Why Keeping Secrets Is Bad for You
为什么保守秘密对你不好
来源: https://www.scientificamerican.com
官方翻译
It hurts to keep secrets. Secrecy is associated with lower well-being, worse health, and less satisfying relationships.
保守秘密对身体有害。秘密与更低的幸福感、更糟糕的健康状况和不令人满意的人际关系有关联。
Research has linked secrecy to increased anxiety, depression, symptoms of poor health, and even the more rapid progression of disease.
研究将秘密与焦虑和抑郁的增加、身体不健康症状的增多甚至疾病更快的恶化相联系。
There is a seemingly obvious explanation for these harms: hiding secrets is hard work. You have to watch what you say.
对于这些伤害，有一个似乎很明显的解释：隐藏秘密是一件很难的事。你不得不密切留意你所说的话。
New research, however, suggests that the harm of secrets doesn't really come from the hiding after all.
然而新研究表明秘密的害处归根结底不是来自隐藏这个行为本身。
The real problem with keeping a secret is not that you have to hide it, but that you have to live with it, and think about it.
保守秘密的真正问题不在于你不得不保守它，而在于你必须忍受它、考虑它。
To better understand the harms of secrecy, researchers first set out to understand what secrets people keep, and how often they keep them.
为了更好地了解秘密的害处，研究人员首次开始着手弄清人们隐瞒的秘密是什么，以及多久隐瞒一次。
They found that 97% of people have at least one secret at any given moment, and people have, on average, 13 secrets.
他们发现97%的人在任何时刻都至少有一个秘密，而每个人平均有13个秘密。
Across several studies, researchers asked participants to estimate how frequently they hid their secret during conversations with others, and also how frequently they thought about the secret outside of social interactions.
通过几项调查，研究人员请参与者估计他们在与别人谈话过程中，隐瞒秘密的情况多久出现一次，包括社交之外他们思考秘密的频率。
They found that the more frequently people simply thought about their secrets, the lower their well-being.
研究人员发现人们思考秘密越频繁，他们的幸福感越低。
Following up this research, a new paper reveals why thinking about secrets is so harmful.
深入研究后，得出一篇新论文，揭露了为什么思考秘密如此有害。
Turning the question around, the consequences of telling secrets are examined.
换一个角度看这个问题，研究人员调查了袒露秘密的作用。
Researchers found that when a person reveals a secret to a third party, it does not reduce how often they have to hide the secret from others who are still kept in the dark.
他们发现当一个人对第三方袒露秘密时，对于那些原本就不知道秘密的人，他隐瞒秘密的次数不会减少。
Rather, it reduces how often their mind wanders toward the secret in irrelevant moments. When confiding a secret, what is actually helpful is the conversation that follows.
然而，这一行为能减少人们在不相关的时刻思考秘密的频率。与人袒露秘密时，真正起作用的是随之而来的谈话。
People report that when sharing a secret with another person, they often receive emotional support, useful guidance, and helpful advice.
人们反应当他们与另一个人分享秘密时，通常会接收到情感支持、有效的引导和有帮助的建议。
These forms of support make people feel more confident and capable in coping with the secret.
这些形式的支持让他们更自信，更有能力处理秘密。
Our studies suggest that what is important is talking to another person about a secret. A single conversation can lead to a healthier outlook and mind.
研究显示与人谈论秘密很重要，一次谈话就能建立更健康的观点。
Therefore, if you choose to still keep something secret, talking to another person can make the world of difference. Secrets don't have to hurt as much as they do.
因此，如果你仍然选择保守秘密，（你应该知道）与人聊天会让你的世界变得不同。秘密本身的害处并没有那么大。
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