It can be hard to focus on a book when your eyes feel heavy and your head is nodding. But does reading actually make you worn out? 【小题1】 Let’s take a closer look at the science behind why reading can make us tired.

Reading is basically guided daydreaming, and daydreaming isn’t that different from sleep. 【小题2】 When you’re daydreaming or lost in a book, your body is in a state of relaxation and your mind is free to wander. This can be a very pleasant experience, but it’s not surprising that it can also make you tired.

Many people enjoy lying down at the end of the day with a good book. 【小题3】 We make sure we’re comfortable, maybe make ourselves a hot drink and settle down to read, cosy and uninterrupted (不受打扰的). Is it any wonder reading can make us nod off?

【小题4】 It’s not just the act of reading that can be tiring. Sitting still in a darkly lit room can signal to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep, and it increases eye pain, which can be another cause of tiredness.

What you’re reading can also play a part in how tired it makes you feel. If you’re reading a particularly dull text, it’s natural that your brain will start to shut down in an attempt to protect itself! If you’re trying to process a lot of information, your brain will be working hard and you may start to feel tired. 【小题5】

Both Roberto and Keith have a 45-minute commute (通勤) time from their homes to their workplace. When Roberto drives, he has realistic expectations of how others drive and how long the trip should take. Overall, he is able to adapt to any unexpected challenges he may: face on the road.

He rarely becomes angry. By contrast, Keith drives with a tendency for becoming angry easily, partly due to unrealistic expectations of other drivers, his quickness to personalize and feel threatened by the actions of others, and his inability to calm his anger.

The difference between how Roberto and Keith experience their drive to work, especially with regard to getting angry, is influenced very much by their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is crucial for helping individuals choose constructive over destructive anger. A key aspect of healthy anger is being able to pause and reflect on, rather than react to our thoughts, feelings, and senses associated with getting angry.

Self-regulation and empathy (同理心) are two important components of emotional intelligence, which can be a buffer (缓冲) against destructive anger. Self-regulation helps us to control our moods. Empathy helps us to recognize the humanity. in others and ourselves.

Studies suggest that training in emotional intelligence can powerfully impact how anger is managed. This was supported by a three-year study of 476 young adults who showed reduced tendency of becoming angry after training. Children and adults can learn skills to boost their emotional intelligence and, by doing so, develop adaptability for dealing with various negative feelings, including anger. Many workbooks offer skills in emotional intelligence to promote empathy and self-awareness regarding emotions and how they impact our beliefs and behavior.

Clearly, through training, Keith would experience greater emotional flexibility that could support a more peaceful commute to work. I firmly believe that learning skills in emotional intelligence should be the focus in helping individuals more constructively manage this highly challenging and complex emotion.

If you are taking vitamin supplements to reduce your risk of heart disease or cancer, a group of health experts want you to know that those vitamins may actually increase your risk of cancer.

The US Preventive Services Task Force came to this conclusion after reviewing dozens of studies.

Nearly half of adults in the US take at least one vitamin or mineral supplement on a regular basis. These pills are advertised as a way to promote general health. In some cases, manufacturers promote them as cancer fighters and heart protectors.

Studies in animals and in laboratory dishes suggest that oxidative (氧化性的) stress contributes to diseases like cancer and heart disease. If so, there is a reason to believe that antioxidants — including beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E — could be useful as preventive medicines.

But when the Task Force examined the medical evidence on vitamins, it found “inadequate (不充分的) evidence” to support the claims that vitamin and mineral supplements benefit healthy adults.

“Cardiovascular (心血管的) disease and cancer have a significant health impact in America, and we all want to find ways to prevent these diseases,” Dr. Virginia Moyer, who heads the Task Force, said in a statement. But so far, she added, the medical evidence does not show that taking vitamins is helpful in this regard.

However, the Task Force did find “adequate evidence” that people with a raised risk for lung cancer actually increase their risk further by taking beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.

The Task Force recommendations of taking vitamins regularly apply to healthy adults aged 50 and older who don’t have “special nutritional needs”. The advice does not apply to children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, people with chronic illnesses, or people who have to take supplements because they can’t get all their essential nutrients from their diet.