Thoughts compete for a space in your brain.

思緒會在你的腦子裡爭取生存空間。

Cat photos, news stories, beliefs structures, funny GIFs, educational videos, not-so-educational videos, and your thinking inventory is limited.

包括貓咪圖、新聞、信仰、搞笑動圖、教育性影片、不太有教育意義的影片，而你腦中思想容量是有限的。

A thought without a brain to think it dies.

沒有腦袋進行思考的想法會死亡。

Now, we can treat thoughts as though they're alive⏤specifically, alive like germs.

我們可以把想法當作是活的，尤其像是細菌一樣。

That might sound weird, but stick with me.

那聽起來可能有點怪，但容我繼續解釋。

Take jokes.

以笑話為例。

Jokes are thought germs that live in your brain, and when you tell the joke to another brain, you help it to reproduce.

笑話就像是住在你腦中的思想細菌，當你把笑話傳遞給另一個腦子時，你就是在幫助它繁衍。

Just like when you have the flu and sneeze to help it reproduce.

就如同你得了流感時，會透過打噴嚏幫助它繁衍。

This germ gets into its host by snot through the mouth, and this one by words through the ear, but it's reproduction either way.

這個細菌是由進入口中的鼻涕而傳遞的宿主身上，而這則是透過入耳的字眼，但兩者都是繁衍行為。

Logging on to your social media, then, is exposing yourself to everyone's mental sneezes.

那麼登入你的社群媒體網頁則是讓自己暴露於所有人的思想噴嚏中。

Each post a glob of snot with a thought germ trying to get into your brain,

每一則貼文都像是一團鼻涕，帶著試圖入侵你腦中的思想細菌。

if not for permanent residence, then at least long enough to get you to press the share button and sneeze it with everyone you know.

就算不是永久存在你的腦中，至少也持續到足以讓你點擊分享鍵，並將這個「噴嚏」傳遞給你認識的每一個人。

In this analogy, then, a funny cat photo with the perfect caption is a super-flu.

那麼由這樣的類比來看，擁有完美標題的搞笑貓咪照片就是超級流感。

Now, just as germs exploit weak points in your immune system, so do thought germs exploit weak points in your brain, a.k.a., emotions.

就如同細菌會攻擊你免疫系統較脆弱的部分，思想細菌也會攻擊你腦中脆弱的地方，也就是你的情感。

Once inside, thought germs that press emotional buttons get their hosts to spread them more.

一但進入腦中，觸動情感的思想細菌就會促使宿主進一步擴散它們。

Measurably more⏤well, except sadness; sad thoughts don't get very far.

大量地散播——嗯，除了悲傷以外，因為悲傷的思想細菌不會傳很遠。

Awe is pretty good, which is why websites that construct thought germs like biological weapons arm them with them titles like,

「驚訝」蠻不錯的，這就是為什麼把思想細菌當作生化武器來建構的網站會搭配如下的標題：

"7 $whatevers that will blow your mind" or "The Shocking Secret behind $ThisThing".

《7 件必定會讓你大吃一驚的事》或是《這件事背後驚人的秘辛》 。

But anger is the ultimate edge for a thought germ⏤anger bypasses your mental immune system and compels you to share it like nothing else.

但「憤怒」是思想細菌的終極武器，它會越過你的精神免疫系統，並讓你不得不盡力分享。

Being aware of your brain's weak spots is necessary for good mental health, like knowing how to wash your hands.

意識到自己腦中較弱的地方對於精神健康是必須的，就像是知道如何洗手一樣。

Because, even without intentional construction, any thought germ on the internet can, on its own, grow more infections as it spreads.

因為就算沒有刻意操控，任何在網路上的思想細菌都能夠自行在擴散的過程中變得更具傳染性。

To talk about why, lets forget anger for a moment and go back to that cat photo.

要討論原因的話，我們得先稍微忘卻憤怒，回到之前提到的貓咪照片。

Every photo ever taken is a thought germ, and it most die a quick death, like the bazillion cat photos⏤or baby photos⏤posted on the internet that are never shared.

所有曾經被拍下的照片都是一個思想細菌，多數都會快速死亡，如同大量被張貼到網路上卻從未被分享過的貓咪或是嬰兒照片。

But a mildly funny cat photo can grow into so much more,

但一張稍微好笑的貓咪照片可能演變為熱門照片，

because, just as transatlantic flights were the best thing to happen to germ germs, so the internet is the best thing to happen to thought germs.

因為就像是跨大西洋航線班機是細菌的最佳溫床一般，網路之於思想細菌也是如此。

For once on board, that cat photo can leap into other brains, and those brains might share it, and⏤here's the key point⏤occasionally, change it.

因為貓咪照片一但搭上線，就變成可能傳送到其他人腦中的思想細菌，而那些腦袋可能會分享它——重點是，有時還會改變它。

A Photoshop here, a tweaked caption there.

這裡修一下圖、那裡再修改一下標題。

Most changes are terrible, but some make the thought germ even funnier, getting more brains to share it.

大多的變更都很糟糕，但有些會讓思想細菌更好像，使得更多腦袋分享它。

Which results in more changes and a shot at super-stardom.

這會導致更多的變動以及有一舉出名的機會。

Thus, a lowly cat photo can achieve global brain domination⏤at least for a few hours.

因此，一張不起眼的貓咪照片可能達成在全球人腦中稱霸的地位，至少會持續幾個小時。

The internet, with its unparalleled ability to share and randomly change thought germs, can't help but make them stronger.

網路擁有空前的傳播以及隨機改變思想細菌的能力，它也只能幫助它們變得更強大。

With jokes, that's awesome, but with angry germs, not always so awesome, no.

如果是笑話，那是件好事，但如果是憤怒細菌，那就不總是好事了。

Angry germs, the more they're shared, undergo the same process⏤changing and distorting to be more aggravating.

憤怒細菌會隨著分享次數變多而經歷相同流程，也就是透過改變並扭曲變得更激怒人。

These have a better chance of spreading than their possibly more accurate, but probably also more boring rivals.

這些相較於它們可能更準確但也更無聊的對手來說，擁有更多擴散的機會。

But like plagues, thought germs can burn through a population too quickly.

但就像瘟疫一樣，思想細菌在人類之間的傳遞速度可能過快。

Just watch your favorite meme-generating machine for a week, and you'll see the life cycle fly by.

只要觀察你最喜歡的迷因製造器一週，你就會看到這個生命週期的閃逝。

However, some thought germs have found a way around burnout.

不過有些思想細菌找到了避免被燃燒殆盡的方法。

Now, I must warn you, depending on which thought germs live in your head and which you fight for, the next section might sound horrifying.

我必須先警告各位，根據你腦中思想細菌以及你擁護目標的不同，下一個部分聽起來可能有點駭人。

So, please keep in mind: We're talking about what makes some thought germs successful, particularly angry ones, and not how good or how bad the thoughts themselves are.

所以，請記住：我們是要討論讓思想細菌（尤其憤怒）成功的原因，而不是這些思想本身有多好或多壞。

Deep breath; calm.

深呼吸、保持冷靜。

Thought germs can burn out because, once everyone agrees, it's hard to keep talking, and thus, thinking about them.

思想病毒會耗盡的原因是，一但所有人達到共識，就很難繼續討論或是想它們。

But if there's an opposing thought germ⏤an argument⏤then, the thinking never has to stop.

但如果有一個對立的思想細菌，一個反論，那麼思考就永遠不需要停止。

The disagreement doesn't have to be angry, but, again, angry helps.

這個反駁的論點不需要是分怒的，但我重申，憤怒感有助力。

The more visible an argument gets, the more bystanders it draws in, which makes it more visible,

這個爭論曝光度越高，就會吸引越多旁觀者，讓它被更多人看到，

which is why every group from the most innocuous internet forum to The National Conversation can turn into a double-rage storm across the sky in no time.

這就是為什麼從最無害的網路論壇到全國對談任何一個主題都可以在短時間內轉變為全面性的大風暴。

Wait, these thought germs aren't competing; they're cooperating.

等等，這些細菌並非在競爭，而是在合作。

Working together, they reach more brains and hold their thoughts longer than they could alone.

同心協力比起獨立運作更能使它們傳遞到更多人腦中並佔據更長的時間。

Thought germs on opposite sides of an argument can be symbiotic.

一個論點兩端的思想細菌可能是共生的。

One tool symbiotic anger germs in particular can employ is you're-with-us-or-against-us.

尤其共生的憤怒細菌會採用的一個工具是「你不支持我們就是反對我們」。

Whatever thought germ just leaped to the front of your brain, push it back⏤this video isn't about that.

不管你腦中剛浮現了什麼思想細菌，都把它推到腦後，這部影片跟它無關。

We're just talking about this tool, which makes it very hard for neutral brains to resist, and its divisiveness also grows its symbiotic partner.

我們只是在討論這個工具，它會讓中立的腦袋非常難以抗拒，而它的分化特性也會助長它的共生夥伴。

This explains why, in some arguments, gaining more allies also gains more enemies.

這就解釋了為什麼在某些爭論當中，獲得更多盟友就等於獲得更多敵軍。

Because though the participants think they're involved in a fiery battle to the death, from the anger germs' perspective, one side is a field of flowers and the other a flock of butterflies.

因為雖然參與者都認為他們被捲入一場非生即死的火爆戰爭，從憤怒細菌們的角度來看，一邊是長滿花朵的土地，另一邊則有一群蝴蝶。

Of course, planting more flowers will get you more butterflies, and getting more butterflies will pollinate more flowers.

當然了，種植更多花朵會吸引更多蝴蝶，而更多蝴蝶就能替更多花朵授粉。

If there is some argument that splits the population and lasts forever, and that even the most neutral people find difficult to avoid,

如果有一個論點會將人口分裂並永遠存在，且就連最中立的人也無法避免，

you just might be looking at a super successful pair of symbiotic anger germs that have reached ecological stability.

那你可能就是在看一對超級成功、共生的憤怒細菌，以及達到生態平衡。

Now, one final depressing thought.

現在給各位最後一個沮喪的想法。

Uh... I mean, one more awe-inspiring point that will reveal the secrets of⏤ah, actually, no, it's just depressing.

呃，我是說，再一個令人振奮的點子，即將揭露秘密——啊，老實說，這個想法只有沮喪而已。

When opposing groups get big, they don't really argue with each other; they mostly argue with themselves about how angry the other group makes them.

當對立團體變得茁壯時，它們不太跟對方爭辯，大多根據對手讓它們多生氣而跟自己爭辯。

We can actually graph fights on the internet to see this in action: Each becomes its own quasi isolated internet, sharing thoughts about the other.

我們其實可以將網路上的爭吵圖表化，就可以看到這個現象：每一項都成為類獨立的網路，分享關於對方的想法。

You see where this is going, right?

你可以看到會怎麼發展了吧？

Each group breeds thought germs about the other, and as before, the most enraging, but not necessarily the most accurate, spread the fastest.

每一組都會培養關於對手的思想細菌，而一如既往地，最令人憤怒但不見得最準確的想法會最快速地傳播。

A group almost can't help but construct a totem of the other so enraging they'll talk about it all the time,

一組幾乎無法控制地建構對手的圖騰，激怒人的程度到了無法停止談論它，

which, now that you know how thought germs grow, is exactly what makes the totem always perfectly maddening.

而在你知道思想細菌如何成長後，這正是讓那個圖騰完美地激怒人的要素。

Now, all this isn't to say that there's no point in arguing⏤that's a different video⏤or that the internet isn't amazing or that there aren't things worth trying to change peoples' minds about.

不過這並不是說爭論沒有用（這我們會在另一部影片中討論）或是網路不美好或是沒有任何值得嘗試改變人們想法的作為。

Thought germs of all kinds come and go.

各種形式的思想細菌會來來去去。

But it's useful to be aware of how thoughts can use our emotions to spread,

但知道思想會怎麼利用我們的情感來傳播是有用的，

and how the more rapidly a thought is able to spread, the more chances it has to become even better at spreading through random changes that are made to it.

我們也需要知道，思想傳播速度越快，它就更能夠透過針對它的隨機改變而更好地擴散。

Sometimes that's great, sometimes it's terrible.

那有時很棒，但有時糟糕透頂。

But if you want to maintain a healthy brain, it pays to be cautious of thoughts that have passed through a lot of other brains and that poke you where you're weakest.

不過如果你想維持大腦的健康，對於那些曾經過很多其他人腦並在你最脆弱時攻擊的思想格外警戒是有好處的。

It's your brain, be hygienic with it.

畢竟是你的大腦，讓它整潔點吧！