特别广播英语第 309 课：Love is All We Need 爱情大补帖-1

Many songs, poems, and books have been written on love's strong effect on people. 许多歌曲、诗歌和书籍都描写了爱情对人的强烈影响。

The state of being in love has even been compared to being sick or insane. 处在恋爱中的状态甚至被比拟成生病或发疯。

A study by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London has found that love does affect people's brains—by making them feel great. 伦敦大学学院(University College London)塞米尔·札奇教授的一项研究发现，爱情的确会影响人类的大脑—让他们感觉棒极了。

Zeki studied young men and women who had recently fallen in love. 札奇以近期陷入爱情的年轻男女为研究对象。

He found that, when they were looking at photos of their loved ones, there was heightened activity in four areas of their brains. 他发现，当他们看着恋人的照片时，大脑中有四个区域的活动力会增强。

These areas deal with emotions, and one of them, in particular, is known to respond to drugs that cause feelings of euphoria. 这些区域与人们的情感相关，特别其中的一个区域据悉会对引发极度兴奋感的毒品产生反应。

Interestingly, the study also found a lack of activity in two other areas of the brain when the volunteers looked at their lovers' photographs. 有趣的是，这项研究同时发现，在志愿者观看恋人的照片时，大脑中有其它两个区域是不活动的。

One of these areas is linked to feelings of sadness, while the other is often active in people suffering from depression. 其中一个区域与悲伤的感觉有关，在罹患忧郁症的人身上另一个区域则经常活跃。