评论
打印
This episode of SciShow is brought to you by Brilliant. You can go to Brilliant.org/SciShow to learn more.
本期《科学秀》由Brilliant赞助播出。登陆Brilliant.org/SciShow了解更多信息。
It's ooey, it's gooey, and it's oh-so-delicious. It's on some of our favorite dishes, like pizza and nachos,
它黏腻美味，淋在披萨和玉米片等一些我们最喜欢的食物上，
and it can even make our least favorite foods taste better.
即便是最不喜欢的食物沾上了它都会更加美味。
Yes, I'm talking about cheese. Or more specifically, melted cheese
没错，我说的是芝士，更准确的说，是融化了的芝士
because while cheese is delicious, a lot of people think the melted stuff is so much better.
因为虽然芝士很美味，但很多人认为融化的芝士要美味的多。
And that's probably not a coincidence.
这可能不是巧合。
There actually seems to be a scientific reason why people love melted cheese more than solid cheese.
人们为什么喜欢融化的芝士多过固体芝士，这或许是有科学缘由的。
So the next time you're reaching for those nachos, you can blame it on your biology.
所以下次你在吃玉米片的时候，你可以把这归咎于你的生理机能。
According to the research, a lot of this has to do with something called mouthfeel,
根据研究，大部分原因和口感有关，
a term used to describe how food feels in your mouth. It's pretty straightforward.
这个词被用于形容食物在嘴里的感觉。这相当直接了。
And studies suggest that mouthfeel plays a big role in how much we like a certain food,
研究表明口感在我们对某种食物的喜爱程度上起到了重要作用，
and that something's texture can even influence how much of it we eat. Take a study published in 2014.
食物的口感甚至可以影响我们吃多少。以2014年发表的一项研究为例。
In it, researchers ran five experiments where two groups of people ate foods with different textures.
在该研究中，研究人员进行了五项试验，两组人吃不同口感的食物。
In one experiment, they had 83 university students eat either hard or soft brownies while watching advertisements.
在一项实验中，他们让83名大学生边看广告边吃硬的或软的食物。
And the scientists found that the soft brownie group naturally ate more.
科学家发现软布朗尼组的人自然吃得更多。
People don't just have a soft spot for brownies.
人们不仅喜欢布朗尼。
Surveys have found that, when it comes to cheese, we also tend to like things on the softer side.
调查发现，对于芝士，我们也倾向于喜欢比较柔软的一面。
And scientists think there are a couple of reasons why.
科学家认为原因有几个。
One is that we tend to like foods that don't take a lot of work to eat, which kinda makes sense.
一是我们倾向于喜欢不太费工夫咀嚼的食物，这也说得通。
It's way easier to stuff your face with a bunch of soft, fudgy brownies than a bag of rock candy.
用一堆软软的布朗尼填满肚子比一包硬糖容易得多。
But this isn't the whole answer,
但是这不是全部的答案，
because the amount of effort it takes to eat can also be influenced by things like your saliva.
因为吃东西费不费劲也会受到唾液等因素的影响。
For example, some people dissolve starches faster than others
例如，一些人比其他人消化淀粉的速度更快
because their saliva contains more of a protein called salivary amylase.
因为他们的唾液含有更多的蛋白质—唾液淀粉酶。
So something that feels really thick to you might feel more runny to someone else.
所以你觉得厚实的东西，其他人可能会觉得水分多。
Another part of the answer seems to be what the food is made of.
另一个答案似乎是食物的成分。
In general, people probably love the mouthfeel of fatty foods, specifically, ones that go from solid to semi-solid or liquid,
通常，人们可能喜欢高脂肪食物的口感，尤其是那些从固态变成半固态或液态的食物，
like cheese or chocolate because it signals that the food is higher in calories.
如芝士或巧克力，因为这表明食物的卡路里更高。
And since calories are our source of energy, there's an evolutionary advantage to loving foods with lots of them.
由于卡路里是我们能量的来源，喜欢富含卡路里的食物在进化上是有优势的。
Which probably also explains why fatty food is so good at activating the brain's reward system.
这或许也解释了为什么高脂肪食物能很好地激活大脑的奖励系统。
So really, your love of melty cheese might be your body's way of trying to fuel itself.
所以你对融化芝士的喜爱可能是身体补充能量的方式。
Between the calories and the fact that it's just so easy to eat, what's not to love?
介于卡路里和容易吃太多之间，谁不爱呢？
Speaking of things that are easy to consume, have you tried today's Daily Challenge from Brilliant?
说到容易消耗的东西，你做了Brilliant今天的每日挑战题么？
Brilliant is probably best known for its educational courses, but their Daily Challenges are also really good.
Brilliant以其教育性课程而知名，但他们的每日挑战也很棒。
There's a new one every day about a math, science, or computer science topics,
每天更新一道题，有数学、科学或电脑科技题，
and these questions are great for brushing up on your skills between classes or while you are riding the bus home.
这些问题对你在课间或乘车回家时复习技能很有帮助。
And they're totally free. You can do today's Daily Challenge right now,
而且是完全免费的。现在你就可以去完成今天的每日挑战，
and if you want to gain access to the entire archive, you can become a Premium member.
如果你想获得全部挑战题，可以注册成为高级会员。
And conveniently, the first 200 people to sign up at Brilliant.org/SciShow will get 20% off of their annual Premium subscription.
前200名注册Brilliant.org/SciShow的用户可享年度高级会员8折优惠。
So, have at it and thanks for supporting SciShow along the way!
所以开始吧，感谢大家对《科学秀》的一路支持!
