Women have long known how that extra flick of eyeliner or dash of lipstick can boost their confidence.

女性们一直都知道涂点眼线和唇膏可以帮助她们提高自信。

And now, it seems, it’s also more likely to help them pass exams.

而现在看起来，这还可能帮助她们顺利通过考试。

Research shows that women who put on make-up before taking a test achieved ten to 20 percent higher marks than those who did not wear any.

研究发现，考试前化妆的女性比不化妆的女性成绩高出10%到20%。

Psychologists say the result could be down to the ‘lipstick effect’, whereby using make-up boosts self-esteem and has a knock-on effect on memory, confidence and mental ability.

心理学家认为，这是出于“口红效应”，通过化妆提升自尊心，这对记忆力、自信心和心智能力有连锁反应。

The study in journal Cogent Psychology involved 200 female undergraduates, all studying the same subject with similar self-esteem, make-up habits and IQs.

研究调查了200名女性本科生，所有人都学习同一科目，自尊心、化妆习惯和智商也类似。研究结果发表在《令人信服的心理学》期刊上。

The women were randomly split into three groups and asked to put on make-up, listen to music, or draw. All then took an exam based on a chapter of a textbook they had just read. Results showed the women who used cosmetics scored an average of 24.2 out of 30, compared to 19.9 and 22 in the other groups.

这些女性被随机分为三组，分别被要求化妆、听音乐和画画。之后所有人参加考试，总分30分，内容是她们刚刚阅读过的一章课本内容。结果显示，化妆的女性平均分为24.2，另外两组平均分分别是19.9和22。

The researchers, from Harvard Medical School and Chieti University in Italy, said: ‘Women may use make-up to increase self-esteem by boosting their attractiveness; this makes them feel better during stress. Positive emotions increase information accessible in memory.’

哈佛医学院和意大利基耶蒂大学的研究人员说：“女性可能会通过化妆来增强自信心，进而提升魅力，这让她们在压力之下感觉更好。积极的情绪有助于提高记忆力。”