【湖说随身英语】高空飞行对情绪的影响

1. I can’t help but 我情不自禁地，我忍不住 2. well up （眼泪）涌出 well v. 3. cabin 飞机的客舱；轮船上的隔间 4. trashy 质量低劣的 5. crooner 情歌歌手（通常指男歌手） a male singer who sings slow romantic songs 6. get this （固定搭配）听听这个 7. bury 埋藏 8. heightened emotions 高亢的情绪 9. tap into 进入，深入了解 10. invest 投入 11. altitude 海拔高度 12. euphoria [juː'fɔːriə] 亢奋，异常兴奋 joy/rapture 13. culprit 罪魁祸首 a person who has done sth. wrong or against the law criminal / offender 罪犯 14. tearjerker 催人泪下的电影（书、戏剧等） tear jerk 15. firepower 火力 16. tongue-in-cheek 开玩笑地 tongue 舌头 cheek 脸颊 not intended seriously; done or said as a joke 17. isolated 隔离的，孤独的 18. emotional state 情绪状态 19. sucker 容易上当受骗的人 it sucks 糟透了 20. cocktail 混合物，鸡尾酒 I’ll let you into a secret. There’s a place that gets me every time: whenever I’m there, I can’t help but well up. Where is this tear-inducing location? It’s thousands of metres high in the sky, in the cabin of an aeroplane. Especially when there’s a trashy romantic comedy on. Why am I admitting this now? Because apparently, I’m not alone. English crooner Ed Sheeran confesses to getting all emotional when flying too. And get this: a survey carried out by Gatwick Airport in London found that 15% of men confess they’re more likely to cry during films in planes than watching at home. And 41% of men owned up to burying themselves in the blankets to hide their tears in a separate survey by Virgin Atlantic. In all, 55% of air travellers in the Virgin study claimed they experience heightened emotions when flying. So, what’s going on? How does air travel tap into our hidden emotions? A study from the Netherlands has shown adults cry due to feelings of separation, loneliness or powerlessness. All of these are easily experienced when flying: you’re far from family, often alone, and have no control over the aircraft’s flight. Another theory relates to the lack of distraction. When you’re strapped into your seat in a sealed cabin in the sky, there’s not a lot you can do. So we are able to invest ourselves more fully into the movies we watch. Then there’s the physical space. Air pressure and oxygen levels are lower, and this can affect our mental state. Conditions in an aeroplane resemble those at an altitude of 2,400m. The reduced oxygen at this height can affect the brain. According to a study by the US Institute of Medicine: “the initial mood experienced at altitude is euphoria, followed by depression.” And what about the movies themselves? Virgin say top culprits include tearjerkers such as Billy Elliot, Eat Pray Love and, at number one position, Toy Story 3. Their emotional firepower even caused the aeroplane to slap tongue-in-cheek “emotional health warnings” on select movies back in 2011. Virgin Atlantic film critic Jason Solomons said at the time, "On a flight, we're isolated, leaving loved ones or aching to be reunited with them. We're nervous, we're tired, we might have had a drink at a time we usually wouldn't, and if we see an image, a scene that reflects our emotional state, frankly we're suckers. Flying and films is a heady cocktail.