As the financial crisis kicks in and stress levels go through the roof, one British boffin claims to have invented the world’s most relaxing room.
Professor Richard Wiseman has examined 30 years’ worth of research to concoct what he believes is the most relaxing combination of colors, sounds and smells.
Once inside the room at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, north of London, people lie down on soft mats, bathed in green light, gazing at a screen of blurred blue light, as cloud-like smoke, the scent of lavender and soothing sounds of soprano and strings drift though the air.
PHOTO: AFP
Stressed-out bankers and worried workers have trooped into Wiseman’s ultimate chill-out zone to try it for themselves, and the scientist’s heart rate monitors show his mysterious mix is certainly having a calming effect.
“It’s been a lovely experience,” said health coach Mary Barton, 54, from nearby Welwyn Garden City.
“I feel ready to face the day much more calmly now. My heart rate went down from 84 to 68. The best thing was giving myself permission to stop. I forgot about the rest of my life.
“Because my mind is less full of stuff I’m probably more focused on what I’m going to do later,” she said.
Psychology expert Wiseman explained the science behind the sensory elements in his retreat.
“The green light reminds people of being outside in a very natural environment. The blue light turns people’s attention inwards and stops them worrying about daily anxieties.”
But it has not been a relaxing experience for everyone.
“Setting up the room has been enormously stressful,” Wiseman said, adding: “I thrive on stress, so it’s been very enjoyable.” (AFP)
隨著金融危機的發生,人們的壓力指數也節節飆升。一位英國科學家聲稱發明了世上最能令人放鬆的房間。
理查.韋斯曼教授綜合三十年來的研究,調配出他認為最能讓人放鬆的色彩、聲音和氣味組合。
一進入赫福郡大學(位於倫敦北部的海特菲爾德)的這間房間內,人們就躺臥在軟墊上,沈浸在綠光之中,凝視著顯現朦朧藍光的螢幕,四周如雲般的輕煙繚繞,空氣中瀰漫著薰衣草的香味,耳邊傳來使人放鬆的女高音歌聲和弦樂聲。
一群神經緊繃的銀行家和憂心忡忡的雇員來到韋斯曼的「終極放鬆室」,親身體驗終極平靜。這位科學家的心跳監測儀也顯示,他的神秘減壓組合的確有讓人放鬆之效。
來自附近衛爾溫花園城的五十四歲健康教練瑪莉.巴頓說:「這是個很美妙的經驗。」
「我覺得現在的我可以更冷靜地面對一天的生活。我的心跳從每分鐘八十四下降到六十八下。最棒的一點就是讓我停下腳步,生活中的瑣事都被我拋到九霄雲外了。」
「因為心中的牽掛減少了,我或許可以更專心面對接下來要做的事情。」
心理學專家韋斯曼解釋了他這間減壓室感官元素背後的科學。
「綠光能讓人聯想自己身處在非常自然的戶外環境,藍光能讓人心無旁鶩,停止擔心日常瑣事。」
但這個房間並不是讓所有人都感到放鬆。
韋斯曼說:「打造這個房間讓我承受了極大的壓力,但我在壓力中獲得成長,所以我覺得非常開心。」
(法新社�翻譯:袁星塵)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110