听到尖叫为什么会恐惧？
What All the Screaming Is about
听到尖叫为什么会恐惧？
An analysis of the acoustical characteristics of screams found that the sounds are unusually rough, that is, they rapidly change in frequency, which has an alarming effect on the listener's brain
一项对尖叫声的声学分析显示，人的尖叫声通常很嘈杂，也就是说，它们会快速的改变频率，从而引起其他人大脑的警觉。
撰文/播音 凯伦·霍普金（Karen Hopkin）
翻译 李轩
[Scream sound]
[尖叫声]
Got your attention? Thought so. But what is it about a piercing shriek that really turns our heads? It’s what it does to our brains. The acoustical properties of the human scream poke at the neural circuits that control fear. That’s according to a study in the journal Current Biology. [Luc H. Arnal et al, Human Screams Occupy a Privileged Niche in the Communication Soundscape]
你是否有毛毛的感觉呢？我想是的。尖叫声为什么会引起我们的注意？答案就在我们大脑中。根据《现代生物学》上一项研究，人类尖叫声的声学特性会激活控制恐惧的大脑回路。
Our every waking moment is filled with noise, from planes flying overhead to various creatures scrambling underfoot. But a heartfelt cry can cut through all that. So what’s so special about the sound of a screech?
每天我们起床时，周围都会一片嘈杂，天上有飞机飞行的声音，地上有各种生命行进的声音。但是一声钻心的尖叫会盖过所有的噪音。是什么让尖叫如此特别？
To find out, researchers prepared a sampler of screams from YouTube videos, popular films and excited volunteers. [Wilhelm Scream sound] If that screech sounded familiar, that’s because it’s the famous Wilhelm Scream, a stock sound effect heard in everything from Bugs Bunny to Star Wars.
为了弄清楚原因，研究人员从油管视频、热门电影以及兴奋的志愿者采集了尖叫样本。[威廉的尖叫声]你是否觉得这声尖叫很熟悉？这是著名的“威廉尖叫”，从《兔八哥》到《星球大战》，你都会听到这个音效。
The scientists analyzed the acoustical characteristics of the various screams. And they found these alarming sounds are not only loud, they’re particularly rough. That is, they rapidly change in frequency. Normal speech is relatively smooth, with frequencies ranging only between four and five Hertz, or cycles per second. But a shriek can swiftly fluctuate between 30 and 150 Hertz—a range that can make your hair stand on end.
科学家分析了不同尖叫的声学性质。他们发现这些令人警惕的声音不仅声响巨大，而且异常嘈杂，即这些声音的频率变化得非常快。讲话的声音一般相对较平滑，频率的变化在4到5赫兹之间，或者呈周期变化。但是尖叫的频率会快速波动，变化频率达30到150赫兹，这个变化频率会让我们的头发竖起来。
When the researchers asked people to rate how frightening screams were, they found that more roughness meant more terrifying. And increasing roughness of the sound corresponded to greater activation of the fear center of the brain.
研究人员让志愿者为尖叫的可怕程度打分。他们发现，频率变化越快的尖叫声，越让人觉得可怕。频率变化越快，则大脑的恐惧中枢越活跃。
Only one other noise scored as high as screams in terms of roughness [car alarm sound]. Which, ironically, is enough to make you [scream sound].
只有一种声音的能与尖叫匹敌，那就是警车的警报声。这种声音也足够让你尖叫。
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京ICP备11000850号-1
京公网安备11010502039775号 信息网络传播视听节目许可证0111611号
国家科技基础条件平台