Intelligence: The Evolution[,iːvə'luːʃ(ə)n; 'ev-]  of Night Owls

 

夜猫子的进化

 

 

Night owls are smarter than other people, and now we may know why. The modern world contains many features our slow-to-evolve brains still find unfamiliar[ʌnfə'mɪlɪə] —cars, TVs, hot dogs on a stick. But the world has always thrown new stuff at us, and brighter humans may adapt more ably.

 

夜猫子通常比较聪明，现在我们或许找到了原因。在现代这个世界变化如此之快，以至于我们进化速度相对较慢的大脑发觉陌生——骑车，电视，插在棒子上的热狗。但这个世界总会给我们带来新事物，并且聪明的人往往更容易适应。

 

Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist at The London School of Economics and Political Science, argues that, while we have specialized mental modules for navigation [nævɪ'geɪʃ(ə)n], social interaction, and other age-old tasks, general intelligence is its own module handling only evolutionarily novel circumstances. And he has data showing that people with higher IQs are more likely to have values and preferences that just didn't make sense for our ancestors to embrace. One of those is staying up late.

 

金泽先生，一个在伦敦政治经济学院的心理学家提出，当我们面对航行，社交以及其他有悠久历史的任务时，我们的哦精神单元已经充分专业化。而基本智力，是一个作为一个独立单元以应付进化的新环境。并且，金泽先生的数据指出，高智商人群更有可能认同或者偏好这些他们祖辈难以接受的变化。这些变化中就包括熬夜。

 

A previous study found that evening people are smarter than morning people. In a new paper, Kanazawa replicates the finding and provides a theoretical grounding. Because the nocturnal lifestyle allowed by electricity didn't exist 10, 000 years ago, we must now rely on general intelligence to override our early-to-bed instincts. So those with more of it stay up later. How much later? See below.

 

以前的研究发现，习惯晚上活动的人要比习惯白天的人要聪明。在一篇心得论文中，金泽重申了这个发现，并且提供了理论基础。由于一万年前电力不存在，不允许我们过着夜行的生活，所以我们现在必须依靠我们的之力去克服这样早睡的本能。所以，有些人就睡的更晚。有多晚呢？让我们看看以下数据。

 

 

 

 

instinct ['instiŋkt]  video    

 

n. 本能，直觉；天性adj. 充满着的

 

 

psychologist [psai'kɔlədʒist]  video    

 

n. 心理学家，心理学者

 

 

embrace [im'breis]  video    

 

vt. 拥抱；信奉，皈依；包含vi. 拥抱n. 拥抱

 

 

circumstance ['sə:kəmstəns]  video    

 

n. 环境，情况；事件；境遇

 

 

rely [ri'lai]  video    

 

vi. 依靠；信赖

 

 

lifestyle ['laifstail]  video    

 

n. 生活方式

 

 

override [,əuvə'raid]  video    

 

vt. 推翻；不顾；践踏n. 代理佣金

 

 

evolve [i'vɔlv]  video    

 

vt. 发展，进化；进化；使逐步形成；推断出vi. 发展，进展；进化；逐步形成