What you are experiencing every day can influence your thoughts, like holding a hard or soft ball can influence your perception of how masculine or feminine others are, according to a recent study.

　　最新研究显示，一个人的思想会受触觉影响，比如手握硬球（或者软球）会影响到握球者对对方性别的看法。



　　In the study, Michael Slepian at Tufts University and his colleagues had subjects clench either a hard ball or a squishy ball in their hands while looking at pictures of faces that had been altered to appear gender-neutral. They then were asked to categorize the faces as either male or female.

　　研究中，塔夫斯大学的迈克尔 斯莱皮恩和他的同事们让受试者紧握硬球（或者软球），并让他们观看经过处理呈中性化的面孔照片。随后受试者需依据性别对这些面孔进行分类。



　　When touching the hard ball, volunteers were about 10 percent more likely to categorize a face as male; for those clutching the soft ball, the results were slanted toward females. The findings are likely the result of the gender stereotypes people hold, the researchers said: that guys are tough and gals are tender.

　　研究人员发现，当手触硬球时，志愿者中认为照片中的面孔属于男性的可能性增大了10%；而对于那些手持软球的人来说，其判断结果则倾向于女性。研究人员称，这样的结果大概源于人们对性别特征的固有观念，即：男性是强硬的，而女性是柔弱的。



　　Recent studies by others have similarly found connections between our sense of touch and our perceptions of others, the researchers said. For instance, holding a warm cup of coffee makes you more likely to have "warm" feelings toward others. Hand-washing can make people feel cleansed of their sins. Holding something heavy can change our perception of the importance of a topic.

　　研究人员称，最近其他的一些研究也同样发现了触觉和认知之间的联系。比如，手捧一杯热咖啡有可能让你对别人更“热情”。洗洗手可以让人觉得清洗了自己的罪恶。而手持重物则会改变某话题在我们心中的重要程度。



　　"Our knowledge isn't stored in our mind the way a computer stores knowledge," Slepian said. "To understand these concepts you need your body. Those sensations are actually part of your knowledge of abstract concepts like masculinity and femininity."

　　“我们存储知识的模式和计算机存储信息的模式并不一样，”斯莱皮恩说道。“为了理解一些概念我们需要动用自己的身体。这些触觉实际上就是我们脑中抽象概念（比如男性化、女性化）知识的一部分。”