Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family? That simple question is the basis for a growing new area of psychological research called self-compassion-how kindly people view themselves. People who find ( 1 ) be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, criticizing themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising. The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and ( 2 ) be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight.

This idea does seem at odds with the advice provided by many doctors and self-help books, which suggest that willpower and self-discipline are the keys to better health. But self-compassion is not to be confused with self-indulgence or lower standards. The biggest reason people aren't more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they'll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.

Imagine your reaction to a child struggling in school or eating too much junk food. Many parents would offer support, like tutoring or making an effort to find healthful foods the child will enjoy. But when adults find themselves in a similar situation- struggling at work, or overeating and gaining weight-many ( 3 ) a cycle of self-criticism and negativity. That leaves them feeling ( 4 ) motivated to change. Self-compassion is really good for motivation. The reason you don't let your children eat five big tubs of ice cream is because you care about them. With self-compassion, if you care about yourself, you do what's healthy for you rather than what's harmful to you. The field is still new and a controlled study is just starting to determine ( 5 ) teaching self-compassion actually leads to lower stress, depression and anxiety and more happiness and life satisfaction. The problem is that it's hard to unlearn habits of a lifetime. People have to actively and consciously develop the habit of self-compassion.

1. 空所( 1 )～( 5 )に入る語句を(a)～(f)から選びなさい。ただし、使わない語句がひとつある。
   • (a) even less
   • (b) fall into
   • (c) it easy to
   • (d) regard as
   • (e) tend to
   • (f) whether
2. 下線部の冒頭にあるThis ideaの内容を具体的に示して、下線部を和訳しなさい。