Sitting down in front of the television with a meal or snack after a long day is a very popular recreational pastime. And thanks to streaming services that play every episode of a television series automatically now， some viewers arent even burning the few calories it might take to reach for the remote.

在漫長的一天結(jié)束后，坐在電視機(jī)前吃東西是很受歡迎的休閑方式。由于現(xiàn)今流媒體平臺(tái)可以自動(dòng)播放下一集電視劇，一些觀眾甚至連起身去拿遙控器的那點(diǎn)運(yùn)動(dòng)量都省了。

But is it sloth that keeps us chewing， or something else？ Is it possible the experience of watching TV can stimulate our appetite？

但是為什么我們看電視時(shí)會(huì)不停嘴地咀嚼，是因?yàn)閼卸?，還是別的什么原因？看電視是否真的可能刺激食欲呢？

According to the Cleveland Clinic in the United States， television isnt so much an appetite stimulant as it is an appetite distraction. When we watch TV， were engaged in the program， which means were paying less attention to the neurological and gastronomical cues that tell us were getting full. Instead of taking note of how were eating， were engaged in somewhat passive consumption.

美國的克利夫蘭診所指出，與其說看電視增進(jìn)食欲，不如說它分散了對(duì)食欲的注意力。當(dāng)我們看電視時(shí)，我們的注意力被節(jié)目所吸引，這意味著我們會(huì)忽視神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)和胃部發(fā)出的提示飽腹的信號(hào)。我們只是被動(dòng)地進(jìn)食，卻沒注意到怎么吃的。

Combining television and snacking also creates a cognitive association in your brain that may prompt you to consider the two activities intertwined. In other words， you might reach for some pizza or chips not because youre all that hungry， but because youve come to identify television with eating. You might even eat more depending on the length of a program. If youre watching Young Sheldon， a half-hour sitcom， you might eat less than if you were watching a super-sized episode of a drama like Mad Men.

一邊看電視一邊吃零食也可能會(huì)在你的大腦中形成認(rèn)知關(guān)聯(lián)，導(dǎo)致你認(rèn)為這兩種活動(dòng)就應(yīng)該一起進(jìn)行。換言之，你去拿比薩或薯?xiàng)l、薯片來吃，不是因?yàn)槟沭I了，而是因?yàn)槟阏J(rèn)為看電視時(shí)就應(yīng)該吃東西。你吃多少甚至可能取決于所看節(jié)目的長短。如果你看的是一集半小時(shí)的情景喜劇《少年謝爾頓》，你吃的零食可能比你看一集超長電視?。ū热纭稄V告狂人》）吃進(jìn)去的少。

Thats not to say the content of a program isnt influential. Another study in the journal Appetite looked at a group of 80 subjects， half of whom were told to watch a cooking program and half who were told to watch a nature show. Both groups were presented with equal amounts of chocolate-covered candies， cheese curls， and carrots. Researchers found that viewers of the cooking show tended to eat more chocolate-covered candies than the nature show viewers.

這并不是說，節(jié)目的內(nèi)容對(duì)你的進(jìn)食沒有影響。還有一項(xiàng)發(fā)表在《食欲》期刊上的研究開展了一個(gè)涵蓋80人的實(shí)驗(yàn)，讓其中一半的人看烹飪節(jié)目，而另外一半人看自然節(jié)目。研究人員為兩個(gè)小組提供了同樣多的巧克力糖、芝士條和胡蘿卜。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，看烹飪節(jié)目的人比看自然節(jié)目的人吃的巧克力糖更多。

So is snacking while watching television that bad？ Like most things， its OK in moderation. Eating meals away from the TV can encourage mindful eating， which directs your attention to the food in front of you. Youll be able to pick up on satiety cues when youre not fully focused on your screen. Better yet， you wont have to struggle to hear your favorite show over all that chewing.

那么，一邊看電視一邊吃零食真的很不好嗎？像很多事物一樣，只要適度的話，還是沒問題的。吃飯時(shí)不看電視可以讓你專心吃飯，引導(dǎo)你關(guān)注自己面前的食物。當(dāng)你的注意力沒有完全被屏幕占據(jù)時(shí)，你就能接收到飽腹信號(hào)。更棒的是，你不用一邊聽自己的咀嚼聲一邊看自己最愛的節(jié)目。

Word Study

recreational /'rekri'e???nl/ adj. 娛樂的;消遣的

These areas are set aside for public recreational use.

stimulant /'st?mj?l?nt/ n. 興奮劑

prompt /pr?mpt/ v. 促使;導(dǎo)致;激起

intertwine /'?nt?'twa?n/ v. 緊密相連

Their political careers had become closely intertwined.

moderation /'m?d?'re??n/ n. 適度;適中

cue /kju：/ n. 暗示;提示;信號(hào)