Scientists have raised the stakes in the battle of the sexes over office air conditioning by discovering women’s brains work better at higher temperatures.
科学家发现女性的大脑在室温较高时能更好地工作。这一研究结果恐怕会引发办公室空调的两性之争。
Men, on the other hand, work better when the temperature is cooler, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One.
根据发表在《科学公共图书馆·综合》期刊上的这项研究，当温度较低时，男性能更好地工作。
The study, conducted in Germany, tested the ability of 500 men and women to perform a series of tasks at a variety of temperatures.
这项在德国开展的研究测试了500名男性和女性在各种温度下执行一系列任务的能力。
At higher temperatures, women perform better on maths and verbal tasks while the reverse is true for men.
在较高的温度下，女性做数学题和文字题时表现更好，男性则正好相反。
For women, the increase in performance while working in warmer temperatures was “significantly larger” than the decrease in male performance.
对女性而言，较高室温所带来的工作效率提高的幅度比男性工作效率下降的幅度“明显更大”。
"Our findings suggest that gender mixed workplaces may be able to increase productivity by setting the thermostat higher than current standards,” the study found.
研究发现，“男女混合的工作场所中或许可以通过调高室温来提高工作效率”。
thermostat['θɝməstæt]: n. 恒温器；自动调温器
The findings are cold comfort to women who have to carry extra layers – jumpers, shawls, socks, even blankets – to keep warm in their offices.
对于要在办公室使用额外的保暖衣物——套头衫、围巾、袜子甚至毯子的女性而言，这一研究结果只是一个无用的安慰。
cold comfort: 无用安慰；不起作用的安慰
And perhaps it explains why men wearing suits and ties are determined to plunge their offices into an ice age.
不过，这项研究或许可以解释为什么那些穿西装打领带的男士决心让办公室温度降到冰点。
According to an earlier study published in Nature Climate Change, women are suited to an average office temperature about 3C warmer than men. The study found that women had a significantly lower metabolic rate than men. Men are comfortable – neither sweating nor shivering – at about 22C. Women, on the other hand, find that a bit chilly.
早前一项发表在《自然气候变化》上的研究指出，女性所适合的办公室平均温度大约比男性高3度。该研究发现，女性的代谢速率明显低于男性。男性在室温22度左右时感觉很舒适，既不会流汗也不会发抖，而女性则会觉得22度有点冷。
Another study from 2004 found that people working in warmer conditions – 25C, as opposed to 22C – make fewer typing mistakes and have increased productivity.
2004年的另一项研究还发现，当人们在较温暖的25度，而不是22度的，室温下工作时，发生的打字错误更少，工作效率更高。
综上所述，办公室的空调温度应该谁说了算，再明白不过了！
