家长必读：孩子在学校受欢迎的秘诀

　　The secret of the popular kids: Researchers find 'mind reading' abilities make children more likeable

　　在学校受欢迎的秘诀：研究人员发现，拥有“读心术”能力会让孩子更受欢迎。

　　It's not about wearing the latest fashion or being on the football team; the secret to being popular at school is 'mind reading'.

　　在学校穿最时髦的衣服或者加入足球队都不能使你左右逢源，而“读心”术便可以做到。

　　This is according to an Australian study that found popular children are better at knowing what others want, think and feel.

　　这一结论来自于澳大利亚的一项研究，该研究发现受欢迎孩子更善于知道别人想要什么，在想什么以及有什么感觉。

　　The same goes for pre-schoolers and young adults, suggesting that empathy is one of the most important skills for becoming part of the 'cool crowd'

　　这一情况在学龄前儿童和青少年中也同样适用，这表明想成为“酷派人群”中的一员，移情是最重要的技能之一。

　　'Our study suggests that understanding others' mental perspectives may facilitate the kind of interactions that help children become or remain popular,' said Virginia Slaughter, professor of psychology at the University of Queensland.

　　昆士兰大学的心理学教授Virginia Slaughter说：“我们的研究表明，了解别人心里的想法会促进彼此间的互动，从而帮助孩子们变得或者一直受欢迎。”

　　The ability to find out what other people are thinking and feeling is called 'theory of the mind' and helps people distinguish, for instance, between sarcasm and insult.

　　感知别人的想法和感觉的能力被称为“心理理论”，比如，它会帮助人们区分讽刺和侮辱。

　　While individual studies have shown an association with popularity in the past, this research looked across the findings of 20 different studies.

　　尽管过去一些个体研究已经显示“读心术”和受欢迎度的关系，但此次研究纵观了20项不同研究的结论。

　　Together, the studies included 2,096 children from two to 10 years old from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.

　　该研究的对象包括来自亚洲、澳大利亚、欧洲和北美洲的2096名年龄在2岁到10岁之间的儿童。

　　As well as finding an overall link between children's abilities to empathize and their popularity, the study found that this connection was similar for pre-schoolors and for older children.

　　除了发现孩子的移情能力和受欢迎度之间的普遍联系外，该研究还发现在学龄前儿童和年纪较大的孩子身上也同样存在着类似的关系。

　　This suggests that understanding others' mental perspectives is important both for making friends in the early school years and for maintaining friendships as children grow older.

　　这就表明，无论是想在早期学生时代交朋友，还是想在长大后保持友谊，了解别人心里的想法都是很重要的。

　　The study also found that the link was weaker for boys than girls, perhaps reflecting gender differences in how children relate to each other.

　　该研究还发现，对男孩来说，两者之间的关系没有女孩那么紧密，这或许也反映出孩子们交往中的性别差异。

　　For example, girls' friendships often have higher levels of intimacy and the need to resolve conflicts more often, which may mean that their interactions require more sensitivity.

　　举个例子，女孩子之间的友谊通常更亲密无间，也更常需要解决彼此间的矛盾，这就意味着他们之间在交往时需要保持更高的敏锐性。

　　'Our findings suggest that training children to be sensitive to others' thoughts and feelings may improve their relationships with peers,' Professor Slaughter said.

　　Slaughter教授说：“我们的研究发现表明，训练孩子敏锐地觉察到其他人的想法和感受有利于改善他们和同龄人之间的关系。”

　　'This may be particularly important for children who are struggling with friendship issues, such as children who are socially isolated.'

　　“这对那些纠结于友谊问题的孩子来说尤其重要，比如那些被孤立的孩子们。”

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