Apparently, when fathers display fear and anxiety, kids are most likely to pick up those cues and see dental visits as something to fear.
很显然,当父亲表现出恐惧和焦虑时,孩子很可能接收这些心理暗示,认为看牙医是一件令人恐惧的事情。
Why fathers carry so much weight in influencing how their kids think about the dentist is not clear.
父亲的反应为何很大程度伤影响子女对牙医的看法,原因尚不明确。
At least the study doesn't really offer an explanation.
至少这项研究没有给出合理解释。
But it does suggest that fathers can play an important role in what psychologists called positive emotional contagion.
不过研究表明,父亲在心理学家所说的“积极情绪传染”中扮演着重要的角色。
If fathers' fear of the dentist can contaminate their kids, the opposite might also be true.
如果父亲对牙医的恐惧情绪会传染给孩子,那么反之亦然。
In other words, dads behaving positively and not displaying fear could orient their kids towards not fearing the dentist.
也就是说,父亲积极的、不带恐惧的言行能够引导孩子不再恐惧牙医。
So the researchers call for parents, and fathers in particular, to be involved in dentist fear prevention campaigns.
因此,研究人员呼吁父母,尤其是父亲行动起来,帮助孩子预防牙医恐惧症。