一詞日曆：手機上那些“益智”小遊戲，真的對大腦有好處嗎？

2019.07.13

週六 Saturday

opposite
 ['ɒpəzɪt] 
adj.相反的

圖片來源：視覺中國

You've probably seen ads for apps promising to make you smarter in just a few minutes a day. Hundreds of so-called "brain training" programs can be purchased for download.

你很可能看見過App的廣告，說每天用上幾分鐘，就能讓你變得更聰明。成百上千的所謂“大腦訓練”軟件可以付費下載。

These simple games are designed to challenge mental abilities, with the ultimate goal of improving the performance of important everyday tasks.

這些簡單的遊戲是爲了挑戰思考能力設計的，終極目標是改善在日常重要任務中的表現。

But can just clicking away at animations of swimming fish or flashed streets signs on your phone really help you improve the way your brain functions?

但是僅僅在手機上點擊游泳的魚的動畫或者閃爍的路標真的能幫助你改善大腦運行的方式嗎？

Two large groups of scientists and mental health practitioners published consensus statements, months apart in 2014, on the effectiveness of these kinds of brain games.

兩組科學家和精神健康從業者在2014年間隔幾月分別出版了有關此類益智遊戲的有效性的共識聲明

Both included people with years of research experience and expertise in cognition, learning, skill acquisition, neuroscience and dementia. Both groups carefully considered the same body of evidence available at the time.

兩項聲明都包括了在認知、學習、技能習得、神經科學和癡呆方面的有數年研究經驗的人員。兩組也都仔細考慮了當時可以獲取的同樣的大批證據。

Yet, they issued exactly opposite statements.

是的，他們發佈了完全相反的聲明。

One concluded that "there is little evidence that playing brain games improves underlying broad cognitive abilities, or that it enables one to better navigate a complex realm of everyday life."

一項聲明得出結論，“幾乎沒有證據可以表明玩益智遊戲能改善潛在的廣闊認知能力，或者能讓一個人更好地應對日常生活的複雜情況。

The other argued that "a substantial and growing body of evidence shows that certain cognitive training regimens can significantly improve cognitive function, including in ways that generalize to everyday life."

另一項則稱“大量的、越來越多的證據顯示，某些認知訓練法能顯著改善認知功能，包括了可以推廣至日常生活的方式。

Brain training programs are an appealing shortcut, a "get smart quick" scheme. But improving or maintaining cognition is likely not going to be quick and easy. Instead, it may require a lifetime – or at least an extended period – of cognitive challenge and learning.

大腦訓練軟件是很具有吸引力的捷徑，一個“快速變聰明”的計劃。但是改善或者維持認知很可能不會快速便捷。相反，認知能力的挑戰和學習可能需要一生的時間--或者至少一個延長的週期。

If you're worried about your cognition, what should you do?

如果你擔心自己的認知能力的話，應該怎麼做呢？

First, if you do engage in brain games, and you enjoy them, please continue to play. But keep your expectations realistic. If you're playing solely to obtain cognitive benefits, instead consider other activities that might be as cognitively stimulating, or at least more fulfilling – like learning a new language, for instance, or learning to play an instrument.

首先，如果你在玩益智遊戲並且很享受的話，就繼續玩吧。但是讓自己的期待現實一點。如果你僅僅是爲了獲得認知上的好處而玩遊戲的話，就考慮其他的可能刺激認知，或者至少更讓人有成就感的活動，比如學習一門新語言，或者學習樂器。

opposite views 截然相反的觀點

The proposed change could have the opposite effect.

這項提議的改革可能會產生相反的作用。