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There are all kinds of companies out there trying to sell you quick and easy ways to boost your mental health.
有各种各样的公司都在试图向你推销简单快捷的方法来促进心理健康。
The problem is, those rarely have scientific support.
问题是，它们都很少有科学方面的支持。
But, there is one thing you can do to feel a little happier, and it's totally free: you can get tickled.
但是，有一件事能让你更快乐一点，而且还是免费的：你会觉得像挠痒那样。
Now, just to be clear, no one has done any randomized clinical trials to determine whether regular tickling improves mental health outcomes in people.
现在，为了澄清这一点，还没人做过任何随机的临床试验来确定，经常接受这种刺激能否改善人们的心理健康状况。
But there's every reason to think that it would.
但我们有充分的理由相信会是这样的。
Though, when we say tickling, it's important to note that we mean the hard, poking-in-the-ribs kind of tickling that scientists call gargalesis.
不过，当我们说呵痒的时候，重要的是要注意，我们指的是硬戳肋骨那种挠痒，科学家称之为使劲挠。
Weirdly enough, that's actually not what you'll get if you shell out for a session at a so-called "tickle spa," which is a real thing that I was just informed of.
奇怪的是，如果你在所谓的“挠痒痒水疗中心”进行一次治疗，那实际上不是你想要的，这是我刚刚得知的真相。
They do the light kind of tickling, like tracing the skin with a feather, which is called knismesis — and, unfortunately, there just hasn't been much psychological study of that.
他们做的是轻微的搔痒，就像用羽毛拂过皮肤，这被称为轻触，只是没有太多这方面的心理学研究。
But there is a lot of research that suggests gargalesis can help you destress and feel happier.
但有很多研究表明，使劲挠可以帮助你减轻压力，让你感觉更快乐。
So one piece of evidence that you are feeling happier: you laugh.
所以，你感到更快乐的证据是：你笑了。
There are a number of theories as to why tickling makes you laugh, but regardless of why, you do laugh, and that can make you feel happier and less stressed.
关于挠痒痒为什么会使人发笑，有很多理论，但不管原因如何，你都会发笑，这会让你感觉更快乐，压力也会变少。
Which we all need these days.
这是我们都需要的。
Laughing induces the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the hypothalamus — a part of your brain that, among other things, helps regulate your emotions.
笑能使下丘脑释放5-羟色胺和多巴胺等神经递质，而下丘脑是大脑的一部分，它的一个功能是有助于调节情绪。
So basically, when you laugh, these neurotransmitters flood into your brain, making you feel euphoria and joy.
所以基本上，你在笑的时候，这些神经递质会涌入大脑，让你感到兴奋和愉悦。
Laughter also decreases stress hormones in your blood.
笑还能降低血液中的压力荷尔蒙。
These molecules, like adrenaline and cortisol, are associated with what's often called your "fight or flight' response.
这些分子，比如肾上腺素和皮质醇，与身体的“战斗或逃跑”反应有关。
That's when your heart rate begins to increase, your blood pressure rises, and your body begins to dump sugar into your bloodstream to give you the energy you need to fight or run.
这时你的心率开始加快，血压升高，身体开始向血液倾倒糖分，给你战斗或逃跑所需要的能量。
Which is great, if you know, actually need to fight or run.
如果你真的需要战斗或逃跑的话，这样是很好的。
But if you are chronically stressed, these hormone levels remain high, which isn't great for you because it suppresses your immune system.
但如果你长期处于压力之下，这些激素水平保持很高，对你来说并不好，因为它会抑制你的免疫系统。
That's why lowering them can make you healthier and happier.
这就是为什么降低它们能让你更健康，也更快乐。
And it turns out laughing is one way to do that.
事实证明，笑是一种方式。
Many studies show that the act of laughing brings cortisol and adrenaline levels down temporarily.
许多研究表明，笑会暂时降低皮质醇和肾上腺素的水平。
Some studies have even shown regular laughter increases the activity of immune cells in your body, making you less likely to get sick.
一些研究甚至表明，经常大笑会增加体内免疫细胞的活性，使人不容易生病。
This probably has to do with those hormonal changes, like the lowering of cortisol.
这可能与荷尔蒙的变化有关，比如皮质醇降低。
And there may be more to it, because laughter engages your diaphragm, which stimulates the flow of lymph — a fluid that moves your immune cells around the body.
可能还有更多的原因，因为笑声会刺激横膈膜，而横膈膜会刺激淋巴液的流动。淋巴液使免疫细胞在身体周围运动。
So the muscular action of laughing could help your body's defenders get to where they need to go more efficiently.
所以，笑的肌肉动作有助于身体的防御者更有效地到达它们需要去的地方。
In fact, there are specific exercises used by psychologists to stimulate laughter because of its well-known therapeutic effects.
事实上，心理学家们使用一些特殊的练习来刺激笑声，因为笑声具有众所周知的治疗效果。
So I guess it really is the best medicine!
所以，我想它真的是最好的药物！
They say that for a reason!
这么说是有原因的！
And here's the thing, that's not all tickling's got going for it.
问题是，并不是所有挠痒痒都能解决问题。
Because… you can't tickle yourself.
因为，你不能给自己瘙痒。
You have to be tickled by someone else.
得有人帮你挠痒痒。
That means that while you are being tickled, you're engaging in physical contact with someone.
这意味着别人给你挠痒痒时，你在和某人进行身体接触。
Hopefully, if you're agreeing to be tickled, you consider that kind of contact to be a good thing.
如果你同意被挠的话，你会认为这种接触是件好事。
And research overwhelmingly indicates how good positive touch can be for you.
绝大多数的研究表明，积极的接触对你有很多益处。
You see, whenever someone touches you — whether its a positive touch, like a hug, or a negative touch, like a push — your body responds in a bunch of different ways.
有人触摸你时，无论是拥抱这样积极的触摸，还是消极的触摸，比如推搡，身体都会以各种不同的方式做出反应。
Positive touch lights up your brain's orbitofrontal cortex, a region associated with the value of rewards, and a part of the network involved in processing compassion and other positive emotions.
积极的触摸会点亮大脑的眶额皮质，这是一个与奖励相关的区域，也是处理同情心和其他积极情绪的网络的一部分。
So like laughter, positive touch gives your brain a happy surge of dopamine, plus it makes you feel more empathetic and connected to others.
所以，就像笑声一样，积极的接触会让大脑产生一股快乐的多巴胺，另外，它会让你感觉更具同情心，更能与他人建立联系。
Positive touch also releases neurotransmitters like oxytocin which can boost your mood and reduce blood pressure.
积极的接触也会释放催产素等神经递质，它能提升情绪，并降低血压。
So between laughter and positive touch, there's every reason to think tickling can boost a person's mood and their health.
所以，在笑声和积极的接触之间，我们有充分的理由认为挠痒痒可以促进个人的情绪和健康。
Though, the idea is still mostly theoretical because we haven't conducted a ton of tickle studies in people.
尽管如此，这个想法仍然主要是理论上的，因为我们还没有对人们进行大量的挠痒研究。
I don't know why!
我不知道原因！
But it turns out we have done a lot of tickle research in animals, and those studies provide further support to this idea that it's good for mental health.
但事实证明，我们在动物身上做了很多挠痒的研究。这些研究进一步支持了这一观点，即挠痒有益于心理健康。
Fun fact: rats also laugh when they're tickled — we just can't hear it because it's at such high frequency which is adorable.
有趣的事实是：老鼠被挠痒痒的时候也会笑。但因为它的频率很高，所以我们听不见，但其笑声很可爱。
And researchers have tickled rats a lot in the name of science.
研究人员借以科学的名义，总给老鼠挠痒痒。
For example, a 2012 study showed that tickling rats increased their "optimism".
例如，2012年的一项研究表明，给老鼠挠痒痒，能提升了他们的“乐观”感。
You see, the rats were trained to understand that one sound meant they were getting a treat, while another meant a shock was coming unless they pushed a lever.
你看，老鼠接受训练后，能理解一种声音意味着它们得到了治疗，而另一种声音则意味着除非按下一个杠杆，否则就会遭到电击。
Then, some of them were tickled.
然后，一些老鼠接受了挠痒。
When presented with a new, intermediate sound, the tickled rats were more likely to think it meant a treat, so they didn't race to the lever to protect themselves from a shock.
当出现一个起调节作用的新声音出现时，接受挠痒的老鼠更可能认为这意味着治疗，所以它们不会跑到杠杆那，为了保护自己免受电击。
And if studies in rats are any indication, the effects of tickling may stick around long after you've been tickled.
研究还表明，挠痒痒的效果可能会在你被挠过很久之后依然存在。
A study published in 2013 found that rats that undergoing a stressful situation were less likely to have a fearful reaction if they had been tickled in the days leading up to the experience.
2013年发表的一项研究发现，如果老鼠在经历压力情境的几天前被挠痒痒，它们就不太可能出现害怕的反应。
This seemed to be due to tickling's stress hormone-lowering powers, as the tickled rats had significantly lower levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline than the rats who weren't tickled.
这似乎是由于挠痒痒能够降低应激激素的能力，因为接受挠痒的大鼠其肾上腺素和去甲肾上腺素水平明显低于未被挠痒的大鼠。
What's more, these lower levels of stress hormones stayed that way at least 96 hours after the rats were stress tested — and that's just the longest that researchers looked!
更重要的是，这种压力荷尔蒙的低水平状态在老鼠接受压力测试96小时后，仍然保持这种状态，这是研究人员观察到的最长时间！
So even though we haven't done similar trials in people, the science of tickling suggests that it can likely relieve stress and boost happiness to improve your overall well being.
因此，尽管我们还没有在人类身上做过类似的实验，但挠痒的科学研究表明，挠痒可以缓解压力，提高幸福感，从而改善整体幸福感。
So if you're feeling a bit tense or if you need of a happy boost and the idea of a tickle fight appeals to you, go for it!
如果你感到有点紧张，或是需要提升快乐的感觉，那么挠痒法可能会吸引你吧，去试试吧！
And if you are a scientist, please do some research, I want to know!
如果你是科学家，请做些研究吧，我想知道！
I want to tickle booths all around my town!
希望我住的镇上，到处都是给人挠痒的小摊！
