tools (like a food journal) and an online forum. While the identity of each user remained anonymous, the researchers had access to age, gender, height, initial weight and time-stamped activities. They could also monitor members' recorded weigh-ins, friend requests and community engagement, though they could not read any of the actual conversations between users。
科學(xué)家分析了來自CalorieKing.com網(wǎng)站上支付會員費(fèi)的人們的數(shù)據(jù)，會員費(fèi)賦予他們訪問減肥工具(例如食品雜志)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)論壇的權(quán)利。雖然每個用戶的身份都保持匿名，但是研究人員可以獲得年齡、性別、身高、最初體重和可實(shí)時追蹤的活動。雖然他們不能夠讀取用戶間的實(shí)際談話內(nèi)容，但是他們能夠監(jiān)測會員的體重記錄，好友請求和社區(qū)參與。
The researchers found that the users who recorded their weight and engaged with other members were more likely to achieve their goals of shedding pounds. The most active users lost more than 8 percent of their body weight in a six month period. The least active users, those with the fewest online friends and social interactions, lost around 5 percent of their body weight in the same span of time. The researchers theorize that engagement plays a key role in weight loss because it offers an always-accessible network of support。
研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些記錄體重、與其它成員互動的用戶完成減輕體重目標(biāo)的可能性更大。最活躍的用戶在6個月內(nèi)減輕的重量大于自身重量的8%。最不活躍的、只有很少網(wǎng)絡(luò)朋友和社交互動的用戶在同樣的時間內(nèi)減輕的重量大約只有自身重量的5%。研究人員推論，參與在減肥中起著關(guān)鍵性的作用，因?yàn)樗峁┝艘粋�永遠(yuǎn)開放的網(wǎng)絡(luò)支持。
They're also looking ahead: The positive results point to plausible uses for social networks in other areas of health. Online communities might be successful alternatives for ailments like depression and alcoholism, for which in-person meetings are often suggested. "Modern life is so complex and stressful, to go somewhere for a meeting is often not practical," Luís A. Nunes Amaral, senior author of the study, said in a statement. "It is hopeful that this alternative approach, of going online for support, could work."
他們同樣也預(yù)測未來：積極的結(jié)果表明在健康的其它領(lǐng)域也可以合理使用社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。網(wǎng)絡(luò)社區(qū)可能是一些疾病的成功的替代方案，例如抑郁癥和酗酒，對于這些人通常建議私下見面。這個研究的第一作者路易斯·A·努內(nèi)斯· 阿爾拉瑪在一份聲明中說，“現(xiàn)代生活如此復(fù)雜、充滿壓力，去別的地方見面通常不太實(shí)際。這個替代方案是有希望的，在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上尋求幫助可能會有用。”
