看看聞聞笑笑：三招立減節前高壓
In some ways, the hallmarks of the holiday season can do a more than just spread cheer at your company. Some of the season's core attributes can also help boost engagement and creativity, and lower stress as well.
某種程度上說，假期來臨的標誌不只是在公司傳播出一種歡樂的氣氛。迎接假期的核心特質還包括讓員工更加投入、更有創造力，甚至還可以降壓。
In an article, Harvard Business Review editor Andrew O'Connell compiles some of those curious stats, which show how creativity can be enhanced by sensory effects. And wouldn't you know it, they all reflect a little bit of holiday spirit.
哈佛商業評論編輯奧康奈爾在一篇文章中引用了一系列有意思的數據以論證創造力是通過感官效果增強的。此外，他還指出，不管你有沒有意識到，這些感官效果都或多或少受了節日的氣氛的影響。
1. The smell of peppermint
聞聞薄荷油的味道
Peppermint has been shown to improve engagement, as shown by a study of peoples' performances on the Nintendo Wii. This wasn't the first look into the effects of the scent of peppermint; O'Connell writes, "Other studies have suggested that peppermint enhances attention, memory, alertness, and mood." Go buy some candy cane air fresheners tonight.
在一份分析人們玩遊戲時表現的研究中，薄荷被證明可以提高人們的投入程度。而之前關於薄荷味作用的研究也不少見，奧康奈爾寫道：“還有一些研究證明薄荷可以提高注意力、記憶力、警覺性及情緒。”所以，今晚就去買點兒糖果味空氣清新劑吧！
2. The color green
多看看綠色
The wreaths and holly and, hey, maybe even an office Christmas tree — anything green, really, is good to look at. "Why not red, blue, or gray?" O'Connell writes. "Unclear, say the researchers, but they point out that green has strong associations with growth in many cultures."
聖誕花環、冬青樹，或者僅僅是辦公室的一棵聖誕樹，只要是綠色的，都請多看看吧！奧康奈爾指出：“爲什麼不是紅色、藍色或者是灰色呢？研究者們尚不清楚。但是他們稱綠色在很多文化中都和生長有着密不可分的關係。”
3. A big smile
一個大大的笑容
Hey, it's the holidays. Brighten up! A study tracing heart rates shows that people who were forced to smile (quite literally, with chopsticks placed in their mouths) saw their heart rates drop by about 7% during a task. The holidays get a lot of flack for being a stressful time of year in general, but embracing the season and smiling a bit might at least counteract the pressure.
嘿，快要放假了，所以振奮起來吧！一項研究通過追蹤人們的心跳發現那些被迫去笑（字面意思就是把筷子放在嘴裏強迫別人去笑）的人在做任務時心跳平均會降低7%。 總的來說，假期的來臨確實會增加工作壓力，也會讓人感到疲憊；但是放鬆心態擁抱假期以及一個大大的笑容至少可以衝抵一些壓力。
