I study how people understand the world

我是個政治學和社會心理學家。

and what this means for society and for democracy ...

我研究人們如何理解世界

which, as it turns out, is quite a lot.

以及這對社會和民主意味著什麼......

Some people see the world as safe and good,

事實上非常多。

and this allows them to be OK with uncertainty

有些人認為世界安全和美好，

and to take time to explore and play.

這使他們可以接受不確定性，

Others are acutely aware of threats in their environment,

並花時間去探索、嬉戲。

so they prioritize order and predictability

其他人則敏銳意識到身處環境的威脅，

over openness and experimentation.

因此他們將秩序和可預測性的重要性

In my academic research,

置於放開的心胸和嘗試新事物之前。

I study how these two approaches shape how we think and feel

我在學術研究中

about everything from art to politics.

探討這兩種方法 如何塑造我們的思維方式，

I also explore how political elites

包括從藝術到政治的一切。

and partisan media use these very differences

我還探討政治精英和黨派媒體

to engender hatred and fear

如何利用這些人性的差異

and how the economics of our media system exploit these same divides.

引起仇恨和恐懼，

But after studying this,

以及我們的媒體系統經濟 如何利用這些相同的鴻溝。

I have come away not with a sense that we are doomed to be divided

但在研究之後，

but that it's up to us to see both sets of traits

我得知我們未必註定要分裂，

as necessary and even valuable.

而在於我們要不要將這兩種特徵

Take for example two men who have been so influential in my own life.

視為必要、有價值。

First, my late husband, Mike.

以兩個在我人生中 具有重要影響力的男人為例。

He was an artist who saw the world as safe and good.

先是我已故的丈夫邁克。

He welcomed ambiguity and play in his life.

他是視世界為安全美好之地的藝術家。

In fact, we met through improv comedy

他歡迎模棱兩可，一生樂在其中。

where he taught improvisers to listen and be open

實際上，我們通過即興喜劇相遇，

and to be comfortable not knowing what was going to happen next.

他在那裡教即興表演者 聆聽、放開心胸，

After we got married and had our baby boy,

就算不知道接下來會如何也無所謂。

Mike was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

我們結婚生子之後，

And through months of hospitalizations and surgeries,

邁克被診斷出罹患腦瘤。

I followed Mike's lead,

經過數月的住院和手術，

trying to practice being open,

我在邁克的引導之下，

trying to be OK not knowing what was going to happen next.

試圖練習放開心胸，

It was Mike's tolerance for ambiguity

試圖接納不知道接下來會怎樣。

that allowed me to survive those months of uncertainty,

正是邁克對模棱兩可的寬容

and that helped me explore new ways to rebuild my life after he died.

讓我度過了那幾個月的不確定狀況，

About a year and a half after Mike passed away,

幫助我在他去世後 探索重建人生的新方法。

I met my current husband, PJ.

邁克去世大約一年半後，

PJ is a criminal prosecutor

我認識了我的現任丈夫 PJ。

who sees the world as potentially good

PJ 是刑事檢察官，

provided that threats are properly managed.

認為世界有美好的潛力，

He also is someone who embraces order and predictability

只要威脅被妥善管理好即可。

in his daily routine,

他也是擁護秩序和可預測性的人，

in the foods that he eats,

不論是他的日常工作、

in his selection of wardrobe.

他選的食物，

And PJ has a vicious wit,

或是他的衣著。

but he's also morally very serious

而且 PJ 有種惡毒的機智，

with a strong sense of duty and purpose.

在道德上也很認真，

And he values tradition, loyalty and family,

具有強烈的責任心和目的感。

which is why at the age of 28

他重視傳統、忠誠和家庭，

he did not hesitate to marry a widow,

這就是為什麼 28 歲的他

adopt her baby boy

毫不猶豫地娶了寡婦，

and raise him as his son.

領養她的男嬰，

It was PJ's need for certainty and closure

視他為親生兒子般撫養。

that brought stability to our lives.

PJ 需要確定性，需要事情都有了結。

I share these two stories of Mike and PJ

這為我們的生活帶來了穩定。

not just because they're personal,

我分享邁克和 PJ 兩人的故事，

but because they illustrate two things that I have found in my own research.

不僅因為這關乎我個人，

First, that our psychological traits shape how we engage with the world,

還因為它們展示 我在研究中發現的兩件事。

and second,

首先是我們的心理特徵 決定我們與世界互動的方式。

that both of these approaches make all of our lives possible.

其次，

Tragically though, political and economic incentives of our media environment

這兩種方法造就我們的人生。

seek to exploit these differences

可悲的是，我們媒體環境的 政治和經濟誘因，

to get us angry,

都在設法利用這些差異，

to get our attention,

讓我們生氣，

to get clicks

引我們的注意，

and to turn us against one another.

以獲得關注，

And it works.

並使我們彼此對立。

It works in part because these same sets of traits

那還起了作用。

are related to core political and cultural beliefs.

之所以起作用，部分原因

For years, political psychologists have studied

正是這些人性的特徵 與核心的政治和文化信仰有關。

how our psychological traits shape our political beliefs.

多年來，政治心理學家一直在研究

We've conducted experiments to understand

我們的心理特徵 如何塑造我們的政治信仰。

how our psychology and our politics shape how we respond to apolitical stimuli.

我們做實驗來了解

And this research has shown

我們的心理和政治塑造了 我們對非政治性刺激的因應。

that those people who are less concerned with threats,

這項研究表明

who are tolerant of ambiguity,

那些不太擔心威脅、

these people tend to be more culturally and socially liberal

容忍歧義的人，

on matters like immigration or crime or sexuality.

在文化和社會上更傾向自由派，

And because they're tolerant of ambiguity,

在關於移民、犯罪 或性別等問題上更傾向自由陣營。

they also tend to be OK with nuance

而且由於他們容忍歧異，

and they enjoy thinking for the sake of thinking,

他們也傾向於容忍細微的差別。

which helps explain why it is

他們就是喜歡思考，

that there are distinct aesthetic preferences on the left and the right,

因為思考有助於解釋為什麼

with liberals more likely than conservatives

左右兩邊的審美偏好具有明顯的差異。

to appreciate things like abstract art

自由派比保守派更有可能

or even stories that lack a clear ending.

欣賞抽象藝術之類的東西，

In my experimental work,

甚至欣賞沒有明確結局的故事。

I've also found that these differences help explain

在我的實驗工作中

why ironic, political satire is more likely to be appreciated

我還發現這些差異有助於解釋

and understood by liberals than conservatives.

為什麼自由主義者比保守主義者 更了解和更容易欣賞政治的諷刺。

On the other hand,

另一方面，

those people who are monitoring for threats,

那些密切監看威脅的人，

who prefer certainty and closure,

比較喜歡確定性和凡事有所了結，

those tend to be our political, cultural, social conservatives.

那些往往是我們的政治、 文化、社會的保守派。

Because they're on alert,

因為他們處於戒備的狀態，

they also make decisions quickly and efficiently,

他們可以由直覺和情感引導

guided by intuition and emotion.

快速有效地制定決策。

And we've found that these traits help explain

我們發現這些特徵有助於解釋

why conservatives enjoy political opinion talk programming

為什麼保守派喜歡 政治觀點類的談話節目，

that clearly and efficiently identifies threats and enemies.

清楚有效地識別威脅和敵人。

What is essential though

然而主要的是

is that these propensities are not absolute --

這些傾向不是絕對的、

they're not fixed.

不是固定不變的。

There are liberals who are monitoring for threats

有些自由主義者也監看威脅，

just as there are conservatives who are tolerant of ambiguity.

正如同有些保守主義者容忍歧異。

In fact, PJ's political beliefs

實際上，PJ 的政治信仰

are not that radically different from those that Mike held.

與 Mike 所持的觀點 並無巨大差異。

The link between psychology and politics is contingent on context:

心理學與政治之間的聯繫取決於環境：

who we're with and what's going on around us.

我們與誰在一起 以及我們周遭發生了什麼。

The problem is that right now,

問題是現在

our dominant context,

我們的主導情境，

our political and media context,

我們的政治和媒體背景，

actually needs these differences to be absolute,

實際上需要這些差異有絕對性、

to be reinforced

被強化、

and even to be weaponized.

甚至被武器化。

For reasons related to power and profit,

出於與權力和利潤有關的原因，

some in politics and media want us to believe

一些政治和媒體人士要我們相信

that those people who approach the world differently from us --

那些面對世界的態度 與我們截然不同的人

the Mikes or the PJs --

——如邁克或 PJ——

themselves are dangerous.

本身很危險。

And social media platforms use algorithms and microtargeting

社交媒體平台使用演算法和微觀定位

to deliver divisive messages

來傳遞符合我們喜愛的分歧訊息，

in our preferred messaging aesthetic.

那些與政治、文化和種族有關的消息。

Messages that relate to politics, culture and race.

我們每天目睹這些消息 所造成的毀滅性影響：

And we see the devastating effects of these messages every single day.

憤怒和懼怕對方的美國人，

Americans who are angry and fearful of the other side.

互相指控對方摧毀了美國。

Charges of the other side destroying America.

但是請停下來想一想。

But stop and think for a moment.

如果這些差異未曾 被當作武器來用，會是什麼情況？

What would happen if those differences had never been weaponized?

正是對開放性和靈活性的自由主義傾向

It is liberal inclinations towards openness and flexibility

讓我們得以應對不確定性，

that allow us to cope with uncertainty

會讓我們能夠探索 創新、創造力的新途徑

and that allow us to explore new paths towards innovation, creativity --

——科學的發現。

scientific discovery.

試想太空旅行、治療疾病，

Think of things like space travel or cures for diseases

和重構美好世界的藝術。

or art that imagines and reimagines a better world.

也試想那些保守的傾向，

And those conservative inclinations towards vigilance and security

警惕、安全和傳統的保守傾向。

and tradition.

正是這些激勵我們

These are the things that motivate us

去做必須做的事，

to do what must be done

為了保護我們自己和維持穩定。

for our own protection and stability.

試想我們國軍的保家衛國、

Think of the safety that's offered by our armed forces

銀行系統提供的安全、

or the security of our banking system.

陪審制度之類的民主機制、

Or think about the stability

或七月四日放煙火等文化傳統。

that's offered by such democratic institutions as jury duty,

倘若對社會和民主構成的真正威脅

or cultural traditions like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

實際上不是另一方造成的呢？

What if the real threat posed to society and democracy

倘若真正的危險

is not actually posed by the other side?

是由政治和媒體精英造成的，該如何？

What if the real danger is posed by political and media elites

他們試圖讓我們認為 沒有另一方會更好，

who try to get us to think

他們劃分彼此

that we'd be better off without the other side

來增進個人財務和政治利益。

and who use these divisions for their own personal,

邁克和 PJ 看待世界的方式大不相同，

financial, political benefit?

但是這些獨特的方法 每天都持續豐富我的人生。

Mike and PJ engaged with the world very differently,

別讓我們自身的政治和媒體背景

but these distinct approaches continue to enrich my life every day.

判定對方是敵人，

Instead of our political and media context

引誘我們信以為真。

determining that the other side is the enemy

讓我們自己創建背景，好嗎？

and lulling us into believing that that's true,

真實的人與其他真實的人聯繫在一起，

what if we choose to create the context?

讚賞這兩種看待方式的本質：

Real people connecting with other real people,

乃是能夠幫助我們所有人 生存和共同成長的必要禮物。

appreciating these two approaches for what they are:

謝謝。

necessary gifts that can help us all survive and thrive together.

Thank you.