咖啡因并不能提高創(chuàng)造力，但能提高解決問(wèn)題的能力

Famous authors and artists are commonly photographed alongside a trusty mug of coffee, but that cup of joe is more likely to help the Great American Manager. Caffeine, it turns out, does not improve creativity, but it significantly enhances problem-solving, according to a new study.

著名作家和藝術(shù)家拍照時(shí)旁邊經(jīng)常會(huì)有一杯咖啡，但這杯咖啡更有可能會(huì)給這位美國(guó)好經(jīng)理帶來(lái)幫助。一項(xiàng)新的研究表明，咖啡因并不能提高創(chuàng)造力，但能顯著提高解決問(wèn)題的能力。

This is news, given how strongly we associate coffee with creative occupations and lifestyles. The study, published today in Consciousness and Cognition, followed 80 participants after they consumed either a placebo or 200 mg of caffeine—the equivalent of 12 ounces of coffee—and then tracked their problem-solving, creative idea generation, working memory, and mood.

考慮到我們平時(shí)以為咖啡和創(chuàng)造性職業(yè)以及生活方式有很大聯(lián)系，所以這是個(gè)新發(fā)現(xiàn)。這項(xiàng)研究現(xiàn)在發(fā)表在《Consciousness and Cognition》上，在80名參與者分別喝了無(wú)效對(duì)照劑和200 mg咖啡因(相當(dāng)于12盎司咖啡)之后，跟蹤觀察他們解決問(wèn)題的能力、創(chuàng)意的形成、工作記憶力和情緒。

While problem-solving abilities improved significantly, the caffeine had no effect on memory or creativity. Subjects also reported feeling “less sad.”

解決問(wèn)題的能力顯著提高，但咖啡因?qū)τ洃浟騽?chuàng)造力毫無(wú)影響。研究對(duì)象也說(shuō)“憂傷感并未減少”。

Previous studies have shown that caffeine improves alertness, focus, attention, and motor skills, but little research existed on creativity.

此前的研究表明咖啡因能提高機(jī)敏度、專(zhuān)注力、注意力和運(yùn)動(dòng)能力，但關(guān)于創(chuàng)造力的研究很少。

This means that caffeine helps some kinds of thinking, specifically convergent thinking, such as when you need correct answers, for instance, while taking a GRE or MCAT or recalibrating a budget.

這就意味著咖啡因有助于思考，特別是收斂性思維，比如你需要正確答案的時(shí)候，像參加GRE或MCAT考試，或者重新調(diào)整預(yù)算。

It will not help you in the divergent thinking of creativity, such as brainstorming a novel plot or imagining a new design. “It also doesn’t make it worse,” notes lead author Darya Zabelina, assistant psychology professor at the University of Arkansas, “so keep drinking your coffee. It won’t interfere.”

它在創(chuàng)造性發(fā)散思維方面對(duì)你沒(méi)有幫助，比如腦洞大開(kāi)地設(shè)計(jì)新情節(jié)或者思考新的設(shè)計(jì)。研究的第一作者Darya Zabelina是阿肯色大學(xué)的心理學(xué)助理教授，她指出：“咖啡也不會(huì)減弱這方面的能力，你可以繼續(xù)喝，沒(méi)有任何影響。”