智商有利於男性的心理健康

IQ benefits men』s mental health

智商有利於男性的心理健康

原文：Jessica Hamzelou，

翻譯：鳳梨是只胖柯基

校閱：PC

圖源：《男士健康英國版》Mens Fitness UK 2018年6月刊，版權歸原作者所有

THERE』S more to intelligence than smarts. A high IQ seems to protect the brain from some of the effects of inflammation, including signs of depression. But the effect is seen only in men.

智力比小聰明更重要。高智商似乎可以保護大腦免受某些傷害：比如減少炎症的影響，從而顯露抑鬱症的跡象。但是這種效果只能在男性身上看到。

Studies have found that people with depression or schizophrenia tend to have higher levels of inflammatory proteins in their bodies, indicating a heightened state of immune activity. For this reason, anti-inflammatory drugs are being trialled for both conditions.

研究發現，患有抑鬱症或精神分裂症的人體內的炎症蛋白水平往往更高，這表明他們的免疫活動處於高度活躍的狀態。由於這個原因，這兩個病症都需使用抗炎葯。

But not everyone with inflammation goes on to develop a mental-health disorder. Eirini Flouri at University College London wondered whether intelligence may help protect some people from the effects of inflammation.

但並非所有患有炎症的人都會患上精神疾病。倫敦大學學院的Eirini Flouri著力於研究智力是否有助於保護一些人免受炎症的影響。

Flouri and her colleagues analysed data from more than 9600 people in the UK, aged between 18 and 97. Each person had answered surveys about their mental health, including whether they were in psychological distress. High distress scores indicate that a person is more likely to develop depression, says Flouri. Blood samples that had been taken at the same time were used to measure inflammation levels. Each person also completed a battery of cognitive tests, which measured reasoning, memory and problem solving, among other things, to give an IQ score.

Flouri和她的同事分析了英國9600多個年齡在18歲到97歲之間的人的數據。每個人都回答了關於他們心理健康的問卷調查，包括他們是否處於心理上的困境中。Flouri說，痛苦指數越高，表明這個人更容易患抑鬱症。同時，他們也採集了血液樣本用於測量炎症水平。每個人還完成了一組認知測試，測試了推理、記憶和解決問題的能力，並給出了一個IQ分數。

After taking account of factors including the volunteers』 age, physical health and lifestyles, the team found that men – but not women – who had higher levels of inflammation also showed more signs of psychological distress. This link was disrupted by high levels of intelligence: men with high inflammation who also had a high IQ seemed to be less likely to show distress. 「There appears to be some protective effect of having a high IQ,」 says Flouri.

在考慮了包括志願者的年齡、身體健康和生活方式在內的各項因素後，研究小組發現，男性（不是女性）中，抗炎症程度較高的人也表現出更多的心理壓力。這種聯繫被高水平的智力打斷了:高智商的男性也有炎症，但是對於痛苦的表現不那麼明顯。「高智商似乎有某種保護作用，」 Flouri說。

This may be because men who are more intelligent are more likely to take better care of themselves, and follow a healthy diet and exercise schedule, Flouri suggests.

這可能是因為智商更高的男性可能會更好地照顧自己，並遵循健康的飲食和鍛煉計劃，Flouri如此認為。

Hormonal differences between men and women might explain why inflammation and intelligence weren』t linked to mental health in women, says Flouri. Men have more testosterone, which is known to influence inflammation and stress. Immune system differences may be a factor too; women generally seem more prone to inflammation, and to some inflammation-associated disorders, such as autoimmune conditions.

Flouri說，男性和女性之間的荷爾蒙差異也許可以解釋為什麼炎症和智力與女性的心理健康沒有關係。男性有更多的睾丸激素，眾所周知這是影響炎症和壓力的激素。免疫系統的差異也可能是另一個因素：女性通常更容易出現炎症，以及一些與炎症相關的疾病，如自身免疫性疾病。

It is also possible that women are more likely to experience types of stress – abuse, perhaps – that affect inflammation and mental health in different ways. Early life experiences and genetics probably also have an effect, says Golam Khandaker at the University of Cambridge.

也有可能女性更容易經歷各種類型的壓力——（女性更容易經受虐待）——都會以不同的方式影響炎症和心理健康。劍橋大學的Golam Khandaker說，早期的生活經歷和基因可能也會影響。

But Carmine Pariante at King』s College London doesn』t think the evidence is strong enough yet to accept that there is a difference between men and women when it comes to inflammation affecting mental health.

但倫敦大學國王學院的Carmine Pariante認為，目前的證據還不足以證明：男性和女性在炎症影響心理健康方面存在差異。

Taking steps to boost aspects of your intelligence – by training memory, for example – might potentially help you avoid the effects of inflammation. But the best bet is probably to adopt a generally healthy lifestyle. 「If we take measures to keep inflammation down, it should have a positive impact on a number of factors,」 says Khandaker.

採取措施提高你的智力方面——例如記憶訓練——可能會幫助你避免炎症的影響。但最好的方式可能是採用一種普遍健康的生活方式。Khandaker說:「如果我們採取措施抑制炎症，就應該在許多方面產生積極的影響。」

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