可以怪罪基因的十件事(下)

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5.憤怒

Are you one of those people who tend to bite people's head off at the slightest provocation? Anger is a normal human emotion, experienced by everyone at one time or another. Just like the happy gene, there is the existence of an 'anger gene' which makes some people temperamentally more inclined to be in a black mood. Though to say that the presence of the anger gene is an oversimplification, it is likely that this is due to a genetic predisposition. There is a trait that psychologists call ‘negative affectivity', a term to define the tendency of some people to experience negative emotions. According to Most scientists adolescents are more susceptible to experiencing strong emotions since their brain systems responsible for regulating emotional responses are still under development. Hence it is so difficult to understand teenagers!

你是那種爲了一點小事就想要把別人的頭咬掉的人嗎？憤怒是人類的正常情緒，每個人或多或少都經歷過。就像快樂的基因一樣，我們身體裏也存在"憤怒的基因"，這種基因讓有些人喜怒無常、情緒低落。憤怒基因的存在影響人的情緒，儘管這樣說有點過於簡單化了，其情緒化的原因也很有可能歸咎於遺傳易感性。有一種心理學家稱之爲"消極情感"的特質，擁有這種特質的人傾向於體驗負面情緒。大多數科學家認爲青少年更容易體會到強烈的情感，因爲他們負責調節情緒反應的大腦系統仍在發展和完善。所以，青少年如此不被理解，也不是毫無緣故的。

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4.肥胖

One of the major topics of recent surveys is the effect of genetic traits on the occurrence of obesity. The results of the studies established that though the weight of the students who were genetically predisposed to gain weight is similar to that of other children, they tend to quickly attain weight a few years later. So if you fall in that category of dieters where you put on weight with even a slight change in eating patterns, you are the unlucky few to have bad genes.

最近調查的主要話題之一是基因性狀對肥胖的影響，調查結果證實了雖然那些擁有肥胖基因的學生與其他兒童的體重相當，但在幾年後，他們容易迅速變胖。所以如果你加入了節食者的行列，稍微改變飲食習慣就會發胖，那麼很不幸，你已有了肥胖基因。

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3.壽命

In recent years several studies have pointed to the fact that life expectancy can largely be dependent upon various 2009, a study at the Tokyo University of Agriculture found that a specific gene that was activated in men but not women, which backed up the fact why women on an average have a greater lifespan. The results of their research pointed to the conclusion that the gene allowed men to develop stronger bodies but at the cost of ageing. These studies and others like them show that lifespan may be strongly dependent on your genetic makeup, although it is affected by a number of genes. Instead of cursing your family hand reader, blame your genes for your short lifeline!

最近一些研究表明壽命長短取決於基因差異。2009年，東京農業大學的一項研究發現一種特殊基因只能在男性體內而不能在女性體內激活，這就解釋了爲什麼女性的平均壽命比男性長。研究結果證明了基因可以使男性擁有強壯的體魄，其代價卻爲縮短壽命。這些研究和其他類似研究表明雖然壽命受很多基因的影響，但是最大程度上取決於你的基因組成。不要因爲壽命短而責怪家族遺傳，只能責怪你自己的基因構成。

pessimist effect

2.悲觀者效應

A new study by UCLA life scientists found that the oxytocin receptor gene is a strong predictor of optimism and self-esteem. Apparently if certain nucleotides at specific locations on the gene are absent you are more likely to be an optimist. Other scientists claim that a different gene regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin, that is the "happy hormone." So with the results of the survey it comes as a surprise that your mood may not be as much under your control as you thought and not always linked to environmental factors. Some people are just happy! If you're one of those people who look at the glass half empty, it may not just be you but your genes acting out which may be one of the reasons to be happy that your state of mind is not some kind of a weakness.

美國加州大學洛杉磯分校的生命科學家們有一項新研究，發現催產素受體基因是樂觀自信的預言者。顯然，如果缺失了基因鏈特定位置上的某些核苷酸，你很有可能就是一個樂觀主義者。其他科學家們稱，調節神經遞質血清素的5-羥色胺轉運體多態性基因就是"快樂荷爾蒙"。研究結果顯示，你的心情可能並非如你所想那樣盡在掌控之中，也不總是受環境因素影響，這真是讓人驚奇。因此，有些人就是天生的樂天派！同樣是半杯水，樂觀者會說杯子裏還有半杯水，悲觀者則感嘆已經失去了半杯水。如果你是悲觀者，可以慶幸的是這並非是你心境的某種缺陷，那可能是因爲你的大腦狀況受到了基因影響。

ction to Cigarette Smoking

1.煙癮

According to an article printed in the Washington post, scientists have managed to pinpoint variations in the genetic make-up of people which make them more prone to getting addicted to cigarettes. This discovery makes an irrefutable case backing up the role of your genetic structure to nicotine addiction. Christopher Amos, a professor of epidemiology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author of one of the studies said and I quote, "It also makes you more likely to be dependent on smoking and less likely to quit smoking." Based on these studies, it is reported that these smokers on an average light up two extra cigarettes a day and find it much more difficult to give up smoking.

根據《華盛頓郵報》中發表的一篇文章，科學家們設法找出了易對香菸上癮之人的基因在構成上與常人有什麼不同。這項發現證實了一個無可辯駁的情況，就是你的遺傳結構控制尼古丁成癮。克里斯托弗·阿摩司是休斯頓的安德森癌症中心流行病學教授及某項研究報告的作者，他認爲（在此我做以引述）："這種基因也會讓你更依賴吸菸而非戒菸。"基於這些研究，據報道這些吸菸者平均一天會多抽兩根菸，而且戒菸十分困難。

審校：淺芷湄 編輯：Lion 來源:前十網