Genetic information is important because it stores, processes and transmits biological data from generation to generation. Some scientists even assume that knowing genetic information itself matters.

For example, in quantum mechanics (量子力学), there is a popular theory known as the “observer effect”, which states that the act of observing a phenomenon (usually by making some kind of measurement) necessarily changes that phenomenon. In other words, just by being there and having an interest in the outcome, we affect that outcome.

While the explanations behind the observer’s influence in quantum mechanics come down to the measuring instrument and not the observer’s conscious mind, we also see strong evidence for the “placebo effect” in medicine: a patient’s condition can improve if they just believe they are receiving an effective treatment. And those beneficial effects can happen even if the patient is not actually receiving that treatment or if the treatment doesn’t actually work.

If our minds truly do have power over our surroundings and our bodies, what does having the genetic information do to us? Does simply knowing more about our own physiology (生理机能) change it? A recent study on exercise and obesity suggests that the answer is yes.

Those who were told they were at low genetic risk for obesity produced 2.5 times more of the fullness hormone and claimed to feel fuller despite eating the same meal as they had one week prior. Those who were told they had lower endurance because of their genes did worse on their physical test than they had before receiving that information: they showed lower lung capacity and quit sooner.

Thus, having information about our genetic risk can lead to improvements in our physiology (as was true for the eaters of the study), but it can also put us at a disadvantage (as with the poor exercise performers). So we certainly need to be cautious of incorrect genetic information. But as the Stanford study shows, even if the genetic information we receive is correct, how we receive it is also important.

Jenny,18, suffering from coughing and speechlessness, came to Sigmund Freud. She’d become depressed, even having no desire to live. During one session, as he tried to help her uncover the source of her sickness, Freud observed Jenny toying with a small handbag. Interpreting the act as an expression of controlled desire, Freud concluded, “No people can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his finger-tips; the details reveal everything.”

Sometimes a handbag is just a handbag, but modern research does support the idea that secrecy can be a source of mental and physical sadness. Keeping a secret requires constant effort. In one recent study, subjects asked to hide their sexual orientation performed worse on a spatial ability task, reacted more rudely to criticism, and gave up sooner in a test of handgrip endurance (握力耐力). And the bigger the secret, the harder it is to keep. Another study found that subjects asked to recall a meaningful secret believed hills to be more dangerous and distances to be longer than those asked to recall a small secret. When researchers asked to help move books from their lab, the subjects harboring meaningful secrets lifted fewer piles.

Research shows an association between keeping a meaningful secret and illness ranging from the common cold to chronic (慢性的) diseases. It concludes that teens who open their mind to a parent or close friend report fewer physical complaints and less bad behavior, loneliness, and depression than those who sit on their secrets. One reason why secret keeping is such hard work is that secrets, like unwanted thoughts, tend to take up more brain space.

Researchers have identified a small class of “repressors”, who experience fewer intrusive (妨碍的) thoughts about sensitive information they are controlling: they may keep their secrets so tightly wrapped that they manage to hide them even from themselves.

When we encounter a stressful or frightening situation, our heart rate increases, our breath quickens, and our muscles become tense. 【小题1】 In fact, for most of history, we have assumed that there is a line separating our natural response and our learned behavior. But recent brain research has proved that our brain can change in structure and function throughout our life, depending on our experiences. So would it be possible to train our brain to control our “natural responses,” such as to fear?

One of the most surprising ways to control our fear response is breathing. Combat trainers, for example, use “tactical (战术性) breathing” techniques to prepare FBI agents for crisis situations. 【小题2】 One version that police officers learn works like this: Breathe in for four counts; hold for four counts; breathe out for four counts; hold for four; start again. How could something so simple be so powerful?

The breath is one of the few actions that lie in both our somatic nervous system (which we can consciously control) and our autonomic system (which includes our heartbeat and other actions we cannot easily access). 【小题3】 By consciously slowing down the breath, we can slow down the natural fear response that otherwise takes over.

【小题4】 Sara Lazar, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, compared the brain images of meditators (冥想者) with those of nonmeditating people. She found the meditators had 5 percent thicker brain tissue in the parts of the brain that are used during meditation — that is, the parts that handle emotion regulation, attention, and working memory, all of which help control stress.

Such studies suggest that meditators — like deep-breathing police officers — may have found a way for us to evolve past the basic human fear response. 【小题5】