Placeholder Image

字幕列表 影片播放

  • Hello. This is 6 Minute English

  • from BBC Learning English.

  • I'm Neil.  

  • And I'm Rob. It's great that you're

  • here to keep me company -

  • to spend time with me so

  • I don't get lonely -

  • because loneliness is the

  • subject of this programme. It's good to be here, Neil.

  • I think many of us have

  • experienced loneliness at

  • some point. Maybe you've

  • felt lonely because all your

  • friends have gone out for

  • dinner without you, or

  • maybe you've felt lonely

  • just because you don't

  • fit in somewhere. Yes, that's when we sometimes

  • use the expression 'to feel

  • lonely in a crowd'. Well,

  • we'll be exploring if this

  • is a new idea or something

  • humans have always

  • experienced, and along

  • the way we'll be teaching

  • you some new vocabulary. But now I'm here to keep you

  • company, how about a

  • question for me?

  • Of course! Well, one

  • possibly lonely man is

  • Mauro Morandi. He's lived

  • alone on Budelli Island in

  • Italy for many years, but

  • how many years exactly?

  • Is it: a) 6 years,

  • b) 31 years, or

  • c) 44 years? Umm ... 44 years would be

  • tough, as would 31, so

  • I'll go for 6 years. OK, Rob, we'll find out

  • later if that's right.

  • Now, I'm sure we all

  • want to be alone from

  • time to time, to escape

  • the demands of our

  • colleagues or the

  • pressures of real life,

  • but would we really want

  • to be totally alone? Well, I certainly wouldn't.

  • And research has found that

  • prolonged social isolation

  • is bad for us,

  • particularly mentally. It's an interesting topic,

  • and one that the BBC Radio

  • 4 programme Thinking Aloud

  • has been exploring.

  • Its guest, Fay Bound Alberti,

  • Reader in History at the

  • University of York,

  • explained how loneliness is

  • a relatively new

  • emotional state. A state is a condition at

  • a particular time. Let's

  • hear what she had to say

  • about references to

  • loneliness in literature. Well, novels are

  • fascinating, because there's

  • a difference between novels

  • in the 18th Century, when

  • they first came into being,

  • and novels in the 19th

  • Century - in the 18th

  • Century something like

  • Robinson Crusoe, there's

  • not a single reference

  • to loneliness. By the 19th

  • Century novels are

  • full of lonely people

  • and that reflects those

  • kinds of social changes. Give me some examples.

  • What may count

  • as examples? Well, I suppose I'm

  • thinking about if you

  • compare something like

  • Wuthering Heights where

  • you have this desperate

  • desire on the part of

  • the heroine to find love

  • which is bundled up

  • to in this sense of the

  • self not being complete

  • without another, or

  • Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

  • And so Victorian

  • fiction in particular

  • tends to be full of woman

  • who are in search of the

  • significant other and

  • needing to find happiness

  • and an absence of loneliness

  • in the domestic. It's interesting that Fay

  • mentions the story of

  • Robinson Crusoe - about

  • a man living on a desert

  • island - does not mention

  • the word loneliness.

  • But because of a shift

  • in how people behaved

  • and thought in the

  • 19th century - called

  • social change - loneliness

  • became an emotion that

  • was written about

  • in stories. Ah, but loneliness tended

  • to be something affecting

  • women. They were

  • searching for happiness

  • by finding a 'significant

  • other' - a partner, usually

  • a man, who they wanted to

  • marry. How things

  • have changed! Yes, now Fay also went

  • on to talk about how

  • some female authors,

  • like Virginia Woolf,

  • looked for solitude - that's

  • being alone - because

  • that helped them

  • be creative. Even today, being alone

  • gives us headspace and

  • time to think, as long

  • as it doesn't last

  • forever. Anyway, as we

  • mentioned, we've probably

  • all been lonely at some

  • point, and Fay Bound Alberti

  • told the Thinking Aloud

  • programme that loneliness

  • can take many forms. Absolutely, I think that

  • loneliness is something

  • that affects all people

  • but at different times

  • in their lives. I would

  • describe in terms of

  • pinch points - there are

  • times when we change

  • [when we become] when we

  • get married, we become

  • mothers, we get divorced,

  • anything that changes

  • our life might put us

  • under temporary loneliness.

  • When it's a problem is

  • when it becomes chronic. It seems that there are

  • certain times in our

  • lives when we might feel

  • lonely - when we break

  • up with a partner or

  • have a baby and feel

  • isolated, for example.

  • These are moments that

  • Fay describes as pinch

  • points - times in your

  • life where there are

  • difficulties and things

  • slow down or change. We could say loneliness

  • at these times is

  • understandable, normal

  • and temporary. When it

  • becomes a bigger issue,

  • it's what Fay describes

  • as chronic - so,

  • long lasting. And loneliness isn't

  • always obvious to other

  • people, so it's good to

  • check in with friends

  • and family to see how

  • they're feeling and to

  • ask if they re OK.

  • Of course, it would be

  • difficult to check in

  • on Mauro Morandi, who's

  • been living on Budelli

  • Island in Italy for

  • many years, but how

  • many years exactly? Ahh well I thought

  • 6 years. Was I right? I'm afraid not. It's

  • actually been 31 years.

  • He told National Geographic

  • magazine "I'm sort of

  • in prison here ... but

  • it's a prison that I

  • chose for myself". So

  • I'm guessing he's got

  • used to his own company!

  • I certainly couldn't

  • live alone for that

  • long - I'd been too

  • lonely, I need

  • company, Rob. Yeah, me too, Neil!

  • And loneliness is what

  • we've been discussing in

  • this programme. Here's a

  • recap of some of the

  • vocabulary we've

  • mentioned. Firstly,

  • to keep someone company

  • is to spend time with

  • someone so they

  • don't get lonely. Social change is a shift

  • in how people behave

  • and think. A significant other is

  • an informal way of

  • describing a partner. Solitude describes

  • being alone. When talking about life,

  • pinch points are times

  • where there are

  • difficulties and things

  • slow down or change.

  • And chronic describes a

  • health condition that

  • is long lasting. And that's all we have

  • time for in this

  • programme, but remember

  • you can find more

  • useful vocabulary,

  • trending topics and

  • help with your language

  • learning here at BBC

  • Learning English. We

  • also have an app that

  • you can download for

  • free from the app

  • stores and of course

  • we are all over social

  • media. Bye for now! Bye bye!

  • Hello. This is 6 Minute

  • English from BBC

  • Learning English.

  • I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Georgina.

  • Georgina and I have got

  • to know each other

  • very well after working

  • together for so long.

  • I know what sandwiches

  • Neil has for lunch ...

  • Egg and tomato right, Neil?

  • Right! And I know it

  • really annoys Georgina when

  • people don't wash up

  • their cups in

  • the staff kitchen.

  • So unhygienic!

  • But just as important

  • as getting to know

  • someone, socially or at

  • work, is getting on

  • with people. To get on

  • with someone is a useful

  • phrasal verb, meaning to

  • like someone and enjoy

  • a friendly relationship

  • with them.

  • Which is really

  • important if you work

  • with them every day!

  • And there's another word

  • to describe the good

  • understanding and

  • communication between

  • two friends: rapport.

  • Yes, how to build rapport

  • and get on with people

  • has been the subject

  • of many self-help books

  • over the years, and

  • is the topic of

  • this programme.

  • Well, you and I

  • must have great rapport,

  • Georgina, because that

  • leads perfectly onto

  • my quiz question. In

  • 1936, American writer

  • Dale Carnegie wrote a

  • famous self-help book

  • on building rapport.

  • It sold over 30 million

  • copies, making it one of

  • the best-selling books

  • of all time - but what is

  • it called? Is it:

  • a) How to get rich quick?,

  • b) How to stop worrying

  • and make friends?, or

  • c) How to win friends

  • and influence people?

  • I think I know this,

  • Neil. I'm going to say,

  • c) How to win friends

  • and influence people.

  • OK, Georgina, we'll find

  • out if that's the right

  • answer at the end

  • of the programme.

  • When it comes to getting

  • on with people,

  • psychologist Emily Alison

  • has a few ideas.

  • She's built a career

  • working with the police

  • as they build rapport

  • with criminal suspects.

  • Emily is the author a

  • new book, 'Rapport: the

  • four ways to read people'

  • and, as she told BBC

  • Radio 4 programme All

  • In The Mind it isn't easy

  • to get along with everyone.

  • I often describe

  • rapport-building in a

  • relationship as like

  • walking a tightrope because

  • you really do need

  • to maintain that

  • balance of being objective,

  • treating people with

  • compassion but that

  • doesn't mean I'm

  • sympathetic, I'm

  • collusive - it's that

  • balance between

  • judgement and avoidance.

  • Emily describes rapport

  • building as like

  • walking a tightrope, an

  • idiom to describe being

  • in a difficult situation

  • which requires carefully

  • considering what to do.

  • Building rapport with

  • "terrorists" or violent

  • criminals isn't easy.

  • Emily doesn't sympathise

  • with what they have done,

  • but she tries to remain

  • objective - to base her

  • judgement on the facts,

  • not personal feelings.

  • In her book, Emily

  • identifies four main

  • communication styles

  • which she names after

  • animals. The best at

  • building rapport is the

  • friendly and

  • cooperative monkey.

  • Then there's a pair of

  • opposites: the bossy lion,

  • who wants to take charge

  • and control things, and

  • the more passive mouse.

  • Here's Emily talking to

  • BBC Radio 4's, All In

  • The Mind, about the

  • fourth animal, the

  • T-Rex. Try to listen out

  • for the communication

  • style of this personality.

  • You've got the T-Rex

  • which is conflict - so

  • this is argument, whether

  • you're approaching it

  • from a positive position

  • where you can be direct,

  • frank about your message

  • or you approach that

  • in a negative way by

  • being ... attacking,

  • judgemental, argumentative,

  • sarcastic, and that

  • actually breeds the

  • same behaviour back.

  • So anyone who has

  • teenagers will 100%

  • recognise that ... if

  • you meet sarcasm with

  • sarcasm, it's only

  • going to go one way.

  • All four communication

  • styles have good and

  • bad points. On the

  • positive side, T-Rex

  • type people are frank -

  • they express themselves

  • in an open, honest way.

  • But T-Rex types can

  • also be sarcastic - say

  • the opposite of what

  • they really mean, in

  • order to hurt someone's

  • feelings or criticise

  • them in a funny way.

  • Yes, sarcasm is a

  • strange thing - like

  • saying, "Oh, I really

  • like your haircut",

  • when in fact you don't!

  • Yes. There's an

  • English saying that

  • sarcasm is the lowest

  • form of humour, but I

  • think British people

  • can be quite

  • sarcastic at times.

  • Well, I can't image

  • you'd make many

  • friends being rude to

  • people. Maybe they

  • should read Dale

  • Carnegie's self-help book.

  • Ah yes, your quiz

  • question, Neil. Was

  • my answer right?

  • In my quiz question

  • I asked Georgina for the

  • title of Dale Carnegie's

  • best-selling self-help

  • book about building

  • rapport. What did

  • you say?

  • I said the book is

  • called, c) How to win

  • friends and influence people.

  • Which is ... the correct

  • answer! And I guess you've

  • read it, Georgina,

  • because you have

  • lots of friends.

  • I hope you're not

  • being sarcastic, Neil!

  • Absolutely not! I'm

  • not a sarcastic T-Rex

  • type, more of a

  • friendly monkey!

  • OK, well, let's stay

  • friends and recap

  • the vocabulary from

  • this programme,

  • starting with rapport -

  • a good feeling between

  • two people based on

  • understanding

  • and communication.

  • If you get on with

  • someone, you like and

  • enjoy a friendly

  • relationship with them.

  • Walking a tightrope

  • means to be in a

  • difficult situation

  • which requires careful

  • consideration of

  • what to do.

  • To be objective is to

  • base your actions on

  • facts rather than

  • personal feelings.

  • When building rapport

  • with someone, it's

  • good to be frank - to

  • express yourself in

  • an open, honest way.

  • But not sarcastic - to

  • say the opposite of

  • what you really mean,

  • in order to hurt

  • someone's feelings or

  • criticise them in

  • a humorous way.

  • Well, Neil, if we run

  • over six minutes

  • we'll break our

  • rapport with the 6

  • Minute English producer,

  • so that's all for

  • this programme! Join

  • us again soon for

  • more trending topics

  • and useful vocabulary ...

  • ... and remember to

  • download the BBC

  • Learning English app

  • and stay friends by

  • following us on

  • social media.

  • Bye for now!

  • Bye!

  • Hello. This is 6

  • Minute English from

  • BBC Learning English.

  • I'm Rob.

  • And I'm Sam.

  • As awful as the

  • coronavirus pandemic has

  • been, it's also

  • highlighted the

  • compassionate side of

  • human nature - doctors

  • and nurses helping

  • the sick.

  • Yes, and people helping

  • out elderly relatives

  • and neighbours, raising

  • money for charity or

  • wearing a face mask

  • to keep others safe.

  • But the pandemic has

  • also highlighted a

  • more worrying issue

  • called 'compassion fatigue'.

  • Have you heard

  • of that, Sam?

  • Yes, I think compassion

  • fatigue is a kind of

  • emotional exhaustion

  • which reduces your

  • ability to empathise

  • or feel compassion

  • for others.

  • Yes, exactly, Sam.

  • Compassion fatigue has

  • long been a problem for

  • people working in medical

  • professions and is the

  • topic of this programme.

  • We'll be hearing how the

  • suffering and unhappiness

  • we see on the TV news

  • can increase feelings

  • of helplessness.

  • But first, let me ask

  • you my quiz question, Sam.

  • Humanitarian workers see

  • human suffering on a

  • daily basis and can

  • easy fall victim to

  • compassion fatigue.

  • Founded in 1971,

  • M decins Sans Fronti res

  • is one of the biggest

  • humanitarian organisations.

  • But what does M decins

  • Sans Fronti res mean?

  • Is it: a) Medicine to

  • the frontline,

  • b) Doctors without

  • borders, or

  • c) Medicine first?

  • I remember newspapers

  • calling it MSF and using

  • its English name, which

  • I think was, b) Doctors

  • without borders.

  • OK, Sam, we'll find out

  • the answer later on.

  • Compassion fatigue centres

  • on the idea that we

  • can feel too much

  • empathy and that feeling

  • can lead to

  • emotional burnout.

  • According to psychologist,

  • Margaret Heffernan, caring

  • and fatigue are closely

  • connected. Caring for others

  • means taking on someone's

  • pain yourself and this

  • can have unhealthy

  • consequences for the carer.

  • Well, here's Margaret

  • Heffernan talking to

  • BBC World Service's,

  • The Documentary Podcast.

  • See if you can hear the

  • effects of compassion

  • fatigue she mentions.

  • As you find people

  • spending more and more

  • time online, reading more

  • and more and more

  • depressing news and

  • they become more and

  • more numb they also

  • become more and more

  • addicted to it. And this

  • develops a kind of

  • state of mind that

  • is a kind of - it's

  • a form of learned

  • helplessness - because

  • I'm consuming something

  • that's upsetting me but

  • I cannot do

  • anything about it.

  • Margaret Heffernan mentions

  • that spending too much

  • time reading depressing

  • online news can leave

  • us feeling numb -

  • unable to feel any

  • emotions or think

  • clearly because we

  • are so upset or afraid.

  • The news exposes us to

  • human suffering around

  • the world which we

  • feel powerless to help.

  • This can lead to

  • something which in

  • psychology is called

  • learned helplessness -

  • giving up trying to

  • feel better because your

  • previous attempts

  • have not worked.

  • This is all incredibly

  • depressing, Rob! It

  • sounds like we have

  • limited amounts of compassion.

  • Well, there are more

  • positive ways of looking

  • at it, Sam. Here's an

  • alternative view from

  • Tom Rivett-Carnac,

  • speaking with BBC World

  • Service's, The

  • Documentary Podcast.

  • I understand why you're

  • saying that it's

  • finite - but I also

  • think compassion is a

  • habit. So dwelling with

  • that, developing that

  • habit - yes, there are

  • a lot of headwinds to

  • that and the rapid

  • acceleration of the

  • news cycle, the focus

  • on the next problem

  • so quickly draws our

  • attention away from

  • developing those deeper

  • habits as humanity that

  • gives us that courage

  • and that strength to

  • make these

  • big transformations.

  • Like Margaret Heffernan,

  • Tom Rivett-Carnac

  • believes the news media

  • is part of the problem.

  • Online newspapers and

  • social media, speed up

  • the news cycle - the

  • reporting of a particular

  • news story, from the

  • first instance

  • to the last.

  • As a result, we are

  • constantly worrying

  • about the next problem -

  • and this can easily

  • lead to emotional fatigue.

  • Tom emphasises

  • compassion as a habit

  • to be developed, instead

  • of something finite -

  • limited or having

  • a fixed size.

  • But such compassionate

  • habits can be difficult

  • to cultivate because

  • they face many

  • headwinds - forces

  • blowing in the opposite

  • direction which stop

  • you moving forward.

  • Headwinds such as the

  • rapid news cycle which

  • distracts us from

  • developing compassion

  • and courage. Maybe the

  • answer is to help in

  • whatever ways we can,

  • without becoming

  • hard-hearted - like

  • the volunteers of MSF.

  • Ah yes - your quiz

  • question, Rob. You

  • asked what the French

  • name M decins Sans

  • Fronti res means in

  • English. I said b) Doctors

  • without borders.

  • Which was ... the correct

  • answer! Well done!

  • Doctors Without Borders

  • offer volunteer medical

  • assistance in the

  • world's worst conflict zones.

  • OK, Rob, let's recap

  • the vocabulary,

  • starting with compassion

  • fatigue - emotional

  • exhaustion which reduces

  • your feelings

  • of compassion.

  • This can leave you

  • numb - unable to feel

  • any emotions because

  • you are so shocked

  • or scared.

  • Learned helplessness

  • is a psychological

  • term for when someone

  • stops trying to feel

  • better because their

  • previous attempts failed.

  • Some people believe

  • that compassion is

  • finite - limited or

  • having a fixed size.

  • And it can be disturbed

  • by the news cycle - the

  • round of media reports

  • and reactions to

  • a news story.

  • Which can be a headwind

  • or opposing force,

  • which stops us

  • caring for others.

  • And that's it for

  • this edition of

  • 6 Minute English.

  • Bye for now!

  • Bye!

  • Hello. Welcome to 6

  • Minute English, I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Rob.

  • Rob, would you say

  • that were a snowflake?

  • Wow, I can't believe

  • you said that, that's

  • so offensive. How

  • could you be so rude?

  • So I guess that's a

  • yes then? Sorry,

  • I only asked.

  • Don't worry, I wasn't

  • really upset, I just

  • wanted to demonstrate

  • the meaning of the word.

  • The word snowflake has

  • taken on a new

  • meaning in recent years.

  • These days it's

  • used as an insult.

  • It's used to criticise

  • people or groups that

  • are seen to be very

  • easily offended or

  • upset by things

  • that others say.

  • There is usually a

  • political side to it

  • too, isn't there?

  • Yes, people who use

  • the word snowflake

  • tend to be from the

  • political right and

  • they usually use it

  • about those on the

  • political left,

  • particularly millennials -

  • young, socially

  • aware adults.

  • Well we'll explore this

  • topic in more detail

  • shortly, but first a

  • quiz question. In which

  • year was snowflake one

  • of Collins Dictionary's

  • words of the year? Was it:

  • a) 1996, b) 2006 or

  • c) 2016?

  • Well, we said it's

  • quite a recent word

  • so I'm going

  • for c) 2016.

  • Well, we'll find out

  • if you're right later

  • on in the programme.

  • The topic of offence

  • is a very complicated

  • one. First what do we

  • mean by offence, Rob?

  • Thanks for that. That is

  • a really difficult

  • question. Something that

  • is offensive is rude,

  • insulting and makes

  • people feel hurt and

  • upset. What's difficult

  • about it though is that

  • we don't all find the

  • same things offensive.

  • Some people can be

  • deliberately offensive

  • and some people may be

  • offensive without

  • meaning to be.

  • Also, different people

  • respond to offence

  • in different ways -

  • some accept it as the

  • price of free speech

  • and some try to stop

  • the people they think

  • are offensive from

  • saying the things

  • they do.

  • These terms come up

  • quite a lot in

  • discussions about equality,

  • race, religion and

  • of course, politics.

  • The topic was discussed

  • in detail in the BBC

  • Radio programme Sweet

  • Reason. Evan Davis

  • presented the programme

  • and here is the first

  • part of his summary

  • of the discussion.

  • What does he say is

  • the reason some people

  • talk about offence?

  • First, on occasion,

  • people probably do

  • invoke offence when

  • really they just have

  • a political disagreement

  • and on occasion groups

  • that suffer

  • discrimination or

  • exclusion perhaps find

  • it exhilarating or

  • uniting to call out

  • that discrimination.

  • He says that some

  • people take offence

  • when it's just a

  • political disagreement.

  • He says they

  • invoke offence.

  • If you invoke something

  • it means that you use

  • it to support your

  • point or explain your

  • action. So to invoke

  • offence is to say that

  • we are acting this

  • way because we are

  • offended by what

  • you have said, although

  • the offence may only

  • be a political

  • difference rather than

  • something truly offensive.

  • Davis goes on to say

  • that groups that do

  • suffer from discrimination

  • may get some feelings

  • of unity when they

  • call out discrimination.

  • They feel more together

  • when they publicise

  • and highlight the

  • discrimination they

  • have experienced.

  • Even though some offence

  • that is taken may not

  • be genuine, that

  • doesn't mean people

  • don't have a right

  • to be offended. Here's

  • Evan Davis again.

  • Where the so-called

  • snowflakes surely have

  • a point is this,

  • societies are entitled

  • to make certain things

  • taboo and the

  • millennials use of the

  • word offensive is

  • simply designed to say

  • some views are not

  • just wrong they are in

  • a special category

  • of wrong.

  • His point here is that

  • societies can decide

  • that certain things

  • are taboo. In this

  • context something that

  • is taboo is something

  • that is regarded by

  • society as being

  • shocking and offensive

  • and that it is OK for

  • people to be offended

  • by these things.

  • And I think the point

  • he makes is a good one.

  • The word snowflake is

  • usually used as an

  • insult - but some people

  • may feel proud to be a

  • snowflake because it

  • means they are standing

  • up for a particular

  • standard, they have a

  • level of decency and

  • social responsibility

  • that is higher than that

  • of those who are calling

  • them snowflakes.

  • Well, I hope we haven't

  • caused any offence today.

  • Before we review the

  • vocabulary, can we have

  • the answer to today's

  • question, Neil?

  • Of course, I asked in

  • which year was

  • snowflake one of

  • Collins Dictionary's

  • words of the year?

  • Was it ...

  • a) 1996, b) 2006,

  • or c) 2016?

  • And I said c) 2016.

  • It's got to be right!

  • Well, do you want

  • to hear the story?

  • Interestingly the

  • term was coined in

  • 1996 in the book

  • Fight Club, but it

  • was in 2016 that it

  • was one of the

  • dictionary's words

  • of the year. Now

  • let's review our words

  • of the day. First

  • there is 'offence'.

  • People can take offence

  • and be offended by

  • something that is

  • offensive. Something

  • that is offensive

  • could be rude,

  • insulting and shocking.

  • It might take the form

  • of humiliation or

  • discrimination against

  • a person or group.

  • The term 'snowflake' is

  • a word used by some

  • people to talk about

  • other people who they

  • think get offended too

  • easily and unnecessarily.

  • They don't want to

  • change their language

  • or ideas just because

  • snowflakes get upset.

  • Then we had the word

  • 'invoke'. If you

  • invoke something you use

  • it as a reason to

  • explain your actions

  • and feelings.

  • To call something out

  • is to challenge it,

  • to highlight it and

  • look for justification.

  • And finally, we have

  • 'taboo'. Something that

  • society says is

  • offensive and shocking.

  • So there we have it.

  • What do you think

  • Rob of this topic.

  • Well, it is a very

  • difficult subject,

  • particularly when it

  • comes to politics,

  • religion and society.

  • Free speech is good

  • but at times,

  • particularly on social

  • media, I think can be

  • unnecessarily unpleasant.

  • Well, try not to be

  • offended but it is

  • time for us to leave

  • you for this programme.

  • Do join us next time.

  • Remember you can find

  • us on Instagram,

  • Facebook, Twitter,

  • YouTube and of course

  • our website

  • bbclearningenglish.com.

  • And of course, we have

  • a new app which you

  • can find on our

  • website. It's free

  • and it's brilliant,

  • isn't it, Rob?

  • Absolutely!

  • See you soon, bye.

  • Bye!

  • Hello. This is 6 Minute

  • English from BBC

  • Learning English.

  • I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Georgina.

  • That's a big smile

  • on your face,

  • Georgina! You

  • seem happy today!

  • I am, Neil. After all,

  • what's the point in

  • seeing the glass

  • half empty?

  • Ah, so you're someone

  • who tries to see the

  • glass half full - you

  • generally look at

  • things in a positive way.

  • I hope so! It may

  • seem strange to be

  • discussing happiness

  • in the middle of a

  • global pandemic but

  • right now feeling

  • happy is more

  • important than ever.

  • Well then, it's lucky

  • that happiness is the

  • subject of this programme,

  • Georgina. And while

  • many things seem to be

  • out of our control

  • just now, there are

  • small things we can

  • do to feel better

  • about life ...

  • ... to feel less

  • stressed, and maybe

  • even a little happier.

  • You're talking like a

  • Dane now, Georgina.

  • Denmark, and in fact

  • all the Nordic countries,

  • are often listed as

  • among the happiest

  • places in the world.

  • You know what would

  • make me happy, Neil? -

  • asking me a really

  • good quiz question.

  • OK. Well, did you know

  • that every year the UN

  • publishes its Global

  • Happiness Survey

  • revealing the happiest

  • countries in the world?

  • It's based on factors like

  • income, life expectancy

  • and health. The Nordic

  • countries often come in

  • the top ten, but which

  • country was rated the

  • happiest in 2020? Was it:

  • a) Iceland, b) Denmark

  • or c) Finland?

  • Well, Neil, Denmark is famous

  • for bacon, and nothing

  • makes me happier than

  • a bacon sandwich, so

  • I'll say b) Denmark.

  • I like your thinking,

  • Georgina! We'll find out

  • the answer later, but

  • you're certainly right

  • to say that Denmark is

  • considered one of the

  • happiest countries

  • in the world.

  • Malene Rydahl, author of

  • the bestselling book,

  • Happy as a Dane, believes

  • that aspects of Danish

  • culture can help us

  • improve our chances

  • of happiness.

  • Here she is explaining

  • what happiness means

  • for her to BBC World

  • Service programme,

  • The Conversation. See if

  • you can hear what she thinks.

  • Well, I think we should

  • be seeking alignment and

  • I think we should

  • practise gratitude and

  • I think that we should be

  • more conscious about

  • how we relate to things

  • that happen to us and

  • how much we compare

  • ourselves to others ...

  • I do think that what we

  • need to focus on is the

  • quality of our relationships.

  • Did you hear Malene use the

  • word alignment? She thinks

  • there should be harmony

  • between my true sense

  • of who I am, what I

  • think and how I relate

  • to others. We should be

  • in alignment - or in

  • the correct relation,

  • to those things.

  • Malene also thinks

  • happiness comes from

  • gratitude - feeling

  • grateful and expressing

  • thanks to other people.

  • She recommends finding

  • three things, no matter

  • how small, to be

  • grateful for every day.

  • Like ... getting a

  • good night's sleep,

  • drinking a hot

  • coffee ... and having

  • this chat with

  • you, Georgina.

  • Thanks, Neil, that's

  • put a smile on my face!

  • It may sound strange

  • but doing this every

  • day can really boost

  • your happiness levels.

  • Malene also warns

  • against seeking happiness

  • in external things,

  • as you can hear in

  • this chat with BBC

  • World Service's,

  • The Conversation.

  • If you seek happiness

  • and you mistake it for

  • pleasure, you will

  • be running around like

  • a little hamster in

  • a wheel because it's

  • never enough and

  • because you will be

  • very quickly the

  • victim of the hedonic

  • treadmill ... and the

  • hedonic treadmill

  • is ... you know, you

  • want something, you

  • think if you're more

  • beautiful, if you get

  • more power, if you

  • get more money and

  • fame and then you'll

  • finally be happy ...

  • and then you get it

  • and you get a

  • small satisfaction.

  • According to Malene,

  • chasing external

  • pleasures like money

  • and fame will leave you

  • feeling like a hamster

  • on a wheel - like

  • someone who's always

  • busy but never

  • accomplishes anything

  • useful or finishes

  • what they start.

  • She also says it's

  • easy to become a

  • victim of the hedonic

  • treadmill. This is the

  • idea that humans adapt

  • to whatever level of

  • happiness they achieve.

  • As we make more money,

  • meet the perfect boyfriend

  • or whatever we desire,

  • our expectations also

  • increase, so we never

  • find the happiness we

  • hoped we would!

  • 'Money can't buy happiness',

  • as my grandma used to say.

  • Right. In fact, it's

  • probably the quality

  • of our relationships,

  • not external objects,

  • that gives satisfaction -

  • the pleasure we feel when

  • we achieve something

  • we wanted to.

  • Lots of useful tips there,

  • Georgina, for feeling

  • as happy as a Dane.

  • A Dane, you say, Neil?

  • So I got the

  • correct answer?

  • In my quiz question

  • I asked Georgina which

  • Nordic country was

  • rated happiest in the

  • UN's 2020 global survey.

  • I guessed b) Denmark.

  • But in fact, Georgina,

  • it was ... c) Finland.

  • I guess their bacon

  • sandwiches are

  • even better!

  • OK, let's recap the

  • vocabulary and start seeing

  • the glass half full -

  • looking at things

  • in a positive way.

  • Happiness might be all

  • about alignment -

  • being in the correct

  • relation to things.

  • Or gratitude - being

  • grateful and giving thanks.

  • Feeling like a hamster

  • on a wheel means you're

  • always busy doing

  • things but without

  • getting satisfaction -

  • the pleasant feeling of

  • achieving something

  • you really wanted to.

  • Finally, the reason

  • happiness often escapes

  • us may involve the

  • hedonic treadmill - the

  • human tendency to

  • return to the same

  • level of happiness after

  • something very good

  • or very bad has happened.

  • That's all for this

  • programme. We hope it's

  • lifted your spirits

  • and given you some

  • useful vocabulary

  • as well.

  • Remember to join us

  • again soon for more

  • interesting topics here

  • at 6 Minute English.

  • And if you like

  • topical discussions and

  • want to learn how to

  • use the vocabulary

  • found in headlines,

  • why not try out our

  • News Review podcast?

  • You'll find programmes

  • about many topics that

  • will help to keep you

  • entertained and learning

  • at the same time. Don't

  • forget you can download

  • the app for free from

  • the app stores. And, of

  • course, we are on most

  • social media platforms.

  • Bye for now!

  • Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

字幕與單字

單字即點即查 點擊單字可以查詢單字解釋

B1 中級 英國腔

BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Human Emotions 2' English mega-class! Thirty minutes of new vocabulary!

  • 12 3
    Izzy 發佈於 2022 年 07 月 10 日
影片單字