Chaps, if you’re dreading the prospect of following your better half for hours to trawl the Boxing Day sales, this will be welcome news. 亲们，如果你也担心自己的理智不够坚定，不足以让你在数小时的节礼日采购中保持冷静和理智，你也许会喜欢下面的这个消息。
小编注： Boxing Day是西方的节礼日，即 12月 26日，圣诞节之后的第二天日。通常英国商家都会在这一天开始打折，因此这天也是人们抢购便宜商品的好时机。
For it turns out the most effective shopping sprees are the snappiest ones– with our ability to spot a bargain dropping off significantly after less than half an hour. 研究证明，在购物狂潮中动作最快的人才是最会买东西的人。——我们讨价还价的能力在不到半小时的时间内就会明显降低。
According to experts, the rational part of the brain begins to shut down after just 23 minutes on average when comparing deals. 专家研究显示，平均而言，人们大脑中进行数理运算的部分（我们在购物中正是运动这部分大脑）在短短 23分钟后就会暂停运转。
The speed at which our cognitive abilities switch off was revealed in tests on 400 people who were placed in a£ 3 million 20 - tonne medical MRI scanner. 为了研究我们大脑感知能力停滞的速度，专家对 400名实验参与者进行了研究。这 400位实验参与者在一部价值三百万英镑重达 20公吨的核磁共振扫描仪上接受了检查。
It found the higher brain functions in the pre-frontal cortex initially give us the edge when hunting for bargains. 研究发现，在人们购物时，依靠的是前额叶皮层产生的高级脑功能。
But relying on it for long periods is tiring, causing us to revert to more primitive parts of the brain, like the insular cortex, which are no good when it comes to judging value for money. 但是前额叶皮层长时间工作会产生疲劳，使我们更多的倚靠大脑中构造较为简单的部分，例如岛叶皮层，这样人们揣度商品价值的能力因而降低。
The good news for committed shoppers is a so-called‘ soft break’– a few minutes rest grabbing a coffee, for example - can reinvigorate our senses, although only temporarily. 对于那些热衷购物的人来说，好消息是，稍事休息一下——比如花几分钟喝杯咖啡——可以使我们的感官重新振作，虽然这仅是暂时的。
