Bribing your child with a chocolate bar to finish his or her maths homework is an excellent idea, according to researchers who claim that the yummy treat could improve the brain's ability to do the most "dreadful" subject.
研究人员指出，用一块巧克力贿赂孩子完成数学作业是个不错的主意，因为这种甜蜜的诱惑可以提高脑部的运算能力，借以应对最可怕的题目。
The study, presented at the British Psychological Society annual conference, is great news for students who binge on chocolate when revising for exams.
该项研究成果在英国心理学会的年度会议上发布，它对喜欢吃巧克力应考的学生来说无疑是非常好的消息。
For the study 30 volunteers were asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer.
研究者对30名志愿者进行试验，通过电脑从数字800至999之间随机选取数字，要求他们进行以三为单位的递减减法运算。
The findings show that they could do the calculations more quickly and more accurately after they had been given the drink.
研究发现，参加试验者在喝了含黄烷醇的饮料后，他们计算的速度和准确率都有所提高。
However, the same was not true when the group was asked to count backwards in groups of seven, which the researchers described as a more complex task, requiring a slightly different part of the brain.
不过，当志愿者进行以七为单位的递减减法运算时，这一差距不是那么明显。因为后者属于更为复杂的运算，它和前者使用到的大脑部分有所不同。
The findings also show that the volunteers did not get as tired doing the calculations if they had been given the cocoa drink, despite being asked to do them over and over for an hour.
研究同时发现，如果志愿者饮用了可可饮料，即使他们不停地做上一个小时的运算，也不容易产生疲劳感。
The flavanols work by increasing the flow of blood into the brain. Dark chocolate contains higher quantaties of the chemical than plain or milk chocolate.
黄烷醇能够促进大脑的血液循环。黑巧克力比原味巧克力和牛奶巧克力的黄烷醇含量更高。
Prof David Kennedy at Northumbria University said that chocolate could be beneficial for mentally challenging tasks.
诺森比亚大学教授戴维•肯尼迪说：“对于那些耗费脑力的事情，巧克力或许能起到作用。”
The researchers gave the volunteers a total of 500mg of flavanol.
研究者让志愿者饮用了大约500毫克的黄烷醇。
Although the amount was too great to be found naturally in the diet, researchers said that people should ensure that they have lots of flavanols.
尽管这一剂量在日常饮食中很难达到，研究者们还是建议人们尽量多地摄取黄烷醇。
（英语点津Jennifer编辑）
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