程度副詞

two million years seems like a really long time.

相比之下二百萬年似乎是很長一段時間

情態副詞

But evolutionarily, two million years is nothing.

但就進化論而言，二百萬年是很短的

And yet in two million years the human brain has nearly tripled in mass,

然而，二百萬年的時間，人腦的體積增長了將近3倍

going from the one-and-a-quarter pound brain of our ancestor here, Habilis,

從直立猿人(我們的祖先)的 1.25磅腦袋，

to the almost three-pound meatloaf that everybody here has between their ears.

到現在我們每個人兩耳中間的近3磅重的肉餅

What is it about a big brain that nature was so eager for every one of us to have one?

大腦究竟有什麼特質，讓我們每個人都需要有一個呢？

Well, it turns out when brains triple in size,

哦，原來人腦體積增加了近3倍後

they don't just get three times bigger; they gain new structures.

不單只增大了，它們還配備新的結構

And one of the main reasons our brain got so big is because it got a new part,

它們變得那麼大的主因之一，是因為新增了一個部分

called the "frontal lobe." And particularly, a part called the "pre-frontal cortex."

稱為「額葉」，尤其是稱為「前額葉皮質」的部分

Now what does a pre-frontal cortex do for you that should justify

究竟前額葉皮質有什麼功能可以

the entire architectural overhaul of the human skull in the blink of evolutionary time?

在進化過程中，一瞬間重整全部頭骨的結構？

Well, it turns out the pre-frontal cortex does lots of things,

哦，原來，前額葉皮質能做很多功能，

but one of the most important things it does

Flight pilots practice in flight simulators

飛機駕駛員利用飛行模擬器練習

so that they don't make real mistakes in planes.

Human beings have this marvelous adaptation

that they can actually have experiences in their heads

This is a trick that none of our ancestors could do,

and that no other animal can do quite like we can. It's a marvelous adaptation.

也沒有其他動物能做到，這是一種非凡的適應能力

It's up there with opposable thumbs and standing upright and language

非凡程度可以比美相對的十指、雙腳的站立、語言

as one of the things that got our species out of the trees

這些能力讓我們從住在森林中進化到

Now -- (Laughter) -- all of you have done this.

Ben and Jerry's doesn't have liver-and-onion ice cream,

Ben & Jerry’s冰淇淋店沒有賣肝臟加洋蔥口味

and it's not because they whipped some up, tried it and went, "Yuck."

不是因為他們試吃過了才發現很難吃

It's because, without leaving your armchair,

you can simulate that flavor and say "yuck" before you make it.

就能模擬那味道，光想就知道很難吃

Let's see how your experience simulators are working.

來看看我們的經驗模擬器是怎樣運作

Let's just run a quick diagnostic 
before I proceed with the rest of the talk.

在我繼續演講前，先很快的問大家個問題

Here's two different futures that I invite you to contemplate,

請你們想一下這兩個不同的未來

and you can try to simulate them and tell me which one you think you might prefer.

試著模擬這兩個未來，然後告訴我你比較喜歡哪個

One of them is winning the lottery. This is about 314 million dollars.

第一個是中彩卷，約三億一千四百萬美金

You probably don't feel like you need a moment of thought.

Interestingly, there are data on these two groups of people,

有趣的是，我們有這兩組人的數據

And this is exactly what you expected, isn't it?

But these aren't the data. I made these up!

但這些不是真的數據，是我作出來的！

These are the data. You failed the pop quiz, and you're hardly five minutes into the lecture.

這些才是真正的數據。演講還不到5分鐘，你們小考就不及格了

Because the fact is that a year after losing the use of their legs,

因為實際上，下半身癱瘓之後一年，

and a year after winning the lotto, lottery winners and paraplegics

和中了彩卷之後一年，贏彩卷和癱瘓的人

Now, don't feel too bad about failing the first pop quiz,

現在，請不要為第一次小考不及格感到丟臉

because everybody fails all of the pop quizzes all of the time.

小考不合格的情況是很常發生的事

The research that my laboratory has been doing,

that economists and psychologists around the country have been doing,

全國各地的經濟學家和心理學家也在做的研究

have revealed something really quite startling to us,

which is the tendency for the simulator to work badly.

For the simulator to make you believe that different outcomes

are more different than in fact they really are.

From field studies to laboratory studies,

we see that winning or losing an election, gaining or losing a romantic partner,

我們都看到，選舉勝出或落敗、獲得或失去一個伴侶

getting or not getting a promotion, passing or not passing a college test,

有沒有得到升遷、有沒有通過大學入學考

on and on, have far less impact, less intensity and much less duration

等等產生的影響，比預期中較輕、較弱、及時間較短

In fact, a recent study -- this almost floors me --

a recent study showing how major life traumas affect people

最近一項研究，關於人生重大創傷造成的影響

suggests that if it happened over three months ago,

it has no impact whatsoever on your happiness.

否則它對你的人生幸福並沒有任何影響

Sir Thomas Brown wrote in 1642, "I am the happiest man alive.

托馬斯．布朗爵士在1642年寫道: 「我是活著中最幸福的人」

I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity.

「我擁有的潛能可以把貧困轉換為財富，逆境轉換為繁榮」

I am more invulnerable than Achilles; fortune hath not one place to hit me."

「我比阿基里斯更加刀槍不入；命運找不到一處能打擊我的地方。」

What kind of remarkable machinery does this guy have in his head?

這傢伙的腦子裡有什麼非凡的機器嗎

Well, it turns out it's precisely the same remarkable machinery that all off us have.

原來，這非凡的機器我們每個人都有

Human beings have something that we might think of as a "psychological immune system."

人類有種東西可視為是  精神免疫的系統

A system of cognitive processes, largely non-conscious cognitive processes,

認知程序的系統，大量不自覺的認知程序

that help them change their views of the world,

so that they can feel better about the worlds in which they find themselves.

能使他們對自己的生活，產生更好的感受

和托馬斯爵士一樣，你們也有這機器

Unlike Sir Thomas, you seem not to know it. (Laughter)

和托馬斯爵士不一樣的是，你們並不知道這點

We synthesize happiness, but we think happiness is a thing to be found.

我們能合成快樂，但我們認為快樂是尋找來的

Now, you don't need me to give you too many examples of people synthesizing happiness,

現在，你們並不需要我給太多合成快樂的例子

I suspect. Though I'm going to show you some experimental evidence,

you don't have to look very far for evidence.

As a challenge to myself, since I say this once in a while in lectures,

算是給我自己的挑戰，因為我偶爾在演講時會講

I took a copy of the New York Times and tried to find some instances of people synthesizing happiness.

我用一份紐約時報想試圖找出一些合成快樂的例子

And here are three guys synthesizing happiness.

"I am so much better off physically, financially, emotionally, mentally

「我在多方面也比以前好多了，身體上、經濟上、感情上、精神上、

and almost every other way." "I don't have one minute's regret.

幾乎所有的方面 」、「我沒有一點的遺憾，

It was a glorious experience." "I believe it turned out for the best."

這是一個光榮的歷程」、「最後的結果是最好的」

Who are these characters who are so damn happy?

Some of you are old enough to remember: he was the chairman of the House of Representatives

有些人年紀較大可能記得，他當過美國眾議院主席

and he resigned in disgrace when this young Republican named Newt Gingrich

因為被一位年輕的共和黨員紐特．金奇

found out about a shady book deal he had done.

He lost everything. The most powerful Democrat in the country,

他失去了一切，曾是全國擁有最大權力的民主黨員

What does he have to say all these years later about it?

"I am so much better off physically, financially, mentally

「我好多了，不管是身體上、經濟上、感情上、精神上、

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