Everybody’s familiar with the feeling that things are not as they should be.
我们都有过这种感觉：生活不该是现在这个样子
That you’re not successful enough.
事业不够成功
Your relationships not satisfying enough.
恋爱不尽如人意
That you don’t have the things you crave.
想要的东西也没有得到
A chronic dissatisfaction that makes you look outwards with envy,
由于长期的不满足 你在看别人时充满嫉妒
and inwards with disappointment.
再看看自己 无限失望
Pop culture, advertising, and social media made this worse
而流行文化 商业广告和社交媒体不断推波助澜
by reminding you that aiming for anything less than your dream job is failure,
它们提醒你 未能从事理想的工作便意味着失败
you need to have great experiences constantly,
人生需要一直有很棒的经历
be conventionally attractive, have a lot of friends, and find your soulmate,
要保持魅力 广交朋友并找到灵魂伴侣
and that others have all of these things and are truly happy.
因为拥有了以上这些的人过得非常快乐
And of course, a vast array of self-improvement products
同时 大量“自我提升”的产品也在暗示
implies that it’s all your fault for not working hard enough for yourself.
你不够努力 这是你的错
In the last two decades, researchers have been starting to investigate
过去二十年间 研究者们不断探索
how we can counteract these impulses.
我们如何能抵消这种不满足的情绪
The field of positive psychology emerged—the study of what makes life worth living,
于是 积极心理学一度兴起 该领域旨在研究生命的价值
while cognitive behavioral therapy was developed to change negative feelings.
而认知心理学关注的是如何改善消极情绪
Scientists began to ask, “why are some people happier and more satisfied than others,
科学家们很好奇 为什么有些人活得比别人更幸福 更满足
and are there ways to apply what they’re doing right to the rest of us?”
有没有什么值得借鉴之处 可以应用到其他人身上？
In this video, we want to talk about one of the strongest predictors of how happy people are,
本期视频将介绍一个可以对人的“快乐程度”
how easily they make friends, and how good they are at dealing with hardship.
“交友难易” 和“抗挫力”进行准确估算的模型
And antidote to dissatisfaction, so to speak.
以及一剂可以说是“不满足”的解药
Gratitude
感恩
While gratitude might sound like another self-improvement trend preached by people who use hashtags,
听上去似乎又是大V们跟风宣扬的“成功学”那一套玩意
What we currently know about it is based on a body of scientific work and studies.
而实际上 它是基于大量科学研究的理论成果
We will include them in the description.
接下来我们会详细阐述
Gratitude can mean very different things to different people in different contexts.
感恩 在不同情境和不同的人身上 意义也不尽相同
It’s a character trait, a feeling, a virtue, and a behavior.
它可以是一种性格 一份感觉 一次善举和一个行为
You can feel grateful towards someone who did something for you,
你可以因为某人为你做了一件事情感激不已
for random events like the weather, or even for nature, or fate.
或感恩于天气 甚至是大自然或命运等随机事件
And it’s wired into our biology.
感恩与人类的生物学特性密切相关
1. How gratitude connects us to each other
1. 感恩如何让我们彼此产生了联系
The predecessor of gratitude is probably reciprocity.
感恩的前身也许是“互惠”的本能
It likely evolved as a biological signal
动物之间出于互惠的目的进行物品交换
that motivates animals to exchange things for their mutual benefit,
之后 这项生物信号进化成了“感恩”
and can be found in the animal kingdom among certain fish, birds, or mammals,
在动物界 某些鱼类 鸟类 哺乳类 特别是灵长类动物
but especially in primates.
纷纷继承了这一品质
When your brain recognizes that someone’s done something nice for you,
人的大脑在意识到有人为自己做了好事的时候
it reacts with gratitude to motivate you to repay them.
会产生感激之情 并鼓励你去报答对方
This gratitude makes you care about others and others care about you.
感恩教会我们关爱别人 相应地 别人也会关心我们
This was important because as human brains got better at reading emotions,
这很重要 因为随着人脑在情感解读方面不断进步
selfish individuals were identified and shunned.
大脑可以识别出自私的人 并加以排斥
It became an evolutionary advantage to play well with others and build lasting relationships.
能够与他人和睦相处 并建立长久的关系 是一种进化优势
For example, if you were hungry and someone else showed you where to find tasty berries,
例如 当你饿的时候 有人告诉你哪里可以找到美味的浆果
you felt gratitude towards them, and a bond to return the favor in the future.
你很感激 并希望将来可以报答他们
A drive to be prosocial.
从而产生亲社会行为
When you repay them, they felt gratitude towards you.
当你在报答别人的时候 他们也会感激你
This brought your ancestors closer together, and forged bonds and friendships.
正因如此 我们的祖先才能够建立关系 彼此亲近并产生友谊
So early forms of gratitude were biological mechanisms
因此 感恩的雏形是一种生物机制
that modified your behavior towards cooperation,
该机制促使人的行为模式向合作转变
which helped humans to dominate Earth.
通过合作 人类得以成为地球的主宰
But over time, gratitude became more than just an impulse to play fair.
但久而久之 感恩不再仅仅是为了获得公平对等的互动
2. The consequences of gratitude
2. 感恩带来的影响
Scientists found that gratitude stimulates the pathways in your brain involved in feelings of reward,
科学家发现 感恩会刺激人类大脑的奖赏回路
forming social bonds,
建立社会关系
and interpreting others’ intentions.
以及理解他人的意图
It also makes it easier to save and retrieve positive memories.
同时 也让保存和检索正向记忆变得更容易
Even more, gratitude directly counteracts negative feelings and traits
更重要的是 感恩有助于直接抵消负向情绪和人格的消极影响
like envy and social comparison,
如“嫉妒” “社会比较”
narcissism, cynicism and materialism.
“自恋” “犬儒主义”和“物质主义”
As a consequence, people who are grateful no matter what for
因此 那些心怀感恩之人 无论出于何种原因
tend to be happier and more satisfied.
往往感觉更快乐 也更容易满足
They have better relationships, an easier time making friends,
他们拥有更好的人际关系 更容易交到朋友
they sleep better, tend to suffer less from depression, addiction, and burnout,
睡眠质量更好 比较不容易抑郁 药物成瘾或精神崩溃
and are better at dealing with traumatic events.
应对创伤事件的能力也胜于他人
In a way, gratitude makes it less likely that
从某种意义上来说
you’ll fall into one of the psychological traps modern life has set for you
感恩使你不太可能陷入当代生活中的种种心理陷阱
For example, gratitude measurably counters the tendency to forget
比如 感恩可以有效地避免人们忘记
and downplay positive events.
或是忽略生命中有过的美好
If you work long and hard for something, actually getting it can feel daft and empty.
也许你为某件事努力很久 而一旦成功了 又觉得不值得 内心空虚无比
You can find yourself emotionally back where you started,
感觉心情又回到老样子
and try to achieve the next biggest thing,
只好努力实现下一个更大的目标
looking for that satisfaction instead of being satisfied with yourself.
你追求的是那种满足感 而非对自己所拥有的感到知足
Or imagine being lonely and wanting to have more friends.
或总是想象自己很孤独 渴望交到更多朋友
You actually might have someone or even multiple people who want to hangout,
而实际上 你也许有一个或是几个可以出去玩的朋友
but you might feel that this is not enough,
但你可能觉得还不够
that you’re a loser and feel bad about yourself.
你认为自己很失败 自我感觉很差
So you might turn down their attempts to hangout,
于是你可能会拒绝他们的邀约
and become more lonely.
从而变得越发孤独
If you feel grateful for your relationships instead,
但相反地 如果怀有感恩之心看待自己的友情
you might accept invitations, or even take the initiative.
也许你不仅会接受邀约 甚至会主动发出邀请
The more often you risk opening up,
你越是尝试敞开心扉
the higher the chance of solidifying relationships and meeting new people.
友情越牢固 越容易结识新朋友
In the best case, gratitude can trigger a feedback loop.
最好的情况是 感恩可以触发反馈循环
Positive feelings lead to more prosocial behavior,
积极情绪有利于产生更多亲社会行为
which leads to more positive social experiences
从而带来更多积极的社会体验
that cause more positive feelings.
收获更多正能量
This is a common experience after serious hardship like chemotherapy, for example.
这是人们在历尽重大挫折 如化疗之后 普遍会有的经历
Life can feel amazing after a crisis is over.
逆境过后 方觉生活妙不可言
The smallest things can be bottomless sources of joy,
最最微不足道的事情 也能带来无尽的快乐
from being able to taste, to just sitting in the sun,
从舌尖品尝的风味 到沐浴阳光的满足
or chatting with a friend.
即使只是和友人闲话家常
Objectively, your life is the same or maybe even slightly worse than before,
客观而言 你的生活和以前一样 甚至可能不如从前
but your brain compares your present experiences with the times when life was bad,
但人的大脑会把当下的经历同以前不好的时候进行比较
and reacts with gratitude.
从而萌生感恩之心
So, in a nutshell, gratitude refocuses your attention towards the good things you have,
简言之 感恩使你重新关注到自己所拥有的美好
and the consequences of this shift are better feelings
这种转变有助于改善情绪
and more positive experiences
获得积极的情感体验
While it is great to know these things,
既然知道它有这么多好处
is there actually a way to make you feel more of it?
有没有什么方法能让我们变得更感恩呢？
3. How to make your brain more grateful
3. 如何让自己更懂得感恩
The ability to experiences more or less gratitude is not equally distributed.
每个人体悟感恩的能力有高有低
You have what’s known as trait gratitude
人性格中的“感恩品质”
that determines how much you are able to feel it.
决定了你能感受到它的程度
It depends on your genetics, personality, and culture.
这种品质取决于你的基因 个性和文化背景
This discovery made scientists wonder
这一发现引发了科学家们的思考
if they could design exercises to change your trait gratitude
是否可以设计一些专门的练习 改善人的感恩品质
and lead to more happiness.
从而提升人们的幸福感
Let’s start with important caveats.
事先声明
It’s not yet entirely clear to what degree gratitude can be trained,
关于感恩可以培养到什么程度 目前尚未明确
or how long the effects last.
我们也不知道效果能持续多久
There are no magic pills for happiness.
幸福没有灵丹妙药
Life is complicated.
人生不是那么简单的
On some days it feels like you’re in control of yourself,
有时候你觉得一切尽在掌握
and on others, you feel like you’re not, and this is okay.
有时候则不然 但这都没关系
Also, sometimes pursuing happiness can make you more unhappy
甚至有时为了追求幸福 你给自己过多的压力
if you put too much pressure on yourself.
结果反而更不开心
Gratitude should also not be seen as a solution to depression
同时 我们不应把感恩当作治疗抑郁的良方
or a substitute for professional help.
或者认为它能代替专业的心理医生
It can only be a piece of the puzzle; it’s not the solution to the puzzle itself.
它只是“幸福拼图”的一部分 而非获取幸福的终极密钥
The easiest gratitude exercise, with the most solid research behind it,
大量实证研究表明 最简单的感恩练习就是
is gratitude journaling.
写感恩日志
It means sitting down for a few minutes,
具体就是 每周一到三次
one to three times a week,
花上几分钟坐下来
and writing down five to ten things you’re grateful for.
写下五到十件你觉得感恩的事情
It might feel weird at first, so start simply.
一开始可能不适应 那就写简单点
Can you feel grateful for a little thing
比如想想有哪些令你感恩的小事
like how great coffee is, or that someone was kind to you?
如“今天的咖啡真不错” 或“某人对我很友善”
Can you appreciate something someone else did for you?
你会感激别人为你做的善举吗？
Can you reflect on which things or people you would miss if they were gone
有没有某个人 某样东西是“如果不在了你会想念的”
and be grateful that they’re in your life?
因此你会感恩他们出现在你的生活里的？
We’re all different, so you’ll know what works for you.
每个人情况不同 你一定知道自己感恩的东西
And that’s it really. It feels almost insulting,
就是这样 你可能感觉智商受到了侮辱
like things shouldn’t be that simple.
认为事情不该这么简单呀
But in numerous studies, the participants reported more happiness
但大量研究表明 通过几周这样的训练
and a higher general life satisfaction
受试者的幸福感
after doing this practice for a few weeks.
和总体生活满意度明显提升
And even more, studies have shown changes in brain activity
更重要的是 研究表明在训练结束几个月后
some months after they ended.
他们的大脑活动也发生了改变
Practicing gratitude may be a real way to reprogram yourself.
学会感恩也许对自我重塑有着重要的意义
This research shows that your emotions are not fixed.
这项研究表明了 人的情绪不是一成不变的
In the end, how you experience life
最后 你对生活的态度
is a representation of what you believe about it.
便是你的人生信条的写照
If you attack your core beliefs about yourself and your life,
如果你主动改变对自己和生活的固有信念
you can change your thoughts and feelings
想法和感受也能发生转变
which automatically changes your behavior.
你的行为模式自然就跟着变了
It’s pretty mind-blowing that something as simple as self-reflection
简单的自我反省便可以改变大脑回路
can hack the pathways in our brain to fight dissatisfaction.
从而战胜“不满足” 真是令人兴奋！
And if this is no reason to be more optimistic, what is?
如果这不是我们更乐观的理由 那还有什么是呢？
Being a human is hard, but it doesn’t need to be as hard.
做人不易 但我们可以活得简单点
And if you actively look, you might find that
如果你积极地探寻美好 你会发现
your life is much better than you thought
生活远比你想象的更加美好
If you’re curious and want to try out gratitude,
如果你对此感兴趣 想尝试一下感恩练习
we made a thing
我们做了一件事
Please note that you don’t need to buy anything from anyone to practice gratitude,
请注意 你不需要从任何人那里买任何东西来练习感恩
all you need is paper, a pen, and five minutes.
你只需要一张纸 一支笔 花五分钟
Having said that, we’ve made a Kurzgesagt gratitude journal
话虽如此 我们编辑出版了Kurzgesagt感恩日志
based on studies we’ve read, conversations with experts,
这是基于我们调查研究 走访专家
and our personal experiences with gratitude over the last year
以及我们个人在过去一年里的感恩经历整理所得
It’s structured in a way that
该书的内容结构
might make it a bit easier to get into the habit of gratitude journaling.
也许更易于帮助你培养书写感恩日志的习惯
There are short explanations and reflections to mix it up
里面包含了一些简单的解释和思考
and make it more interesting.
增加了趣味性
We’ve also made it as pretty as we could.
我们尽可能把它制作得精美
This video continues the unofficial series
本期视频也包含在我们的非官方课程系列
of more personal, introspective videos
该系列都是有关加强个人自省
from “Optimistic Nihilism” to “Loneliness” and now, “Gratitude.”
从“乐观虚无主义” “孤独” 到这一期的“感恩”
We don’t want to be a self-help channel,
但我们不想变成自助频道
so we’ll keep this sort of video at roughly one per year.
因此呢 这个系列我们基本上每年更新一期
We hope they’re helpful to some of you.
希望或多或少可以帮到您
Thank you for watching.
感谢观看