你被“孕傻”騙了多久

Mothers-to-be who are feeling forgetful and a bit slow on the uptake may blame it on 'baby brain'.
有句流傳已久的社會俗語，叫“一孕傻三年”，準媽媽常常對此深信不疑。她們感覺自己懷孕後變得健忘，反應也變遲鈍了。

But in reality this doesn't exist, scientists claim.
但是科學家指出，事實上“一孕傻三年”這種情況根本不存在。

While those who are pregnant may believe their memory is worse than usual, a study has found that they perform just as well as other women in mental tests.
儘管孕婦們覺得自己的記憶力變差了，但是一項研究發現，她們在腦力測試中的表現和沒懷孕的女性一樣好。

And it doesn't just apply to memory. Other key skills, including attention span and spatial awareness, are equally unaffected by pregnancy.
而且還不光是記憶力。其他重要技能，包括注意力持續時間和空間感，同樣都沒有受到懷孕的影響。

With up to 80 per cent of pregnant women saying they suffer memory lapses, the finding could prove controversial. However, the US researchers say their aim is to give mothers-to-be a confidence boost.
高達80%的女性表示自己遭受記憶力減退的困擾，這使得這些研究結果頗具爭議性。

However, the US researchers say their aim is to give mothers-to-be a confidence boost.
但是，美國研究人員聲稱，他們的研究目的是爲了增強準媽媽們的自信心。

They said that there is a 'stereotype that your brain is going to turn to mush' when pregnant and that women should resist it.
他們說，社會中流傳一種舊思想，認爲懷孕時，你的頭腦就會變成“一團漿糊”。然而，女士們應該拒絕這種老觀念。

With previous studies into the existence of baby brain providing mixed results, the team from Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City set out to come up with a definitive answer.
由於先前對“孕傻”是否存在的研究，給予的答案模棱兩可。來自美國鹽湖城楊伯翰大學的團隊爲此“出山”，對此展開研究，以給大家一個確切的答案。

They put 21 mothers-to-be through a battery of mental tests a few weeks before their baby was due and again a couple of months after the birth.
他們讓21位準媽媽在預產期前幾周參加了一系列腦力測試，在產後幾個月，又對她們進行了一次測試。

Another 21 women who weren't pregnant and had never had any children also completed the three-hour set of tests.
另外21位未懷孕且從未生育的女士同樣完成了這些長達三小時的系列測試。

There were no differences between the two groups in memory, thinking, attention span, organisational or spatial skills.
結果顯示：被測試的兩組女性在記憶力、思維、注意力持續時間、組織技能或空間方位感上的表現，並無差異。

Whether the tests were taken during pregnancy or when looking after a young baby, the women did just as well as those who had never been pregnant.
在測試中，媽媽們無論是在懷孕期間，還是在照顧寶寶期間，都表現得完全與未曾懷過孕的女士們一樣好。

However, when asked how they had performed, the pregnant women and new mothers thought they had done worse. They also said they had a lower quality of life and were less satisfied with their lot.
然而，當被問及先前的表現時，準媽媽或新媽媽都會覺得自己做得更糟。她們還表示，她們的生活質量變差了，生活狀況也不那麼如意。

Psychology professor Michael Larson, lead author of the study, said: 'I was surprised at how strong the feeling was that they weren't performing well.
作爲此次研究的領頭人，心理學教授邁克爾•拉爾森說道：“她們對自己表現不好的感覺是如此強烈，這着實讓我驚訝。”

'This feeling of, "I really am doing badly right now" exists despite the objective evidence that they aren't.'
“儘管有客觀依據表明‘孕傻’並不存在，但這種‘我現在確實表現得很糟糕’的情緒還存在。”

Writing in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Professor Larson said that the expectation of baby brain may be so strong that a pregnant woman is extra-alert to memory lapses.
拉爾森教授在《臨牀和實驗神經心理學雜誌》上寫道，孕婦對“孕傻”的預期那麼強烈，以至於老覺得自己的記憶力在衰退。

So, although they happen no more than usual, she may notice them more and therefore think they do.
因此，儘管她們孕後與孕前的記憶力一樣，她們也會對自己的孕後記憶力多加關注，結果就是，她們覺得自己也“孕傻”了。

Professor Larson said that women should realise that what they are feeling is all in their minds and if they believe their mind is working at full capacity, then it will.
拉爾森教授說道，女士們需要意識到她們的感覺都是自己的想法在作怪，如果她們相信自己的頭腦處於滿能量運行狀態，那麼就會如此。

He said that he hoped pregnant women would hear about his research findings and these would 'improve their quality of life, improve how they are functioning – they might start believing in themselves'.
他說他希望準媽媽能夠聽進去他的研究結果，這會“改善她們的生活質量，讓她們的頭腦‘運轉正常’——而這一切從相信自己做起。”

Among those who have spoken out about their struggle with baby brain is actress Reese Witherspoon.
許多媽媽都曾訴說自己的“孕傻”經歷，其中包括女演員——瑞茜·威瑟斯彭。

In an interview the 39-year-old opened up about how she felt after the birth of her third child, Tennessee James, in 2012.
在一次採訪中，這位39歲的女演員，吐露了她在2012年生下第三個孩子（田納西·傑姆斯）後的感受。

She said at the time: 'Ever since I had the baby, I can't remember anything. Seriously, this child stole my brain. I'm losing friendships over forgetting to get back to people.
她當時說道：“自從懷孕後，我記不得任何事情。真的，這孩子偷走了我的大腦。因爲我老是忘記給朋友回覆，結果我也在失去友情。

'But you can't keep up with everything. I've got a 13-year-old, a nine-year-old and a baby.'
“但你做不到趕上一切事情的步伐。我已經擁有了三個孩子，一個13歲，一個9歲，一個還是個嬰孩。”

Other new mothers have said that lack of sleep and worrying about their child contributed to feeling scatterbrained.
其她新媽媽說道，她們睡眠不足，擔心孩子是她們注意力不集中的緣由。

Doctors have said that surging hormones could contribute to the condition, as there is up to 40 times more progesterone and oestrogen in the body during pregnancy.
醫生說過，懷孕期間，體內的孕酮和雌激素分泌比往常多達40倍，荷爾蒙的急劇上升，會導致出現這種情況。

However, others say that having a baby may actually make a woman brighter. A study from Yale University in the US found that a woman's grey matter grows in the weeks and months after she gives birth.
然而，有人說，懷孕實際上會讓女人變得更聰明。美國耶魯大學研究發現，女人在生產後幾周或幾個月裏，大腦灰質增多了。

And it's the most doting mothers who experience the biggest burst of brain cells. It is thought the hormonal changes associated with having a baby supercharge the brain, helping to prepare women for the challenges of motherhood ahead.
而且那些看似最糊塗的媽媽，其腦細胞爆發最明顯。我們認爲，女人懷孕後，激素的改變再加上生育對大腦的超負荷刺激，能幫助女人更好地迎接母親這個身份帶來的轉變。

Vocabulary

baby brain: 孕傻

scatterbrained: 注意力不集中的；浮躁的

progesterone: 孕酮

oestrogen: 雌激素

supercharge: 使超負荷；使超載