托福阅读材料之爱吃甜的人也“甜”

Study subjects who expressed a preference for sweet over spicy tastes also tended to be more agreeable.

研究表明，爱吃甜食的人比爱吃辛辣食物的人更讨人喜欢。

Parents are often fretting over what all that candy will do to their children. Well, it might just make them sweeter, because people who prefer sugary snacks actually seem to be more kind. So says a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

父母总是担心糖果等甜食对孩子不好，事实上，甜食可能会使孩子变得更“甜”。一本名为《个性与社会心理》的杂志认为，喜欢吃甜食的人更友善。

We often describe personality or behavior with taste-related terms. Think of someone who’s bitter, or sour or maybe even a little picante. But do our tastes in food really reflect who we are?

我们常常用表示味道的词来形容人的性格与行为，比如，我们会说某人很苦闷，也会用尖酸、泼辣等词来描述别人。那么，食物的味道真的可以反应出我们是什么样的人吗？

Scientists looked for a link between a love of sweet things and the tendency to be generous or generally agreeable. College students answered a series of questions about their character—whether, for example, they’re soft-hearted or enjoy insulting people. Then they rated their liking for a variety of foods, from cake and ice cream to cranberries, sauerkraut and salsa. And it turns out that kids with a sweet tooth see themselves as sweet.

科学家在研究后发现，爱吃甜食的人似乎更加慷慨大度，真诚友善。研究者让学生们回答一系列与性格相关的问题，比如，是否为人心肠软？喜不喜欢挖苦别人？然后，研究者又让学生们根据自己的喜好将各种食物排序，从蛋糕、冰淇淋到小红莓、泡菜和辣椒酱。得出的结果是，爱吃甜食的孩子都把自己当成是“小甜甜”。

And maybe they are. Those that liked candy more than crackers were more likely to volunteer around campus or for additional studies. So if you’re looking to score a little milk of human kindness, try putting out a plate of cookies.

这种说法可能有点道理。爱吃糖果的孩子比爱吃咸饼干的孩子更愿意在学校里当志愿者或参加其它活动。如果你不想孩子成为善良慷慨的人，你就尽管拿走那盘曲奇饼干吧。