An induced feeling of awe, or state of wonder, may be the best strategy yet for alleviating the discomfort that comes from uncertain waiting.

对于缓解因等待不确定性带来的不适，敬畏或惊奇可能是迄今为止最好的方法。

Kate Sweeny’s research explores the most excruciating form of waiting: the period during which one awaits uncertain news, the outcome of which is beyond one’s control. It’s waiting for news from a biopsy, or whether you aced — or tanked — the exam. That’s distinguished from waiting periods such as when looking for a new job, when you have at least some control over the outcome.

Kate Sweeny的研究探索了最折磨人的等待方式: 等待不确定的消息，其结果超出了自己的控制。如等待活检的结果或者你是否通过了考试。这与你至少对结果有一定掌控的等待是不同的，比如找新工作的时候。

Her research has found some clues for alleviating those difficult periods.

她的研究为缓解这些困难找到了一些线索。

“However, meditation is not for everyone, and it can be difficult to achieve a state of flow when worry is raging out of control,” Sweeny and her team assert in their latest related research, published recently in The Journal of Positive Psychology.

“然而，冥想并不适用于每个人，当焦虑失控时便很难达到流动状态，”Sweeny和她的团队在最近发表在《积极心理学杂志》中的相关研究中断言道。

Sweeny, a professor of psychology at UC Riverside, has discovered what may be the best strategy yet to alleviate the most uncomfortable purgatory of waiting. That is, awe, defined in the research as a state of wonder, a transportive mindset brought on by beautiful music, or a deeply affecting film.

加州大学河滨分校（UC Riverside）心理学教授斯Sweeny发现，敬畏能缓解等待中最令人不舒服的煎熬，这是最好的办法，研究将“敬畏”定义为一种奇妙的状态，一种由优美的音乐或有影响的电影带来的运输心态。

The research drew from two studies, for a total of 729 participants. In the first test, participants took a faux intelligence assessment. In the second test, participants believed they were awaiting feedback on how other study participants perceived them.

该研究来自两次测试，共729人参与。第一次测试，参与者进行了一次假情报评估。第二次测试，参与者等待其他参与者对自己的评估。

In both cases, they watched one of three movies that inspired varying levels of awe. The first was an “awe induction” video, a high-definition video of a sunrise with instrumental music. The second was a positive control video meant to elicit happy feelings, but not awe. The video was of cute animal couples. The third was a neutral video. In this case, about how padlocks are made.

在这两种情况下，他们从三部不同程度激发敬畏感的电影中观赏一部。第一部是“诱使敬畏”视频，一个伴有背景乐的高清日出视频。第二部是一种积极控制视频，目的是引出快乐而非敬畏。视频是对可爱的动物夫妇。第三个是一个中性视频，关于如何挂锁。

Researchers found that those exposed to the awe-induction video experienced significantly greater positive emotion and less anxiety during the period waiting for IQ test results and peer assessments.

研究人员发现，在等待智商测试结果和同伴评估的过程中，那些观看了敬畏视频的人会有更积极的情绪和更少的焦虑。

“Our research shows that watching even a short video that makes you feel awe can make waiting easier, boosting positive emotions that can counteract stress in those moments,” Sweeny said.

Sweeny说：“我们的研究表明，即使观看一段让你感到敬畏的短片也能让等待变得更容易，激发积极的情绪以抵消压力。”

Sweeny said the research can be used to devise strategies for maximizing positive emotion and minimizing anxiety during the most taxing periods of waiting. Because the concept of awe has only received recent attention in psychology, the research also is the first to stress its beneficial effects during stressful waiting periods, opening new opportunities for study.

Sweeny说，这项研究可以用来设计策略，既在最繁重的等待期内，最大限度地提高积极情绪，减少焦虑。由于敬畏的概念在心理学上只是最近才受到关注，所以这项研究也是第一次强调它在紧张的等待期的有益作用，这为研究开辟了新机会。

“Now that we know we can make people feel better through brief awe experiences while they’re waiting in the lab, we can take this knowledge out into the real world to see if people feel less stressed when they watch “Planet Earth” or go to an observatory, for example, while they’re suffering through a difficult waiting period,” Sweeny said.

Sweeny说：“现在我们知道了，当人们在实验室等待的时候，我们可以通过短暂的敬畏体验让他们感觉更好。我们可以把这个知识带到现实世界中去，比如，他们正在经历一个艰难的等待期，通过观察”行星地球“或去天文台，也许会使压力变小。”