Staring at the horizon really does make people steadier while at sea and free of seasickness, according to a study published in the journal Psychological Science。

　　When standing on dry land, people sway back and forth by about 1.5 inches (four centimeters) every 12 to 15 seconds. To find out how this changes on a ship, Thomas, a cognitive scientist at the University of Minnesota, and his colleagues asked volunteers to stand on a force plate that would measure their movements, first on dry land in Mexico and then on a research vessel。

　　The volunteers were told to look either at something about 16 inches (40 centimeters) in front of them or to focus on the horizon. Although it seems that looking at something steady would make the ship's movement all the more noticeable, it helped to focus on a distant, steady point on the horizon, the researchers found. On land, people were more stable when looking at something close to them, but at sea, they stayed steadier while gazing far away。

　　Thomas suspects that the horizon provides a helpful point of reference, allowing people to sense the difference between their body's natural motion and the motion of the ship。

　　据美国“趣闻科学”网站27日报道，一项刊登在美国期刊《心理科学》的研究称，举目远眺地平线可使出海的人们更加镇定，免于晕船。

　　事实上，人们在陆地上站立时，每隔12到15秒钟就会前后摇摆，摆幅达1.5英寸(4厘米)(却没有眩晕反应)。为了了解为何人们一上船就晕个不停，明尼苏达大学认知领域的科学家托马斯和同事们做了个实验：要求受试者站在可测量其移动程度的测力板上，首次测验环境为干燥陆地，其次则是在一艘试验船上。

　　受试者首先需凝视位于自身16英寸(40厘米)的物体，随后凝视地平线。研究人员发现，看一个固定物体会让人们对船体的要换更为敏感，但凝视遥远地平线上的固定一点却有助于忽略摇晃的感觉。事实上，在陆地上人们近距离凝视物体会让人们保持平衡，而在大海中，远距离眺望则会让人们更加“稳定”。

　　托马斯猜测地平线给人们提供了一个更有利的参照点，让人们感受到身体自然晃动和船体晃动的差别所在。