Some brain “Fecte”关于大脑的几个真相

庄禾

Are you left-brained or right-brained？ The correct answer is“neither”. In fact， there are many brain “facts” which we all get wrong.

你是右脑型还是左脑型呢？正确答案是“都不是”。实际上，我们常常搞错了许多关于大脑的真相。

1. Is a bigger brain a better brain？

No. After all， humans believe we’re the smartest animals on the planet， but elephant brains are three times larger than ours. And whale brains？ Forget it. Intelligence isn’t about relative size， either. Human brains make up about 2 percent of our body mass. But tree shrew brains are a full 10 percent of their body mass. So when it comes to brains， size isn’t the most important thing.

1. 脑大更好吗？

不不不！毕竟我们人类总认为自己是这个星球上最聪明的动物，但大象的脑子可是我们的三倍大，更不用说鲸鱼的了。智力跟大脑的相对大小也没关系。人类大脑占体重的2%，但树鼩的大脑是体重的10%。所以对于大脑而言，大小并不是最重要的。

2. Are people either left-brained or right-brained？

There are certain tasks that draw more on one side of your brain than the other， but everything you do uses both hemispheres. There’s no evidence that the right half of your brain is more creative， or that the left is more analytical. The only people who are truly left-brained or right-brained are those who have undergone a surgery in which half of the brain is removed. The patients often go on to live full lives with no cognitive troubles.

2. 人们不是右脑型就是左脑型吗？

大脑两侧在做任何事情时都会有所侧重，但你做每件事情左右脑都是共同参与的。没有证据证明大脑右半球更有创造力，左半球更擅长思辨。真正的右脑型或左脑型是那些做过大脑半球切除手术的人。这些患者也能够继续生活下去，没有什么认知困难。

3. Do we only use 10 percent of our brains？

Oh yeah？ Which part are you using right now？ The entire brain may not be active every second of every day， but if you want to breathe， sleep， and eat your food， you need the whole thing.

3. 我们的大脑只开发了10%吗？

什么？那你现在用的是哪块儿？大脑不可能每时每刻都满载运行，但对于呼吸、睡眠、吃东西而言，你需要运用整个大脑。

4. Does getting older mean losing your mental edge？

Yes， certain cognitive functions like short-term memory， attention and language learning begin to decline with age， but other mental skills actually improve. Studies have shown that older people have larger vocabularies than younger people， and that they make better use of them. They are happier with their lives， and their relationships are more harmonious.

4. 年级越大，智力优势在退化吗？

是的，某些认知功能，比如短时记忆、注意力和语言学习能力会随着年龄衰减，但其他的一些智力技能其实是不断进步的。研究显示老年人有更高词汇量而且对词语能够更好地运用。他们生活得更开心，人际关系也更和谐。

5. Does classical music make you smarter？

Making yourself （or your baby） sit through classical music won’t do anything for your IQ. You can’t put cheese on it， and the only reason to enjoy it is that you （or your baby） actually like it.

5. 古典音乐能让人变聪明吗？

无论是成人还是儿童，听古典音乐都对人的智商毫无助益。别指望它能带来什么奇效。唯一一个听古典乐的理由，那就是你真的喜欢。

6. Will crossword puzzles keep you sharp？

Like classical music， crossword puzzles are terrific—but only if you actually enjoy them. People who have done puzzles all their lives have no particular cognitive advantage over anyone else.

6. 玩填字游戏能让人变聪明吗？

就像古典乐一样，字谜只在你真的喜欢它们的时候有用。玩字谜游戏的人没比其他人的认知水平高到哪儿去。

7. Are men naturally better than women at math？

Just like women are naturally better at washing the dishes， right？ No. Come on. Study has shown that the gap in math and science test scores between girls and boys can be attributed not to natural ability， but to cultural messages. When a member of a group is exposed to negative stereotypes about that group， they perform poorly. We have to stop selling T-shirts to girls that say， “I’m too pretty to do math.” It’s hurting our math education.

7. 男人天生比女人数学好吗？

就像女人天生就擅长洗碗一样，这是真的吗？当然不是。别胡说。研究证明，男女之间数学水平的差异来并非来自能力差异，而是文化因素。当一个群体中的某个成员暴露在对该群体的负面刻板印象下时，他们就表现得很糟糕。是时候停止向女孩子们灌输那种“我这么美丽学数学干嘛”的思想了，这已经威胁到了我们的数学教育。