Are sunny skies overhead the key to a sunny disposition¹? New research from the United Arab Emirates shows a strong link between positive moods and time spent outdoors in sunlight.

我们头顶的晴空是否能助我们获得一个阳光的心情？阿联酋最近的一项研究给出了肯定的回答，正能量与多晒太阳有着很大的关系呢。

"This is just a pilot study and we need larger sample size but we found that behavioral change is associated with mood change and vitamin D status," study co-author Dr. Fatme Al Anouti, an assistant professor in Zayed University's college of sustainability sciences and humanities, told The Huffington Post in an email. "So participants who adopted a more outdoor lifestyle got better in terms of mood and vitamin D status."

“这只是初次研究，我们需要更大的样本。不过我们的确发现心情变化与体内维生素D的含量有关。”本项研究的作者之一 Dr. Fatme Al Anouti 说，他是萨义德大学可持续性自然与人文学院的教授。Dr. Fatme Al Anouti 在一封 email 中告知赫芬顿邮报，“研究参与者中，热衷户外运动的人心情比较好，维生素D的含量也更高。”

For the study, researchers identified 20 individuals with depressive symptoms and low blood levels of vitamin D from a group of more than 100 people. Some of these individuals were encouraged to spend more time in the sun for seven weeks while others were encouraged simply to see a doctor, Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National reported.

根据总部在阿布扎比的 The National 报报道，在这项调查中，调查者从100名参与者中选出了20名有抑郁症状和维生素D含量较低的人。这20人中，一部分鼓励他们在未来的七个星期里多晒太阳，另一部分则只让他们去看医生。

What did the researchers find? The individuals who were encouraged to get more sun "showed less symptoms of depression," Dr. Al Anouti told The National. "In this study we showed that if you improve your vitamin D level, you will improve your mood."

研究者们发现了什么呢？那些被鼓励多晒太阳的人“表现出更少的抑郁症状，” Dr. Al Anouti told 告诉 The National 报纸，“这项研究表明如果你提高体内维生素D的含量，你的心情就会变好。”

Psychologist Dr. Michael Terman, professor at Columbia University and author of the book "Reset² Your Inner Clock," told The Huffington Post in an email that this new research implies the antidepressant benefit comes from exposure to ultraviolte rays that act on the skin to stimulate³ vitamin D production.

哥伦比亚大学教授、《重置你的生物钟》一书的作者、心理学家 Dr. Michael Terman 通过 email 告诉赫芬顿邮报，这项新研究说明：阳光能有抗抑郁的效果，是因为紫外线照射皮肤刺激了维生素D的产出。

But another factor may be at play.

不过另一个因素也可能影响着实验结果。

"The primary antidepressant effect of light must lie in the visible range," he noted⁴. "So the Zayed subjects likely showed improved mood because of increased retinal light exposure rather than increased skin exposure to UV in sunlight."

“阳光的抗抑郁效果必须是在有可见光的情况下才有用。”他注意到，“萨义德研究中的参与者的情绪好转，可能是因为视网膜接收到了阳光，而不是因为皮肤接收了阳光中的紫外线。”

This new study is not the first to suggest a link between mood and vitamin D levels. A 2006 study linked vitamin D deficiency in older adults with lower moods. More recently, research at the Loyola University Chicago Niehoff School of Nursing showed that vitamin D supplements improved the moods of women with type 2 diabetes⁵ and signs of depression.

这项研究并不是第一项指出情绪与维生素D有联系的研究。一项2006年的研究显示，心情不好的老年人通常缺少维生素D。洛约拉大学护理学院最近的一项研究表明，补充维生素D可以使有抑郁症状和Ⅱ型糖尿病的女性情绪好转。