Poverty and the all-consuming fretting that comes with it require so much mental energy that the poor have little brain power left to devote to other areas of life, according to the findings of an international study published recently.
The mental strain could be costing poor people up to 13 IQ (intelligence quotient) points and means they are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions that amplify and perpetuate their financial woes, researchers found.
“Our results suggest that when you are poor, money is not the only thing in short supply. Cognitive capacity is also stretched thin,” said Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan, part of an international team that conducted the study.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Far from signaling that poor people are stupid, the results suggest those living on a tight budget have their effective brain power, or what the researchers called “mental bandwidth,” dramatically limited by the stress of making ends meet.
On average, someone weighed down by money woes showed a drop in cognitive function in one part of the study that was comparable to a 13 point dip in IQ, and similar to the performance deficit expected from someone who has missed a whole night’s sleep.(Reuters)
根據一項最近公布的國際研究發現，貧窮與耗盡心神為錢發愁用掉大部分精神氣力，導致窮人幾乎沒有剩餘的腦力來關注生活中其他的部分。
研究人員發現，精神壓力可能讓窮人的智商降低十三分，這表示他們更可能犯錯和做出錯誤決定，使得財務困境更為擴大和持久。
參與進行這項研究的國際團隊成員、哈佛大學經濟學者山地爾‧穆萊納坦表示：「研究結果顯示，人窮的時候缺的不止是錢，連認知能力也會連帶受損。」
研究結果非但未顯示窮人較笨，反而是發現生活窘迫者的有效腦力，或研究人員所謂的「心智頻寬」，會因為必須要讓收支平衡的壓力而大幅受限。
平均而言，承受財務壓力重擔者在其中一部分研究的認知功能表現會下降，相當於智商減少十三分，類似一整晚沒睡覺者的認知表現變差。（路透／翻譯：俞智敏）
You might think knitting is only for grandmas, but surprisingly, many young people are embracing so-called “grandma hobbies.” On social media platforms, activities such as home cooking, embroidery and gardening are becoming popular among teenagers and young adults who are drawn to their relaxing and creative nature. “Grandma hobbies” typically refer to activities that are slow-paced, handmade and nostalgic. Common examples include knitting scarves, baking cookies, sewing clothes and growing plants. These hobbies were once part of everyday life for many women in previous generations, but today they provide an escape from the fast-paced digital world. The appeal
A: Isn’t the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — a massive music event held every April — about to open in California? B: Yeah the festival is set to take place over two weekends, from April 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, US time. A: I heard this year’s main stage headliners include Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, Karol G and EDM DJ Anyma. B: The K-pop army is also making an appearance, with legendary group BigBang, SHINee member Taemin and girl group Katseye debuting for the first time. A: Isn’t Coachella also live-streamed on its YouTube
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Lucas was already on the ground before he fully understood what was happening. “Hurry! Kneel down!” someone shouted. The asphalt was warm against his knees. Around him, dozens of people lay flat in the narrow street outside Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia. Some pressed their hands together in prayer. Others closed their eyes. Lucas had only come to look at the temple. An hour earlier he had stepped into the noisy courtyard out of curiosity. Inside the main hall, people held incense sticks, bowed three times,
對話 Dialogue 清清：我連假回老家掃墓，帶了一些草仔粿回來，你要不要吃吃看? Qīngqīng: Wǒ liánjià huí lǎojiā sǎomù, dài le yìxiē “tsháu-á-kué” huílái, nǐ yào bú yào chī chī kàn? 華華：哇！看起來就很好吃。這是你們家自己做的嗎？ Huáhua: Wa! Kàn qǐlái jiù hěn hǎochī. Zhè shì nǐmen jiā zìjǐ zuò de ma? 清清：對啊，是我阿姨親手做的。每年清明節她都會做。 Qīngqīng: Duì a, shì wǒ āyí qīnshǒu zuò de. Měinián Qīngmíng jié tā dōu huì zuò. 華華：你阿姨手藝真好！看起來好像外面賣的。 Huáhua: Nǐ āyí shǒuyì zhēn hǎo! Kàn qǐlái hǎoxiàng wàimiàn mài de. 清清：口味有鹹的，也有甜的。 Qīngqīng: Kǒuwèi yǒu xián de, yě yǒu tián de. 華華：聞起來好香！裡面包什麼？ Huáhua: Wén qǐlái hǎo xiāng! Lǐmiàn bāo shénme? 清清：鹹的是蘿蔔絲的，甜的有紅豆口味和綠豆口味的。你想要哪種？ Qīngqīng: Xián de shì luóbo sī de, tián de yǒu hóngdòu kǒuwèi hàn lǜdòu kǒuwèi de. Nǐ xiǎng yào nǎ zhǒng? 華華：我不挑食，哪種都可以，你幫我選吧。謝謝你跟我分享！ Huáhua: Wǒ bù tiāoshí, nǎ
RSS