TED英語演講：減肥怎麼就你堅持不下去

為何有些人在減肥這件事上比別人更苦惱?社會心理學家Emily為我們展示了她的研究，揭示了眾多原因之一：視覺。在這個啟發性的演講中，她展示了在健身這件事上，為何有些人眼中的世界就是和別人不一樣——也提供了一個格外簡單的辦法來克服這些難題。下面是小編為大家收集關於TED英語演講：減肥怎麼就你堅持不下去，歡迎借鑑參考。

演説者：Emily Balcetis

演説題目：減肥，怎麼就你堅持不下去?

中英對照演講稿

Vision is the most important and prioritized sense that we have. We are constantly looking at the world around us, and quickly we identify and make sense of what it is that we see.

視覺是我們所有感覺中最重要和最優先的。我們在不停地注視着周圍的一切，並且快速的識別和分析我們所看到的事物。

Let's just start with an example of that very fact. I'm going to show you a photograph of a person, just for a second or two, and I'd like for you to identify what emotion is on his face. Ready? Here you go. Go with your gut reaction. Okay. What did you see?

讓我先舉一個例子來説明這個事實。我會讓你們花幾秒鐘時間來觀看一個人的照片，並且請你們辨別出這個人的表情所代表的情緒。準備好了嗎?就是這張，跟隨你們的第一感覺，好了，你們看到了什麼?事實上我們調查了一百二十多個人，而調查結果很複雜。人們在所看到的情緒上面並沒有達成共識。

Well, we actually surveyed over 120 individuals, and the results were mixed. People did not agree on what emotion they saw on his face. Maybe you saw discomfort. That was the most frequent response that we received.

可能你看到了不安，這是我們收到的最常見的回答。但是如果你問問你左邊的人，他們也許會説是遺憾或者懷疑。

But if you asked the person on your left, they might have said regret or skepticism, and if you asked somebody on your right, they might have said something entirely different, like hope or empathy. So we are all looking at the very same face might see something entirely different, because perception is subjective. What we think we see is actually filtered through our own mind's eye.

如果問的是右邊的人，他們的回答可能又完全不同，比如説希望或者同情。那麼我們現在再回到這張照片。我們可能會看到完全不同的東西。因為感覺是主觀的，我們認為自己所看到的東西事實上是經過我們思維的視角過濾過的。

Of course, there are many other examples of how we see the world through own mind's eye. I'm going to give you just a few. So dieters, for instance, see apples as larger than people who are not counting calories. Softball players see the ball as smaller if they've just come out of a slump, compared to people who had a hot night at the plate. And actually, our political beliefs also can affect the way we see other people, including politicians.

當然，還有很多其他例子能證明我們是如何通過主觀思維的視角觀察世界的。再舉幾個這樣的例子。比如説，節食者眼中的蘋果會比不節食的人眼中的更大。當壘球運動員從他的低迷狀態中恢復的時候，相比起那些手感火熱的運動員會感覺球更小。事實上，我們的政治信仰也會影響我們觀察其他人，包括政治家。

So my research team and I decided to test this question. In 20xx, Barack Obama was running for president for the very first time, and we surveyed hundreds of Americans one month before the election. What we found in this survey was that some people, some Americans, think photographs like these best reflect how Obama really looks.

所以我和我的研究團隊決定探索這個問題。在20xx年，巴拉克-奧巴馬正在第一次競選總統。我們在選舉開始前一個月，調查了幾百名美國人。研究表明一些人，一些美國公民認為這樣的照片展現了奧巴馬最真實的一面。

Of these people, 75 percent voted for Obama in the actual election. Other people, though, thought photographs like these best reflect how Obama really looks. 89 percent of these people voted for McCain.

這些人中的75%在選舉中投票給了奧巴馬。但是其他的人認為在這些照片中奧巴馬看起來更真實，他們中的89%投票給了麥凱恩。

We presented many photographs of Obama one at a time, so people did not realize that what we were changing from one photograph to the next was whether we had artificially lightened or darkened his skin tone.

我們把許多奧巴馬的照片每次逐張地展示，所以人們並沒有意識到，在這些照片中我們只是人為地調亮或調暗了他的膚色。

So how is that possible? How could it be that when I look at a person, an object, or an event, I see something very different than somebody else does? Well, the reasons are many, but one reason requires that we understand a little bit more about how our eyes work. So vision scientists know that the amount of information that we can see at any given point in time, what we can focus on, is actually relatively small.

那麼這是為什麼呢?為什麼當我觀察一個人，一個物體或一個事件的時候，我所看到的與其他人非常不同呢?原因有很多。其中的一個要求我們瞭解一些眼睛的工作原理。視覺科學家們知道我們的視覺在任意給定時刻所掌握的信息量，我們所能聚焦的範圍其實是很少的。

What we can see with great sharpness and clarity and accuracy is the equivalent of the surface area of our thumb on our outstretched arm. Everything else around that is blurry, rendering much of what is presented to our eyes as ambiguous.

我們在保證較高的鋭利度，清晰度和準確度下所能看到的範圍，等同於把胳膊伸直時大拇指那麼大，這片區域周圍的一切都是模糊的，導致大部分呈現在眼中的事物都是模糊的。

But we have to clarify and make sense of what it is that we see,and it's our mind that helps us fill in that gap. As a result, perception is a subjective experience, and that's how we end up seeing through our own mind's eye.

但是我們必須進行辨認，以識別出我們看到的是什麼。這時大腦就會幫助我們填補缺失的信息，結果就是，感覺變得很主觀，這就是我們如何通過思維的視角進行觀察的。

So, I'm a social psychologist, and it's questions like these that really intrigue me. I am fascinated by those times when people do not see eye to eye. Why is it that somebody might literally see the glass as half full, and somebody literally sees it as half empty?

我是一個社會心理學家，所以這樣的問題會讓我非常感興趣。每當人們看到的東西不一樣時，我都會覺得非常有趣。為什麼有的人看一個杯子會認為它是半滿的?而另一些人會把它當成半空的?

What is it about what one person is thinking and feeling that leads them to see the world in an entirely different way? And does that even matter? So to begin to tackle these questions, my research team and I decided to delve deeply into an issue that has received international attention: our health and fitness.

到底是什麼使得一個人所看到和感覺到的讓他們從完全不同的角度觀察這個世界呢?這真的很重要嗎?那麼為了回答這個問題，我和我的研究團隊決定更加深入研究一個引起了國際關注的問題：我們的健康和健身。

Across the world, people are struggling to manage their weight, and there is a variety of strategies that we have to help us keep the pounds off. For instance, we set the best of intentions to exercise after the holidays, but actually, the majority of Americans find that their New Year's resolutions are broken by Valentine's Day. We talk to ourselves in very encouraging ways, telling ourselves this is our year to get back into shape, but that is not enough to bring us back to our ideal weight.

全世界的人都在為了控制體重而奮鬥。並且有許多不同的方式可以幫助我們減輕體重。例如我們會寄希望於在節假日之後進行鍛鍊。但事實上，大部分美國人都會遺憾的發現他們的新年變革之夢在情人節的時候就磨滅了。我們會告訴自己並鼓勵自己説，今年就是我們成功恢復體型的時候。但是這並不足以使我們真的恢復理想體重。

So why? Of course, there is no simple answer, but one reason, I argue, is that our mind's eye might work against us. Some people may literally see exercise as more difficult, and some people might literally see exercise as easier.

那麼為什麼呢?當然了，答案很複雜。但是我認為，其中一個原因，是我們的思維視角可能會阻礙我們的努力。有些人可能會認為鍛鍊是個相當困難的過程，而有些人則會認為它其實很容易。

So, as a first step to testing these questions, we gathered objective measurements of individuals' physical fitness. We measured the circumference of their waist, compared to the circumference of their hips. A higher waist-to-hip ratio is an indicator of being less physically fit than a lower waist-to-hip r gathering these measurements, we told our participants that they would walk to a finish line while carrying extra weight in a sort of race.

所以，為了解決這些問題，首先我們為人們的體型狀況找出了客觀的生理指標。我們測量了他們的腰圍，並將之與他們的臀圍做對比。較高的腰臀比與較低的腰臀比相比，健康狀況更不理想。得到了這些測量數據之後，我們要求我們的研究對象帶着負重走向一條終點線，就像賽跑那樣。

But before they did that, we asked them to estimate the distanceto the finish line. We thought that the physical states of their body might change how they perceived the distance. So what did we find? Well, waist-to-hip ratio predicted perceptions of distance.

但是在他們開始之前，我們讓他們估計到終點線的距離。我們認為他們的身體狀況可能會影響他們對距離的估計。我們發現了什麼呢?事實上，腰臀比預示了他們對距離的估測。

People who were out of shape and unfit actually saw the distance to the finish line as significantly greater than people who were in better shape. People's states of their own body changed how they perceived the environment. But so too can our mind. In fact, our bodies and our minds work in tandem to change how we see the world around us.

與體型狀況更好的人相比那些身材走型的人，會認為到終點的距離更遠。人們的身體狀況影響了他們觀察環境的方式。但我們的大腦也可以。事實上，我們的身體和大腦會共同影響我們對世界的觀察。

That led us to think that maybe people with strong motivations and strong goals to exercise might actually see the finish line as closer than people who have weaker motivations. So to test whether motivations affect our perceptual experiences in this way, we conducted a second study. Again, we gathered objective measurements of people's physical fitness, measuring the circumference of their waist and the circumference of their hips, and we had them do a few other tests of fitness.

這使得我們想到或許那些有強烈動機去運動的人們，相比起動機較弱的人們會認為終點線更近。所以為了測試動機是否會這樣影響我們的觀察，我們進行了第二項研究。我們又一次收集了人們體型狀況的測量數據，包括了他們的腰圍和臀圍，我們還讓他們做了其他健康狀況的測試。

Based on feedback that we gave them, some of our participants told us they're not motivated to exercise any felt like they already met their fitness goals and they weren't going to do anything else. These people were not motivated. Other people, though, based on our feedback, told us they were highly motivated to exercise. They had a strong goal to make it to the finish line. But again, before we had them walk to the finish line, we had them estimate the distance. How far away was the finish line?

基於我們的反饋，一些研究參與者告訴我們，他們沒有繼續鍛鍊的動力了。他們感覺已經達到了健康目標，不想繼續鍛鍊下去了。這些人是沒有動機的人。但是另一些人基於我們的反饋，告訴我們他們非常想要繼續鍛鍊。他們想要到達終點的目的性很強。但是在他們開始走向終點線之前，我們又要求他們估計到終點的距離，他們到終點的距離有多遠呢?

And again, like the previous study, we found that waist-to-hip ratio predicted perceptions of distance. Unfit individuals saw the distance as farther, saw the finish line as farther away, than people who were in better shape. Importantly, though, this only happened for people who were not motivated to exercise.

再一次，就像之前的研究那樣，我們發現腰臀比預示了他們對距離的估測。體型較差的人相比體型較好的來説，認為到終點的距離更遠。重要的是，這個現象只發生在那些沒有強烈的運動動機的人中間。

On the other hand, people who were highly motivated to exercise saw the distance as short. Even the most out of shape individuals saw the finish line as just as close, if not slightly closer, than people who were in better shape.

另一方面，運動動機很強烈的人，認為到終點的距離很近。甚至他們中最胖的人看待終點線也是一樣近，甚至會比其他身材更好的人還要近一點。

So our bodies can change how far away that finish line looks, but people who had committed to a manageable goal that they could accomplish in the near future and who believed that they were capableof meeting that goal actually saw the exercise as easier. That led us to wonder, is there a strategy that we could use and teach people that would help change their perceptions of the distance, help them make exercise look easier?

也就是説我們的身體，可以改變終點看起來的距離，而那些有着明確的、可以在短時間內達到的目標的人，和那些相信自己有能力達到目標的人，會認為這種鍛鍊更加輕鬆。這使我們想到，我們可否可以藉助某種方法來幫助人們，改變他們對距離的估測，使鍛鍊看起來容易一些呢?

So we turned to the vision science literature to figure out what should we do, and based on what we read, we came up with a strategy that we called, "Keep your eyes on the prize." So this is not the sloganfrom an inspirational poster. It's an actual directive for how to look around your environment.

所以我們轉向視覺科學的資料來試着找到這種方法，基於這些資料我們想到了一種方法。我們稱它為“聚焦獎賞”。這並不是來自某張鼓勵性海報的標語。這是一個確切的指令，告訴你如何觀察四周的環境。

People that we trained in this strategy, we told them to focus their attention on the finish line, to avoid looking around,to imagine a spotlight was shining on that goal, and that everything around it was blurry and perhaps difficult to see.

根據這種方法訓練的一些人，我們告訴他們要專注於終點線，不要四處張望，要想象一個聚光點，就在目標那裏閃爍着，聚光點周圍的一切都應該是模糊的，無法辨認的。

We thought that this strategy would help make the exercise look easier. We compared this group to a baseline group. To this group we said, just look around the environment as you naturally would. You will notice the finish line, but you might also notice the garbage can off to the right, or the people and the lamp post off to the left. We thought that people who used this strategy would see the distance as farther.

我們認為這個方法可以讓做運動感覺要容易一些。我們把這個組的人和對照組的人比較。我們跟這個組的人説隨便看看四周，就像你平時一樣，你會注意到終點線，但可能也會看到終點線右邊的垃圾桶，或者是左邊的人和燈柱。我們認為運用這個方法的人們會覺得距離更遠一點。

So what did we find? When we had them estimate the distance, was this strategy successful for changing their perceptual experience? Yes. People who kept their eyes on the prize saw the finish line as 30 percent closer than people who looked around as they naturally would. We thought this was great.

那麼我們發現了什麼呢?當我們讓他們預測距離時，這個方法是否能成功的改變他們對距離的感知呢?答案是可以的。那些把注意力放在獎賞上的人，看到的終點線，比那些放眼四周的人要近30%。我們對這個結果很滿意。

We were really excited because it meant that this strategy helped make the exercise look easier, but the big question was, could this help make exercise actually better? Could it improve the quality of exercise as well?

我們非常激動，因為這意味着這個方法可以讓做運動看起來更簡單，但最重要的問題來了，它能讓做運動變得更有效嗎?它能否提高運動的質量呢?

So next, we told our participants, you are going to walk to the finish line while wearing extra weight. We added weights to their ankles that amounted to 15 percent of their body weight. We told them to lift their knees up high and walk to the finish line quickly. We designed this exercise in particular to be moderately challenging but not impossible, like most exercises that actually improve our fitness.

所以下一步，我們告訴參與者，你們將在負重的情況下走向終點線。我們在腳踝那裏給他們加重，重量是他們體重的15%，我們告訴他們把膝蓋抬高，然後快速走到終點線。我們特意設計了這個運動，讓它具有一定挑戰性，但不至於無法完成。就像大多數運動一樣，可以提升我們的體型。

So the big question, then: Did keeping your eyes on the prize and narrowly focusing on the finish linechange their experience of the exercise? It did. People who kept their eyes on the prize told us afterward that it required 17 percent less exertion for them to do this exercise than people who looked around naturally.

那麼問題就是：把焦點放在獎品上，然後把注意力放在終點線上，會改變運動的體驗嗎?答案是肯定的。那些專注於獎賞的人後來告訴我們，他們做運動所需的努力比平時着眼四周的人，要少了17%。

It changed their subjective experience of the exercise. It also changed the objective nature of their exercise. People who kept their eyes on the prize actually moved 23 percent faster than people who looked around naturally. To put that in perspective, a 23 percent increase is like trading in your 1980 Chevy Citation for a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette.

這改變了他們做運動的主觀體驗，同時也改變了做運動的客觀本質。那些專注於獎賞的人，比平時着眼四周的人，敏捷性提高了23%。換個方式説，23%的增長就相當於把你1980年的雪佛蘭Citation(袖珍小轎車)換成一輛同年的雪佛蘭科爾維特(跑車)。

We were so excited by this, because this meant that a strategy that costs nothing, that is easy for people to use, regardless of whether they're in shape or struggling to get there, had a big effect. Keeping your eyes on the prize made the exercise look and feel easier even when people were working harder because they were moving faster.

我們對此感到很激動。因為這意味着，一個無需成本的方法，簡單易行，對那些不管是已經體型良好的人，或朝那個方向努力的人來説，都有極大的效果。專注於獎賞，可以讓做運動看起來和感覺上更容易。由於敏捷性更高了，所以對那些更加努力的人也同樣適用。

Now, I know there's more to good health than walking a little bit faster, but keeping your eyes on the prize might be one additional strategy that you can use to help promote a healthy lifestyle.

我知道健康的概念不僅僅是走得快一些。但聚焦於獎賞或許可以是一個額外的技巧，你可以用它來實現一種更健康的生活方式。

If you're not convinced yet that we all see the world through our own mind's eye, let me leave you with one final example. Here's a photograph of a beautiful street in Stockholm, with two cars. The car in the back looks much larger than the car in the front. However, in reality, these cars are the same size, but that's not how we see it.

如果你對此還抱有疑問，懷疑我們是否真的通過思維的視角來看世界，那麼我再舉最後一個例子。這是一張斯德哥爾摩街頭美景的照片，還有兩輛車。後面那輛車看起來比前面的大得多。但是，事實上這兩輛車都一樣大。但我們看到的並不是這樣。

So does this mean that our eyes have gone haywire and that our brains are a mess? No, it doesn't mean that at all. It's just how our eyes work. We might see the world in a different way, and sometimes that might not line up with reality, but it doesn't mean that one of us is right and one of us is wrong. We all see the world through our mind's eye, but we can teach ourselves to see it differently.

難道這表明我們的眼睛出毛病了，我們的大腦也混亂了?不，完全不是這樣。這只是眼睛的工作原理。我們可能用不同的方式看世界，有時看到的和事實並不相符。但這並不代表我們中間某個人就是對的，另一個就是錯的。我們其實都是以思維的視角來看世界。但我們能主動學會用不同的方法去看。

So I can think of days that have gone horribly wrong for me. I'm fed up, I'm grumpy, I'm tired, and I'm so behind, and there's a big black cloud hanging over my head, and on days like these, it looks like everyone around me is down in the dumps too. My colleague at work looks annoyed when I ask for an extension on a deadline, and my friend looks frustrated when I show up late for lunch because a meeting ran long, and at the end of the day, my husband looks disappointed because I'd rather go to bed than go to the movies.

我能夠回憶起那些曾經很糟糕的日子，我感到厭倦，暴躁，疲憊，完全跟不上節奏，在我的頭頂上還有一大片烏雲籠罩，而且在這些日子裏，周圍的人看起來也垂頭喪氣似的。當我向同事請求延遲期限時，他看起來很惱火，當我約了朋友吃午飯但因開會遲到時，他看起來很不爽，當結束了一天的工作，因為我想早點睡覺不想去看電影，我的丈夫看起來就很失望。

And on days like these, when everybody looks upset and angry to me, I try to remind myself that there are other ways of seeing them. Perhaps my colleague was confused, perhaps my friend was concerned, and perhaps my husband was feeling empathy instead.

像這樣的日子每個人看起來都對我不爽。我試着開解自己，或許有別的方法來看待他們，可能我的同事只是感到困惑，可能我的朋友只是擔心，可能我的丈夫只是對我感到同情。

So we all see the world through our own mind's eye, and on some days, it might look like the world is a dangerous and challenging and insurmountable place, but it doesn't have to look that way all the time. We can teach ourselves to see it differently, and when we find a way to make the world look nicer and easier, it might actually become k you.(Applause)

所以我們都是以思維的視角看世界。在某些日子裏，這個世界看起來似乎很危險，充滿挑釁，不可逾越，但未必一直是這樣。我們可以學會用不同的方法去看待，當我們找到一個方法，讓這個世界看起來更美好更輕鬆，或許它就真的會成為現實。謝謝。