A brain chemical dubbed 'the hormone of love' could encourage wallflowers to become more outgoing at social gatherings, a study shows. Now researchers have found it improves the social skills of the shy - but has little effect on those who are naturally confident. The finding could have implications for those with severe social deficiencies, often apparent in conditions like autism。

　　最近，一种名叫“爱情荷尔蒙”的刺激药品引起了媒体的注意，这种药品的功效是能够使得害羞的人在社交场合“畅所欲言”，让他们摇身一变成为令人羡慕的“社交蝴蝶”。研究者发现，这个药品可以使得害羞的人不再害羞，然而，研究者也承认这种药品对那些“天生自信”的人“收效甚微”。研究发现，药品可以帮助那些患有严重的社交缺陷的人，比如：自闭症。

　　They conducted a test of 27 healthy adult men, giving them the hormone or a placebo via a nasal spray and then asking them to perform an 'emphatic accuracy task'. This involved watching others discussing emotional moments in their lives, then rating how they felt those people were feeling. The scientists, whose research is published in Psychological Science, also measured the participants' social competency, using a test known as AQ which is usually used in autistic patients. They found that oxytocin did improve empathatic accuracy - but only among those who were less socially proficient in the first place。

　　研究还对27个健康的男性进行了针对性测试，用鼻用喷雾给他们“注射”荷尔蒙，进而观察他们的举动。研究包括观察他人谈论在生活中的琐事，以及他们对事情的感受以及感想。研究还对参与者的“社会能力”进行了测试，测试中囊括了一种叫做“逆境商数”(AQ)的数据，这种数据(逆境商数)可以帮助我们找出个人特长并培养正向乐观态度，改善旧有僵化的负面思考模式，选择抗压而非被压力所击垮，持续并反覆地练习与坚定这些信念。研究发现，一种叫做“催产素 (脑下垂体后叶荷尔蒙之一种)”对人在社交场所的表现产生的巨大影响，具体说来，是对在社交场所稍微有一些“不大自信”的人群有影响。

　　The more socially comfortable participants performed well on the empathic accuracy task regardless of whether they were on oxytocin or placebo, but less socially proficient participants performed significantly better on oxytocin, with their empathetic accuracy performance identical to that of the socially proficient participants. Prof Jennifer Bartz, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said: 'Oxytocin is widely believed to make all people more empathic and understanding of others. 'Our study contradicts that. Instead, oxytocin appears to be helpful only for those who are less socially proficient. 'Our data show that oxytocin selectively improves social cognition in people who are less socially proficient, but had little impact on more socially proficient individuals.'While more research is required, these results highlight the potential oxytocin holds for treating social deficits in people with disorders marked by deficits in social

　　在同样的条件下，在社交场所，表现“不自信的人”比起表现“自信的人”要更依赖“催产素”。有研究学者说，催产素使得人们在社交场所更加活跃，也变得更加通情达理。研究者还强调，催产素并非对所有的人都有效果，(只针对有少许自卑的人来说有效果，对能说会道的社交蝴蝶来说却收效甚微)。

　　(编译：韦方苑)

　　Vocabulary：

　　emphatic adj. 着重的；加强语气的；显著的