There's this one scenario I find myself in a lot:

我發現自己常出現在這樣一個情境中：

I'm trying to get home after a meeting; it's quicker to drive, so I call an Uber.

我在會議結束後，試圖想回家，因為開車比較快，所以我叫了 Uber。

And while I'm waiting, I realize the car is stuck in traffic.

在我等待的時候，我發現車子被困在車陣中。

I could cancel and get the train⏤by now that might be quicker, and even with Uber's 5-dollar cancellation fee, it would still be cheaper.

我可以取消車子然後去坐火車，到了這個關頭那可能更快，而且即使 Uber 會收取 5 美元的取消費，還是比較便宜。

But I've already committed to the car.

但是我已經承諾要叫車了。

I've already invested this time waiting, and I'd still have to pay that fee.

我已經投入了這段等待時間，還得支付這筆費用。

I'll just take the Uber.

我就搭 Uber 吧。

And then, we sit in that same traffic and I get home later⏤and for a higher price⏤than if I just took the train.

然後，我們坐在同樣堵塞的交通中，而且比起直接搭火車，我回家的時間更晚、價格更高。

We like to think that we always make rational decisions, but science shows that this isn't always the case.

我們都希望認為自己總是會做理性決定，但科學顯示並不是總是如此。

In not choosing the train, I couldn't see past my sunk cost bias,

決定不選擇火車，表示我無法不被沉沒成本謬誤影響，

meaning we're more likely to choose something we've invested time or money in, even if it's not the best decision for our future wealth or happiness.

這意味著我們更可能會選擇我們已經投入時間或金錢的選項，即使它對我們未來的財富或幸福不是最好的決定。

Whether you realize it or not, you make dozens of decisions every day.

無論你是否意識到，你每天都會做出幾十個決定。

Some of these decisions, like what you should eat for breakfast, aren't that important,

其中一些像是早餐應該吃什麼的決定並不太重要，

while others, like whether you should take a new job, can have a big impact on your life.

而像是是否應該接受一份新工作等其它決定則會對你的人生有重大影響。

Making a big decision isn't always easy, and sometimes, you might not make the choice that's best for you.

做出一個重大決定並不總是容易，你有時也可能不會做出對你最好的選擇。

But, understanding more about what influences your decision-making and using certain techniques can help you make better decisions.

但是，更了解影響你決策的因素並使用某些技巧可以幫助你做出更好的決定。

Often, emotions like anger, fear, and sadness can cloud our judgements without us even realizing.

諸如憤怒、恐懼和悲傷等情緒通常會在我們不知不覺中矇蔽我們的判斷力。

For example, feeling angry can really affect the way that we make decisions.

例如，憤怒的感覺可以真切地影響我們做決定的方式。

In a 2016 experiment, researchers asked participants to either write about an event that made them angry, an event that made them sad, or about their normal evening routine.

在 2016 年的一項實驗中，研究人員要求參與者寫下一件讓他們憤怒的事、傷心的事，或者關於他們一般的夜間習慣。

Afterwards, participants performed a computer task that involved blowing up a simulated balloon.

之後，參與者進行了一項涉及吹模擬氣球的電腦任務。

Each puff was worth money, but if they filled the balloon too much, it would burst and they would receive no money.

每一次吹氣都值錢，但如果他們把氣球裝得太滿，它就會爆裂，他們就不會收到任何錢。

In this experiment, people who wrote about an angry event made riskier choices in the balloon task.

在這個實驗中，寫下憤怒事件的人在氣球任務中做出了風險更高的選擇。

Other studies have found that feelings of sadness can affect your decisions about money by increasing how much you're willing to pay for something.

其它研究發現，悲傷的感覺會影響你對金錢的決定，提升你願意為某物支付的金額。

And fear could lead you to make decisions that aren't logical.

而恐懼會導致你做出不符合邏輯的決定。

For example, someone with a fear of flying might choose to drive instead, even though⏤for equivalent distances⏤death rates for driving are much higher than those for flying.

例如，對飛行有恐懼感的人可能會選擇開車，儘管在同等距離下，駕車死亡率比飛行死亡率要高得多。

So, how can you make better decisions?

那麼，你如何才能做出更好的決定？

First, try to make important ones in the morning.

首先，盡量在早晨做出重要決定。

By analyzing online chess matches, researchers determined that people generally made slower but more accurate decisions in the morning and faster but less accurate decisions in the evening.

透過分析線上象棋比賽，研究人員判定人們一般在上午會較慢但較精準地下決定，而傍晚的決定則更快速但較不準確。

In other words, if you're about to make a big decision late at night, sleeping on it and deciding in the morning might actually be a wise choice.

換句話說，如果你即將在深夜做出一個重大決定，睡一覺留到隔天決定實際上可能是一個明智的選擇。

Next, try to distance yourself from the situation.

接下來，試著從這種情況中抽離。

Have you noticed that it always seems easier to solve other people's problems than your own?

你是否注意到，解決別人的問題似乎比解決自己的問題容易？

There's actually a name for this⏤Solomon's Paradox.

這個現象其實有一個名字：所羅門悖論。

The story goes that the wise biblical King Solomon's advice was highly sought-after from other people, but he had a lot of personal problems which still lead to his kingdom's demise.

故事是這樣的：聖經中聰明所羅門王的建議備受追捧，但他有很多個人問題，這些問題仍然導致他的王國被滅亡。

People are often wise about problems where they're not involved.

人們對與自己不相干的問題往往很明智。

So, try to think about a situation from a third-person perspective⏤researchers call this wise reasoning⏤

所以說，試著從第三人的角度來思考問題——研究人員稱之為明智推理——

and practicing it can increase your ability to recognize other people's points of view, understand the limitations of what you know, and, maybe, reach a compromise.

只要練習這麼做，就可以提升理解他人觀點的能力、了解自己所知的侷限性，並可能達成妥協。

Also, you can try mindfulness meditation to make better choices.

此外，你可以嘗試正念冥想以做出更好的決定。

A 2014 study found that just 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation prior to a decision-making task increased resistance to sunk cost bias,

2014 年的一項研究發現，只要在決策前進行 15 分鐘的正念冥想任務，就可以增加對沉沒成本謬誤的抵抗力，

that tendency to keep doing something just because you've already put time or money into it.

也就是那個只因為已經投入時間或金錢而繼續做某件事的傾向。

Meditation helped people make the best choice for their future success, regardless of previous actions.

冥想會幫助人們為其未來成功做出最佳選擇，無論其過往行為。

Making decisions isn't always easy.

做決策並不總是容易的。

But, by understanding how things like your mood, the time of day, and previous events can bias your decision-making,

但透過了解像是心情、一天時間點以及過往事件可以如何影響你的決策，

you can train yourself to eliminate factors that predispose you towards bad decisions and make better decisions in your life.

你可以訓練自己消除那些使你的決策產生偏差的因素，做出人生中更好的決定。

For me, when the city and trains and traffic become too much, I often dream of living in a tiny house.

對我而言，當城市、火車、交通變得難以承受，我就會夢想住在一間小屋中。

Seriously, I watch a lot of shows about them, including "Tiny House: Living Off the Grid" on CuriosityStream.

我真的，我看了很多關於它們的節目，包括 CuriosityStream 上播出的《Tiny House: Living Off the Grid》。

CuriosityStream is the sponsor of today's video.

CuriosityStream 是今天節目的贊助者。

They're a documentary streaming service and an easy decision when you're looking for something to watch because they have thousands of titles from the world's best filmmakers⏤everything from David Attenborough to "Tiny Houses".

他們是一個紀錄片串流服務，在你想找點東西來看時也是最佳選擇，因為他們有全球最佳製片人的節目，包括大衛·艾登堡到《Tiny Houses》。

Unlimited access starts at 2.99 a month, but for BrainCraft viewers, the first 31 days are completely free if you sign up at CuriosityStream.com/braincraft and use the promo code "braincraft".

無限觀看費用每月 2.99 元起，但 BrainCraft 觀眾如果前往 CuriosityStream.com/braincraft 並以優惠代碼 braincraft 註冊，前 31 天可以完全免費。

Thanks!

謝了！