Also apples and probably bingo.

但一天一蘋果或一賓果，醫生也照樣遠離我

Hey everyone, Laci Green here for DNews.

大家好，我是DNews的Laci Green

Prayer is an aged ritual and a nearly universal human behavior.

祈禱是已行之有年的儀式，且幾乎所有人都會祈禱

Nearly 90% of Americans pray regularly and about 60% pray at least once a day.

將近百分之九十的美國人會固定祈禱，約百分之六十的人每天至少祈禱一次

From a psychological perspective, is this a positive thing?

從心理學來看，這是好事嗎？

Religions often convey God as a sort of parent figure-which means, among psychology researchers, God is seen as an ultimate attachment of figure.

心理學家表示，宗教信仰常把神塑造成父母親的形象，神也因此成為最終的依靠

It's well established that our relationship with our parents can determine mental health outcomes

我們都已經知道我們和父母的關係決定了我們的心理健康

and researchers are finding that the nature of religious person's relationship with God may also determine mental health outcomes

而學者更發現，我們對神的宗教信仰，也影響我們的心理健康

In a new study on prayer at Baylor University, people who had a positive attachment to God will believe he'd be there for them to comfort and support them showed fewer symptoms of anxiety.

一項貝勒大學針對祈禱的新研究指出，與神有正像信仰關係的人會相信神就在那裡安慰、支持著我們，也比較少出現焦慮的症狀

They has less irrational worry, stress, self-consciousness, and dread in social situations.

越少無謂的擔心、壓力、自我意識，也較不害怕社會情勢

The researchers say God is seen as a form of emotional support that they can count on.

研究人員表示，此類人將神視為一種可靠的精神支持

People who had an insecure attachment and weren't sure whether or not God would be there experienced more frequent symptoms of anxiety.

而對於與神之間沒有緊密的信仰關係，或是不確定神是否存在的人，比較容易感到焦慮

This builds on earlier research about prayer.

這說法是根據先前關於祈禱的研究

A study in the British Journal of Health and Psychology found that those who pray frequently have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than the general population.

英國健康與心理期刊中一項研究指出，和大眾相比，常祈禱的人較不會感受到焦慮、沮喪

The researchers believe this is because prayer can be used as a form of stress relief-an outlet for relieving fear, anger, and worry.

學者相信這是因為祈禱可以釋放壓力，宣洩恐懼、憤怒和擔憂

Critics fired back, however, claiming that studies have also found bingo contributes to better mental health.

然而，也有人抨擊，表示其他研究也指出賓果亦可促進心理健康

The National Secular Society argues that the key to deep relaxation isn't the praying itself. It's having a community like a church that people can go to and feel a sense of togetherness.

國家世俗協會表示祈禱本身非是完全放鬆的關鍵。令人放鬆的關鍵在於祈禱時像教堂中的群體社區所帶給人們團結一心的感覺

To make things even more interesting, when we look at prayer in a secular context, or in the context of eastern religions,

更有趣的是，如果我們用世俗或東方習俗的角度去看

it's actually quite a lot like meditations.

祈禱其實蠻像冥想

It's a moment of quiet, a chant, a self-affirmation, or a plea.

祈禱是一段讓自我沉靜、唱頌、肯定自我和提出懇求的時間

It's centering on a particular thought and seeking inner calm.

祈禱會圍繞著某一特定的想法，並尋求內心的平靜

Unsurprisingly, studies on meditation, which I've talked about on DNews in the past, also find the same effects-that take you away from anxiety.

過去我曾在節目中提過的冥想研究，不意外地也和祈禱有同樣效果，遠離焦慮

But in the meditation studies, the anxiety relief wasn't contingent on how the person felt about their deity.

但在冥想研究中，焦慮的釋放與跟神的連結強度並沒有關聯

So folks, what do you think about prayer? Has it ever helped you out?

所以大夥們，你們對祈禱有什麼想法嗎？祈禱曾經幫助過你嗎？

Tell me about it down below and I'll see you next time on DNews.

在下面留言告訴我。下次DNews再相會囉！