But did you know that exercising with friends comes with its own unexpected benefits?

但你是否知道與朋友一起運動會帶來意想不到的好處？

If you're the type of person who likes to go to the gym, put on some headphones and kind of focus on your own thing, this idea might seem a bit strange.

如果你是那種喜歡去健身房戴上耳機專心做自己事情的人，這個想法可能看起來有點奇怪。

What difference could exercising with other people actually make?

與其他人一起運動究竟會有什麼不同？

I feel like it's just so nice to have the support of your friends and your teammates and everything and just having people cheer you on.

我覺得能得到你的朋友、隊友和一切的支持，有人為你加油，真是太好了。

Like everybody cheers behind you and gets behind you goes,

就像每個人都在你身後歡呼並支持你一樣，

"Come on, you can finish it, last 500 meters" and you know, you know you're gonna make it.

「來吧，你能完成最後 500 米」，你知道，你知道你會成功的。

Humans evolved as a social species.

人類作為一個社會物種進化而來。

Being around our friends makes us feel safer and less cautious, and this can change how our bodies respond to exercise.

和朋友在一起讓我們感覺更安全、更不謹慎，這可以改變我們的身體對運動的反應。

Fatigue evolved to protect us from overexertion and injury.

疲勞的進化是為了保護我們免受過度勞累和傷害。

It works like a brake mechanism that tells us when we need to stop, but it also limits our endurance.

它的運作原理就像煞車機制，告訴我們何時需要停下來，但它也限制了我們的耐力。

When our social environment tells us we're safe and supported, our bodies can ease that protective break.

當我們的社會環境告訴我們我們是安全的並且得到支持時，我們的身體可以緩解這種保護性斷裂。

So by making us feel less fatigued and more energized, exercising with family and friends or even just as part of a group can actually boost our physical performance.

因此，透過讓我們感覺不那麼疲勞、更有活力，與家人和朋友一起鍛煉，甚至只是作為團體的一部分鍛煉，實際上可以提高我們的身體表現。

To show this, we ran an experiment with 25 teenage rowers here at the Fulham Reach Boat Club.

為了證明這一點，我們在 Fulham Reach 划船俱樂部對 25 名青少年賽艇運動員進行了一項實驗。

We asked them to row at a set pace for as long as they could in two different social environments.

我們要求他們在兩種不同的社交環境中盡可能長時間地以設定的速度划船。

One was designed to make them feel socially supported and the other was meant to make them feel on their own.

一個旨在讓他們感受到社群的支持，另一個旨在讓他們感到獨立。

We found that those who felt supported got tired less quickly and were able to row for a longer amount of time.

我們發現那些感到受到支持的人不會很快感到疲勞，並且能夠划船更長時間。

You see everyone else are next to you, you can sort of just zone in and realize that you're not the only one and also you have each other cheering you on, of course.

你看到其他人都在你旁邊，你可以集中注意力，意識到你不是唯一的人，當然，你們也有彼此為你加油。

Whilst you're on your own is just really miserable I guess.

我想，當你獨自一人時，真的很痛苦。

In a boat with other people, there's a sense of camaraderie which you don't have in the boat by yourself.

與其他人一起在船上，有一種你自己在船上所沒有的友情感。

But on top of boosting our performance and making our workouts feel a bit easier, there's another major benefit to group exercise.

但除了提高我們的表現和讓我們的運動感覺更輕鬆之外，團體運動還有另一個主要好處。

You kind of have that social aspect, so it kind of gives you a mental health benefit by coming out to the runs.

你有社交方面的特點，所以參加跑步對你的心理健康有好處。

I think the social activity, I mean, I've got so many friends now because of it and I think that's that's one of the big bonuses.

我認為社交活動，我的意思是，因為它，我現在有了很多朋友，我認為這是最大的好處之一。

And do a run in a coffee and cake afterwards, so it's just... it's great.

然後跑步完後喝杯咖啡，吃點蛋糕，所以……這太棒了。

Scientific research is beginning to show that the more we exercise with our friends, the closer we feel to them.

科學研究開始表明，我們與朋友一起運動得越多，我們與他們的感覺就越親密。

Evolutionary anthropologists call this social bonding.

進化人類學家稱之為社會連結。

This happens because our bodies release chemical messengers called endorphins and endocannabinoids during exercise which make us feel happy and content.

發生這種情況是因為我們的身體在運動過程中釋放出稱為內啡肽和內源性大麻素的化學信使，這讓我們感到快樂和滿足。

You might have heard people saying they give us a runner's high.

你可能聽過人們說他們讓我們感到跑步者的興奮。

This natural high can help us be more positive and in tune with the people we're exercising with and this helps us feel closer and more connected to one another.

這種自然的興奮感可以幫助我們變得更加積極，並與一起運動的人保持一致，這有助於我們感覺彼此之間更加親密和聯繫。

And it turns out these social connections don't just disappear after exercise.

事實證明，這些社交連結並不會在運動後消失。

We followed over 50 teams of teenagers who took part in a challenge which required them to navigate a difficult 50-mile course over two days.

我們追蹤了 50 多支青少年團隊，他們參加了一項挑戰，要求他們在兩天內完成 50 英里的艱難路線。

Teams who reported working together and supporting one another said they felt closer and more connected when they finished.

那些表示一起工作並互相支持的團隊表示，當他們完成任務時，他們感覺更加親密、關係更加緊密。

What we found really interesting was that these feelings of social connection positively impacted their mental well-being a whole week after the event.

我們發現真正有趣的是，這些社交連結的感覺在活動結束後整整一周對他們的心理健康產生了積極的影響。

Again and again, studies have shown that social relationships are really important for our overall health.

研究一次又一次表明，社會關係對我們的整體健康非常重要。

When we feel lonely, we get more stressed, and this fight-or-flight response is our body's way of protecting itself from the dangers our ancestors faced when they were alone.

當我們感到孤獨時，我們會承受更大的壓力，而這種「戰鬥或逃跑」反應是我們的身體保護自己免受祖先獨處時所面臨的危險的方式。

But in the modern world, this stress response can be a bit counterproductive.

但在現代世界，這種壓力反應可能會適得其反。

And when loneliness causes us to feel chronically stressed, it can be harmful to our long-term health.

當孤獨使我們長期感到壓力時，可能會對我們的長期健康有害。

One study even found that lacking social connection can be as dangerous for our health as smoking cigarettes.

一項研究甚至發現，缺乏社交連結對我們的健康造成的危害與吸菸一樣。

So by exercising together, we're helping to build the social relationships we need to live happy and healthy lives.

因此，透過一起運動，我們正在幫助建立幸福健康生活所需的社會關係。

When I'm here, I'm not stressed about exams.

當我在這裡時，我不會因為考試而感到壓力。

I'm not stressed about like all of other things I have like it's just rowing and I'm just here with my friends.

我並不會因為其他所有事情一樣有壓力，只有划船，我只是和朋友們在一起。

But what happens if you don't have family and friends nearby?

但如果你附近沒有家人和朋友怎麼辦？

Maybe you've just moved or maybe you can be a bit shy and you're not sure where to meet people.

也許你剛搬家，或者你可能有點害羞，不確定在哪裡認識人。

It turns out there are a lot of exercise groups and clubs that are happy to get new members, even if you're just getting started.

事實證明，有很多健身團體和俱樂部很樂意吸收新成員，即使你是新手。

In fact, some are even specifically for beginners.

事實上，有些甚至是專門針對初學者的。

I found the group on Facebook and it was set up as an event.

我在 Facebook 上找到了這個小組，並將其設定為一個活動。

So I just kept going. I was really nervous about it going for the first time worried about meeting new people, but they were so welcoming.

所以我就繼續前進。我第一次去真的很緊張，擔心認識新朋友，但他們非常熱情。

That wasn't really a thing to worry about, really.

這真的不是一件值得擔心的事。

And if you can't do intense exercise, finding a partner to go on light walks with can also have positive effects on your health.

如果你無法進行劇烈運動，找伴侶散步也可以對你的健康產生積極影響。

In fact, any kind of physical activity that we can do in collaboration with other people So things like dancing gardening or singing can help us move more and feel more socially connected

事實上，我們可以與其他人合作進行任何類型的體育活動，例如園藝舞蹈或唱歌等活動可以幫助我們更多地活動並感受到更多的社交聯繫

Public health experts have described rising levels of physical inactivity and loneliness as two new epidemics that are harming our physical and mental health.

公共衛生專家將日益嚴重的缺乏身體活動和孤獨感描述為兩種新的流行病，正在損害我們的身心健康。

It turns out that exercising together or even just being active with other people might help to cure both.

事實證明，一起鍛煉，甚至只是與其他人一起運動，可能有助於治愈這兩種疾病。

Thanks for watching.

感謝觀看。

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