Researchers from the universities of Michigan and California have discovered that just a few minutes' conversation with another person sharpens your mental faculties to a hitherto unsuspected degree. The researchers believe this is the first time such a relationship has been demonstrated.

The subject doesn't even have to be what could be described as mind- improving: rambling on about yesterday's episode of a soap opera seems to be as effective as a weighty conversation about social issues.

They conclude that socialising with a friend or neighbour is as effective in keeping the brain up to scratch as, for example, doing a crossword. Their findings have far-reaching implications for those who find themselves socially isolated – something that, in the present state of our society, is a fast developing trend.

美国密歇根州和加利福尼亚州一些大学的研究人员发现，只需与他人进行几分钟的交谈，你的智力水平就会有所提高，其程度是迄今人们所未曾预料到的。他们相信，这是首次证明此种联系的存在。

甚至，谈话主题不一定非得是所谓改善思维的那种：闲侃上一段昨天看过的肥皂剧情节，与谈论重要的社会问题同样奏效。

研究人员总结称，与朋友或邻居间的社会往来，与做填字游戏具有同等功效，一样可以保持智力水准。在我们当前的社会里，人与人之间日益隔绝。对于那些自感与世隔绝的人而言，上述发现意义深远。