景一

Following the crowd may not always be in a persons best interest. But new research suggests that teens who go along with their friends may end up as healthier adults.

隨大流并不總是對一個(gè)人最有利。但最新的研究表明，常和朋友在一起的青少年最終可能成為更健康的成年人。

Scientists have known that close friendships help boost health. Lonely people are more likely to get sick. Thats true for both teens and adults. And people who do their own thing， instead of giving in to peer pressure， may experience unpleasant emotions. Those findings inspired Joseph Allen and his team to look at teen behavior. Allen is a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. His group had suspected that experiences during teen years might influence adult health.

科學(xué)家們已經(jīng)知道了親密的友誼有助于增進(jìn)健康。孤獨(dú)的人更容易生病。青少年和成人都是這樣。不屈從同輩壓力獨(dú)來獨(dú)往做自己事情的人，可能會經(jīng)歷不愉快的情緒。這些發(fā)現(xiàn)啟發(fā)了約瑟夫·艾倫和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)去觀察青少年的行為。艾倫是位于夏洛茨維爾的弗吉尼亞大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家。他的研究小組懷疑青少年時(shí)期的經(jīng)歷可能會影響成年人時(shí)期的健康。

So they followed 171 teens， starting when the kids were just 13. They interviewed each one every year for five years. These became the “focal1” teens in the study. But they were not the only teens interviewed. The scientists also spoke to the focal teens closest friends. Those friends provided additional information about the quality of their friendships.

所以他們跟蹤研究了171個(gè)青少年，從孩子們13歲開始。研究小組每年都要同他們面談一次，為期五年。他們成了研究中的“焦點(diǎn)”青少年。但他們并不是唯一一批接受面談的青少年?？茖W(xué)家們還與這群青少年的親密朋友們進(jìn)行了交談。這些朋友提供了關(guān)于他們友誼的情況的更多信息。

Allen and his colleagues were most curious about each focal teens relationship with his or her closest friend. The teens were asked about both positive and negative aspects of that friendship. The scientists also asked the friends how likely the focal person was to follow the crowd， go along with the friend or insist on doing his or her own thing.

艾倫和他的同事們對每個(gè)焦點(diǎn)青少年與他或她最親密的朋友的關(guān)系最感興趣。她們詢問了青少年們友誼的積極方面和消極方面。科學(xué)家們還詢問了青少年們的朋友，“焦點(diǎn)”青少年們有多大可能喜歡隨大流，和朋友一起，或者堅(jiān)持自己做自己的事情。

The same 171 people were interviewed again as adults， at ages 25， 26 and 27. This time， the questions surveyed each persons overall health. When the researchers analyzed the data they found a strong correlation， or link， between a teens behavior and adult health. Teens who had close friends grew up to be the healthier adults.

這171人在他們成年后的25歲、26歲和27歲時(shí)再次接受了面談。這次，通過面談的問題調(diào)查了每個(gè)人的整體健康狀況。當(dāng)研究人員分析這些數(shù)據(jù)時(shí)，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)青少年時(shí)期的行為與成年人時(shí)期的健康狀況之間存在著很強(qiáng)的相關(guān)性或聯(lián)系。有親密朋友的青少年成長為了更健康的成年人。

Whether teens held in their feelings or expressed them to a close confidant2 also influenced later health. Those who held back were more likely to be sick as adults. That supports the idea that teen relationships—having people to confide3 in—may play a big role later.

青少年們是壓抑自己的情感還是向他們的密友傾吐內(nèi)心也影響了他們以后的健康。那些壓抑自己情感的人成年后更容易生病。這支持了這樣一種觀點(diǎn)：青少年關(guān)系，即有可以傾訴的人，對以后有巨大的影響。

Whats more， the study found that teens who went along what their friends wanted， rather than being independent， also were healthier in their twenties.

更重要的是，這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，愿意按照朋友的意愿行事而不是獨(dú)來獨(dú)往的青少年，在他們二十幾歲時(shí)更健康。

The correlations held up even after the scientists accounted for other possible influences on health. Weight， family income were all examined. So were mental health issues， such as anxiety and depression. And in these people， such other factors did not explain adult health as well as teen friendships did.

即使在科學(xué)家用了其他可能影響健康的因素來解釋，但這種相關(guān)性仍然存在?？茖W(xué)家們對體重、家庭收入，以及心理健康問題，如焦慮和抑郁等都進(jìn)行了檢查。諸如此類的其他因素并不能解釋，這些人不但在青少年時(shí)期有深厚的友誼，在成年人時(shí)期也很健康的原因。

Going along with the crowd may have benefits， says Allen， but there are also drawbacks4. Teens who are more independent tend to do better in school and at work. And peer pressure may lead some kids to engage in risky behavior， such as smoking or drinking.

艾倫說，隨大流可能有好處，但也有壞處。更獨(dú)立的青少年在學(xué)校和工作中往往表現(xiàn)得更好。同輩壓力可能導(dǎo)致一些孩子做出危險(xiǎn)的行為，比如吸煙或者飲酒。

Allen notes， “Handling peer pressure is not as simple as just saying ‘no. Finding the right balance is the key.” And， he adds， “Parents need to be understanding about the pressures teens face.”

艾倫指出，“處理同輩壓力并不像只說‘不那么簡單。找到平衡是關(guān)鍵?！彼a(bǔ)充說，“父母需要了解青少年面臨的壓力?！?/p>