考前化化妝 成績會更好

Women have long known how that extra flick of eyeliner or dash of lipstick can boost their confidence.

女性們一直都知道塗點眼線和脣膏可以幫助她們提高自信。

And now, it seems, it’s also more likely to help them pass exams.

而現在看起來，這還可能幫助她們順利通過考試。

Research shows that women who put on make-up before taking a test achieved ten to 20 percent higher marks than those who did not wear any.

研究發現，考試前化妝的女性比不化妝的女性成績高出10%到20%。

Psychologists say the result could be down to the ‘lipstick effect’, whereby using make-up boosts self-esteem and has a knock-on effect on memory, confidence and mental ability.

心理學家認爲，這是出於“口紅效應”，通過化妝提升自尊心，這對記憶力、自信心和心智能力有連鎖反應。

The study in journal Cogent Psychology involved 200 female undergraduates, all studying the same subject with similar self-esteem, make-up habits and IQs.

研究調查了200名女性本科生，所有人都學習同一科目，自尊心、化妝習慣和智商也類似。研究結果發表在《令人信服的心理學》期刊上。

The women were randomly split into three groups and asked to put on make-up, listen to music, or draw. All then took an exam based on a chapter of a textbook they had just read. Results showed the women who used cosmetics scored an average of 24.2 out of 30, compared to 19.9 and 22 in the other groups.

這些女性被隨機分爲三組，分別被要求化妝、聽音樂和畫畫。之後所有人蔘加考試，總分30分，內容是她們剛剛閱讀過的一章課本內容。結果顯示，化妝的女性平均分爲24.2，另外兩組平均分分別是19.9和22。

The researchers, from Harvard Medical School and Chieti University in Italy, said: ‘Women may use make-up to increase self-esteem by boosting their attractiveness; this makes them feel better during stress. Positive emotions increase information accessible in memory.’

哈佛醫學院和意大利基耶蒂大學的研究人員說：“女性可能會通過化妝來增強自信心，進而提升魅力，這讓她們在壓力之下感覺更好。積極的情緒有助於提高記憶力。”