想要身心健康：從改變情緒做起！

Our emotional world has a remarkable power to determine not only our mental health, but also how our physical well-being.
我們的情感世界有一種強大的力量，不僅決定我們的精神健康，還決定我們的身體健康。

Here are five positive emotions that have been shown to improve physical health and prevent disease.
以下這5種積極的情緒都表明能改善身體健康，預防疾病。

Optimism may protect the heart.
樂觀能保護心臟。

A growing body of research has suggested that cultivating this quality can have a protective effect on the heart. According to a 2012 review of literature, a number of studies have shown that people with optimistic personalities are at a reduced risk of cardiovascular events. Optimism's benefits for physical health also extend beyond heart health. Here are a few other ways that a sunny disposition may improve health outcomes, including improved immune system function and increased longevity.
越來越多的身體方面的研究表明，培養樂觀的心態對心臟有保護作用。回顧2012年的文獻，很多研究都表明具有樂觀性格的人患心血管疾病的風險降低了。樂觀對身體健康的好處也不僅限於心臟健康，開朗的性情能改善幾種健康狀況，包括提高免疫機能，延長壽命。

Experiencing awe reduces inflammatory markers associated with autoimmune disease.
敬畏的心態能有助於減少與自身免疫疾病有關的炎症因子。

Research has shown that experiences of art, religion and philosophy are the most common experiences that evoke a sense of awe -- that sense of wonder and connection to something larger than ourselves.
研究表明，藝術、宗教和哲學的體驗是最常見的能喚起敬畏感的體驗——也就是驚奇感和與比自己更強大的事物的聯繫。

According to new research from the University of California at Berkeley, awe is not only pleasurable but also enormously beneficial for one's physical and mental health. The Berkeley study found that those who had recently experienced awe had lower levels of cytokines, inflammatory markers that, in chronically high levels, have been implicated in the development of autoimmune diseases, as well as other health problems including heart disease, Alzheimer's and depression. This suggests that awe promotes healthier levels of cytokines and may prevent disease.
根據加利福尼亞大學伯克利分校的新研究，敬畏不僅使人身心舒暢，而且對人的身心健康大有裨益。伯克利的這項研究發現，近期產生過敬畏心理的人細胞生長抑制素，也就是炎症因子的水平更低，炎症因子水平長期較高的話，就會造成自身免疫疾病和其他健康問題，包括心臟病、阿茲海默症和抑鬱症。這表明敬畏可以促使細胞生長抑制素達到更健康的水平，以及預防疾病。

Compassion and care for others can improve vagus nerve function.
同情關心別人能改善迷走神經功能。

Positive psychologist Barbara Frederickson has conducted research on the effects of lovingkindness meditation (LKM), a traditional Buddhist practice that involves meditating on love and extending compassion to oneself and a progressively large group of others. Frederickson found just six weeks of LKM training to have a positive impact on the vagus nerve, which extends from the brain stem to the heart, helping to regulate emotions as well as bodily systems including the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
積極心理學家巴巴拉•弗雷德裏克森研究了仁愛冥想（LKM）的效果,這是一種傳統的佛教練習，是對愛的冥想，把同情延伸到自己身上，再逐漸擴展到更多其他人身上。弗雷德裏克森發現僅6周的仁愛冥想訓練就對迷走神經有積極影響，能從腦幹傳到心臟，有助於調節情緒和包括心血管和消化系統在內的身體系統。

Gratitude may also benefit heart health and immune system function.
感恩也有利於心臟健康和免疫系統功能。

Like optimism, an "attitude of gratitude" -- an appreciation and feeling of thankfulness for the blessings one has in life -- carries significant mental and physical health benefits. Gratefulness, like optimism, has been linked with improved immune health, and has also been shown to improve sleep quality. Gratitude may also improve health and well-being in a variety of ways insofar as it lowers stress levels -- stress being one of the main contributing factors to many chronic diseases.
像樂觀的心態一樣，“感恩的態度”——對生活中所擁有的眷顧的欣賞和感謝——對身心健康大有好處。感恩像樂觀一樣，可以改善免疫系統健康，也表明能提高睡眠質量。感恩還能在很多方面改善健康和幸福，因爲它能幫助減壓——壓力是導致很多慢性病的主要因素之一。

Self-compassion improves health-related behaviors.
自我憐憫有助於改善與健康有關的行爲。

People who cultivate kindness towards themselves are also kinder to their bodies, potentially helping them to prevent or manage a range of negative physical and mental health outcomes. A 2013 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin examined the relationship between self-compassion, reactions to illness, and a range of health-related behaviors, finding that self-compassionate people sought medical attention sooner for symptoms that they were experiencing than people who were lacking in self-compassion. Self-compassionate people also tended to be less depressed about health problems they were experiencing, and also to take a more proactive approach towards their own health.
對自己仁慈的人對自己的身體更仁慈，對預防或控制一系列消極的身心健康狀況有潛在的幫助。2013年刊登在《個性與社會心理學公報》的一項研究測試了自我憐憫、對疾病的反應和一系列與健康有關的行爲之間的關係，發現自我憐憫的人出現病症時會比缺乏自我憐憫的人更早地去看醫生。自我憐憫的人對正遭受的健康問題也不那麼沮喪，也會更積極地面對自己的健康。