今天还是关于“送礼”

近日，娱乐圈内关于粉丝应援礼物的事情引发热议并持续发酵。

昨天，我们学习了如何在节日季送出真正的“好”礼物，今天，我们接着来看纽约时报（The New York Times）2018年的这篇关于送礼的学问，送礼物真的越重越好吗？

Want Your Gift to Impress? Buy Something Heavy

The 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: “The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.”

He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.

The professor’s work focuses on how our brains perceive the world around us. His research has demonstrated that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to enhance the sweetness in food, and a wine tastes better if it is heralded by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from a heavy glass. He has partnered with chefs like Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal to create multisensory food experiences, and worked with advertising agencies and marketers at many international brands.

So, what’s his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?

①Bulk it up

“We’ve just published research on eating a box of chocolate,” Mr. Spence said. “If you hide a 30-gram (1 ounce) weight in a box of chocolate, that weight translates to a significant increase in perceived quality of the chocolate.”

There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury applies to numerous items including tableware, cutlery, perfume and wine, Mr. Spence said. “That’s why in a restaurant, a sommelier might subtly give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.

②Black is basic

Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said, “it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”

Such luxury cues are learned, rather than innate, so they can change over time. “I’m doing a lot of work on transparency at the moment; premium packaged goods should have a transparent window because it conveys freshness or quality,” he said.

But the trend is recent, the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have opaque packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for authenticity.”

③Layer it on

Unnecessary wrapping can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.

“Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said, “because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”

Consider a squirt of fragrance in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to cover all sensory bases, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.

Engaging several senses at once is beneficial. “The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a hedonic or reward value,” Mr. Spence said. Also, the more stimuli to the senses, the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just behind the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.

④You can go too far

“Engaging one sense is more effective, but you can potentially have an incongruence if that extra sense doesn’t match the others,” the professor said.

He offered as an example the Portuguese denim brand Salsa, which embedded its jeans with microcapsules of perfume chosen to match the color of the item — a lemon scent to match yellow jeans — and to diffuse over time.

“It totally backfired,” said Mr. Spence — who had no part in the project. “It proved too much for consumers.”

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注：中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Want Your Gift to Impress? Buy Something Heavy

送礼的学问：越重越好？

The 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: “The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.”

17世纪的法国悲剧作家皮埃尔·高乃依（Pierre Corneille）写道：“送礼在于送，不在于礼。”

He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.

牛津大学跨模态研究实验室（Crossmodal Research Laboratory）主任查尔斯·斯宾塞（Charles Spence）称，高乃依此话有理。

表示“有道理，说的没错”，英文解释为“One's point of view or opinion makes sense and is worth considering.”举个🌰：

That's true. You have a point there.

没错，你说的很对。

The professor's work focuses on how our brains perceive the world around us. His research has demonstrated that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to enhance the sweetness in food, and a wine tastes better if it is heralded by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from a heavy glass. He has partnered with chefs like Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal to create multisensory food experiences, and worked with advertising agencies and marketers at many international brands.

斯宾塞的研究领域是关于我们的大脑如何感知周遭的世界。他的研究表明，高频声音和弯曲的形状，似乎能增强食物中的甜味；软木塞拔出时的爆裂声和沉重的酒杯，能让葡萄酒口感更佳。他与费朗·阿德里亚（Ferran Adria）和赫斯顿·布卢门撒尔（Heston Blumenthal）等大厨合作，打造多感官的美食体验，此外，与广告公司和众多国际品牌的营销人员也有合作。

1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，英文解释为“to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”举个🌰：

He perceived a tiny figure in the distance.

他注意到远处有个很小的身影。

2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，英文解释为“to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”举个🌰：

How do the French perceive the British?

法国人是如何看待英国人的？

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述比特币的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。

表示“显示；表明”，英文解释为“to show or make make something clear”举个🌰：

These numbers clearly demonstrate the size of the economic problem facing the country.

这些数字清楚表明了该国经济问题的严重程度。

herald /ˈhɛrəld/ 1）作动词，表示“预告；宣传；宣布”，英文解释为“If an important event or action is heralded by people, announcements are made about it so that it is publicly known and expected.”举个🌰：

Her new album has been heralded by a massive media campaign.

她的新唱片已在媒体上进行了大规模的宣传。

2）作动词，表示“预示…的来临”，英文解释为“Something that heralds a future event or situation is a sign that it is going to happen or appear.”如：the sultry evening that heralded the end of the baking hot summer 预示着炙热的夏天即将结束的那个闷热的夜晚。

3）作名词，表示“预兆”，英文解释为“Something that is a herald of a future event or situation is a sign that it is going to happen or appear.”举个🌰：

I welcome the report as a herald of more freedom.

我欢迎这份报告，认为它预示着更多的自由。

📍The Sydney Morning Herald 悉尼先驱晨报

表示“（尤指酒瓶的）软木瓶塞”，英文解释为“a short, cylinder-shaped piece of cork, plastic, or rubber that is put into the top of a bottle, especially a wine bottle, to close it”。

So, what's his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?

那么，如果你想在今年的节日季给人留下个好印象，他有什么建议吗?

①Bulk it up

给重量加码

“We've just published research on eating a box of chocolate,” Mr. Spence said. “If you hide a 30-gram (1 ounce) weight in a box of chocolate, that weight translates to a significant increase in perceived quality of the chocolate.”

“我们刚刚发表了一篇关于吃巧克力的研究报告，”斯宾塞说。“如果你把一个30克（1盎司）的重物藏在一盒巧克力里，能显著改善对巧克力品质的印象。”

除了表示“翻译”，也可以指“转变，变为；转化（尤指将计划变为现实）”，英文解释为“to change something into a new form, especially to turn a plan into something real”举个🌰：

So how does this theory translate into practical policy?

那么如何将这个理论应用于制定现实可行的政策呢？

There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury applies to numerous items including tableware, cutlery, perfume and wine, Mr. Spence said. “That's why in a restaurant, a sommelier might subtly give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.

当然也存在例外，斯宾塞说，不过，体重和奢侈感之间的联系适用于众多物品，包括盘子和刀叉等餐具、香水，以及葡萄酒。“这就是为什么在餐馆里，侍酒师可能会巧妙地把瓶子递到你手里让你掂重的原因。”

sommelier /ˈsʌməlˌjeɪ/ 表示“伺酒师”，英文解释为“someone whose job is to serve and give advice about wine in a restaurant”。

②Black is basic

黑是基本色

Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said, “it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”

黑色是与奢华联系最为紧密的颜色，斯宾塞说，这是因为“它大概是我们认为最重的颜色”。

Such luxury cues are learned, rather than innate, so they can change over time. “I'm doing a lot of work on transparency at the moment; premium packaged goods should have a transparent window because it conveys freshness or quality,” he said.

这种关于奢侈的暗示系后天习得，并非先天就有，所以它们也会随着时间的推移而改变。“目前，我在做透明度方面的研究；高级包装的商品应有一个透明窗口，这就能让新鲜度或品质被看见，”他说。

1）表示“（素质）天生的，与生俱来的”，英文解释为“an innate quality or ability is something you are born with”，举个🌰：

Children have an innate ability to learn language.

儿童学习语言的能力是与生俱来的。

2）表示“（信仰）根深蒂固的”，英文解释为“an innate belief is something you feel strongly about and are unlikely to change”，如：the innate conservatism of the farming community 农业社区固有的保守主义。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述判断力问题的文章中提到：Some people think that good judgment is innate. 有些人认为良好的判断力是与生俱来的。

1）作形容词，表示“高昂的；优质的；高端的”，英文解释为“very high (and higher than usual); of high quality”，如：premium prices/products 奇高的价格；优质产品。

2）作名词，表示“附加费”，英文解释为“A premium is a sum of money that you have to pay for something in addition to the normal cost.”举个🌰：

Even if customers want "solutions," most are not willing to pay a premium for them. 

即使顾客们想要“解决方案”，大部分人不愿意为此支付附加费。

But the trend is recent, the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have opaque packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for authenticity.”

不过，斯宾塞补充道，这种趋势是最近才出现的，因为“传统的奢侈品往往采用不透明的包装。我认为这与当下对真实性（authenticity）的渴望有关。”

opaque /əʊˈpeɪk/ 表示“不透明的；不透光的”，英文解释为“preventing light from travelling through, and therefore not transparent or translucent”如：opaque glass 不透明的玻璃。

表示“真实性；确实性”，英文解释为“the quality of being genuine or true.”

③Layer it on

分层包装

Unnecessary wrapping can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.

过度包装可能是一个环保问题，但在涉及奢侈品时，比如放在展示盒中的葡萄酒，它的确能给人留下深刻的印象。

“Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said, “because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”

“一层层的包装绵纸非常好用，”斯宾塞说，“因为褶皱让人特别有感觉。”

此处作名词，表示“褶痕；皱纹”，英文解释为“a very thin fold or line made on paper, cloth or skin”，也可以作动词，举个🌰：

He shrugged whimsically, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses.

他滑稽地耸了耸肩，眼镜后面的双眼眯了起来。

Consider a squirt of fragrance in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to cover all sensory bases, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.

想想盒子里或者包装里扑鼻的香味吧，如果你想触及所有的感官，还可以想办法在打开礼物时来点古典音乐，因为我们总是把它与品质联系在一起的。

表示“喷出的液体（或气体）”，英文解释为“an amount of liquid or gas that is squirted out”举个🌰：

The door should stop squeaking once I've given it a few squirts of oil.

我给门上点儿油它就不会再嘎吱响了。

上文中提到两个词：perfume和fragrance.

1）perfume表示“香水”，英文解释为“a liquid, often made from flowers, that you put on your skin to make yourself smell nice”，如：a bottle of expensive perfume 一瓶昂贵的香水；还可以指「芳香；香味；馨香」（a pleasant, often sweet, smell）。

2）fragrance /ˈfreɪɡrəns/ 表示“香水”，英文解释为“a liquid that you put on your skin in order to make yourself smell nice”，如：an exciting new fragrance from Dior 迪奥推出的一款令人振奋的新香水；fragrance同样也可以指「香味」（A fragrance is a pleasant or sweet smell.）

Engaging several senses at once is beneficial. “The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a hedonic or reward value,” Mr. Spence said. Also, the more stimuli to the senses, the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just behind the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.

同时触及多种感官是有帮助的。斯宾塞说，“大脑把每种感官的输入综合在一起，这既可以判断是何物，也能决定享乐或者奖励的价值大小。”此外，对感官的刺激越多，眶额皮层（orbitofrontal cortex），也就是眼睛后方一小部分的大脑，就越活跃。那里越活跃，人们就会觉得越有价值。

hedonic /hiːˈdɒn.ɪk/ 表示“快乐的；享乐的”，英文解释为“connected with feelings of pleasure”举个🌰：

Many purchases are related to hedonic impulses.

许多购物行为和享乐冲动有关。

很有意思的一个词，单数 stimulus /ˈstɪmjʊləs/，复数 stimuli /ˈstɪm.jʊ.laɪ/，没错有s的是单数。表示“刺激（物），激励（物）；促进因素”，英文解释为“something that causes growth or activity; something that causes part of the body to react”。

表示“处于…的；位于...的”，英文解释为“in a particular situation; in a particular position”举个🌰：

The school is situated near the park.

该学校位于公园附近。

④You can go too far

当心做得过火

“Engaging one sense is more effective, but you can potentially have an incongruence if that extra sense doesn't match the others,” the professor said.

“触及一种感觉会带来更好的效果，不过，如果这种额外的感觉与其他的感觉不配，就有可能造成不协调，”斯宾塞说。

incongruence /ɪn'kɑŋɡrʊəns/ 表示“不一致；不协调”，英文解释为“the state of not being suitable or not fitting well with something else”。

He offered as an example the Portuguese denim brand Salsa, which embedded its jeans with microcapsules of perfume chosen to match the color of the item — a lemon scent to match yellow jeans — and to diffuse over time.

他以葡萄牙的牛仔服饰品牌Salsa为例，这个品牌在牛仔裤里嵌入了香水微胶囊（microcapsules of perfume），并且与不同的颜色搭配，比如柠檬味搭配黄色牛仔裤，而且它随着时间而慢慢释放。

表示“蓝粗棉布；劳动布；牛仔布”，英文解释为“a type of strong cotton cloth that is usually blue and is used for making clothes, especially jeans”。

📍denims就等同于jeans，指“牛仔裤；工装裤”（clothes made of denim）。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）今年二月份一篇文章就专门介绍了美国牛仔服饰以及牛仔裤品牌李维斯（Levi's），副标题里用到了denim这个词。

表示“嵌入（插入、埋入）”，英文解释为“If an object embeds itself in a substance or thing, it becomes fixed there firmly and deeply.”举个🌰：

One of the bullets passed through his chest before embedding itself in a wall.

其中一颗子弹穿过他的胸膛然后嵌入一面墙中。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述拜登即将面临的经济挑战的文章中提到：as technology becomes more embedded in everyday life and in more industries 随着科技日益嵌入日常生活和更多行业，

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述人类基因组计划的文章中提到：Genomics is now so embedded in biology that it is hard to recall what things were like before it. 基因组学现在已深深根植于生物学，以至于很难回忆起在那之前是什么情形。

表示“（使气体或液体）弥漫，扩散，渗透”，英文解释为“to (cause a gas or liquid to) spread through or into a surrounding substance by mixing with it”举个🌰：

Oxygen diffuses from the lungs into the bloodstream.

氧气从肺部渗透到血液之中。

“It totally backfired,” said Mr. Spence — who had no part in the project. “It proved too much for consumers.”

“这就完全适得其反了，”斯宾塞说（他本人没有参与到这个项目中）。“这对消费者来说，就做得太过了。”

表示“事与愿违，（计划或行动）发生意外，产生事与愿违的结果”，英文解释为“if a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended”，举个🌰：

The company's new policy backfired when a number of employees threatened to quit.

公司的新政策事与愿违，有好几名员工威胁说要辞职。

🎬电影《被拒人生》（Freeheld）中的台词提到：Listen to me, listen to me, this is a circus, it's gonna backfire. 听我说，这有些儿戏了，会适得其反的。

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