Does Watching TV Mak看电视是否会“越看越饿”？e You Hungrier and Hungrier?

Sitting down in front of the television with a meal or snack after a long day is a very popular recreational pastime. And thanks to streaming services that play every episode of a television series automatically now， some viewers arent even burning the few calories it might take to reach for the remote.

在漫长的一天结束后，坐在电视机前吃东西是很受欢迎的休闲方式。由于现今流媒体平台可以自动播放下一集电视剧，一些观众甚至连起身去拿遥控器的那点运动量都省了。

But is it sloth that keeps us chewing， or something else？ Is it possible the experience of watching TV can stimulate our appetite？

但是为什么我们看电视时会不停嘴地咀嚼，是因为懒惰，还是别的什么原因？看电视是否真的可能刺激食欲呢？

According to the Cleveland Clinic in the United States， television isnt so much an appetite stimulant as it is an appetite distraction. When we watch TV， were engaged in the program， which means were paying less attention to the neurological and gastronomical cues that tell us were getting full. Instead of taking note of how were eating， were engaged in somewhat passive consumption.

美國的克利夫兰诊所指出，与其说看电视增进食欲，不如说它分散了对食欲的注意力。当我们看电视时，我们的注意力被节目所吸引，这意味着我们会忽视神经系统和胃部发出的提示饱腹的信号。我们只是被动地进食，却没注意到怎么吃的。

Combining television and snacking also creates a cognitive association in your brain that may prompt you to consider the two activities intertwined. In other words， you might reach for some pizza or chips not because youre all that hungry， but because youve come to identify television with eating. You might even eat more depending on the length of a program. If youre watching Young Sheldon， a half-hour sitcom， you might eat less than if you were watching a super-sized episode of a drama like Mad Men.

一边看电视一边吃零食也可能会在你的大脑中形成认知关联，导致你认为这两种活动就应该一起进行。换言之，你去拿比萨或薯条、薯片来吃，不是因为你饿了，而是因为你认为看电视时就应该吃东西。你吃多少甚至可能取决于所看节目的长短。如果你看的是一集半小时的情景喜剧《少年谢尔顿》，你吃的零食可能比你看一集超长电视剧（比如《广告狂人》）吃进去的少。

Thats not to say the content of a program isnt influential. Another study in the journal Appetite looked at a group of 80 subjects， half of whom were told to watch a cooking program and half who were told to watch a nature show. Both groups were presented with equal amounts of chocolate-covered candies， cheese curls， and carrots. Researchers found that viewers of the cooking show tended to eat more chocolate-covered candies than the nature show viewers.

这并不是说，节目的内容对你的进食没有影响。还有一项发表在《食欲》期刊上的研究开展了一个涵盖80人的实验，让其中一半的人看烹饪节目，而另外一半人看自然节目。研究人员为两个小组提供了同样多的巧克力糖、芝士条和胡萝卜。研究人员发现，看烹饪节目的人比看自然节目的人吃的巧克力糖更多。

So is snacking while watching television that bad？ Like most things， its OK in moderation. Eating meals away from the TV can encourage mindful eating， which directs your attention to the food in front of you. Youll be able to pick up on satiety cues when youre not fully focused on your screen. Better yet， you wont have to struggle to hear your favorite show over all that chewing.

那么，一边看电视一边吃零食真的很不好吗？像很多事物一样，只要适度的话，还是没问题的。吃饭时不看电视可以让你专心吃饭，引导你关注自己面前的食物。当你的注意力没有完全被屏幕占据时，你就能接收到饱腹信号。更棒的是，你不用一边听自己的咀嚼声一边看自己最爱的节目。

Word Study

recreational /'rekri'e???nl/ adj. 娱乐的;消遣的

These areas are set aside for public recreational use.

stimulant /'st?mj?l?nt/ n. 兴奋剂

prompt /pr?mpt/ v. 促使;导致;激起

intertwine /'?nt?'twa?n/ v. 紧密相连

Their political careers had become closely intertwined.

moderation /'m?d?'re??n/ n. 适度;适中

cue /kju：/ n. 暗示;提示;信号