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LauraCarstensen_2011X-_老年人更快乐_
People are living longer and societies are getting grayer. 人们现在越活越久 社会也逐渐变得老龄化
You hear about it all the time. 你可能总是听到别人这么说
You read about it in your newspapers. 你也从报纸上如是读到
You hear about it on your television sets. 从电视上看到
Sometimes I'm concerned that we hear about it so much that we've come to accept longer lives with a kind of a complacency , even ease. 有时候我很担心 我们听过长寿太多次 以至于人们带着自满 甚至安逸的情绪开始接受 长寿的事实
concerned:adj.有关的;关心的;v.关心;与…有关;(concern的过去时和过去分词) complacency:n.自满;满足;自鸣得意;
But make no mistake, longer lives can and, I believe, will improve quality of life at all ages. 但是请别搞错 长寿能够 -- 而且我相信,它肯定会 -- 改善所有年龄的人们的 生活品质
improve:v.改进;改善;
Now to put this in perspective , let me just zoom out for a minute . 现在让我们先拉个远景 从宏观的角度来看
perspective:n.观点;远景;透视图;adj.透视的; for a minute:一会儿;
More years were added to average life expectancy in the 20th century than all years added across all prior millennia of human evolution combined. 人们的 平均寿命 在整个20世纪增加的年数 要比 上千年来 人类进化过程中所增加的总和还要多
life expectancy:预期寿命; prior:adj.先前的; n.(小隐修院)院长; v.居先; millennia:n.千年期(millennium的复数);一千年;千年庆典;太平盛世; evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进;
In the blink of an eye , we nearly doubled the length of time that we're living. 就在眨眼之间 我们已经将我们的寿命 延长了一倍
In the blink of an eye:熄灭;在一瞬间;眨眼之间;眨眼间;一眨眼间;
So if you ever feel like you don't have this aging thing quite pegged , don't kick yourself. 所以,如果你觉得你对变老这件事并不关心 不要自责
pegged:v.用夹子夹住;使固定于某水平;看做;(peg的过去分词和过去式)
It's brand new . 这个话题太新了
brand new:adj.崭新的;最近获得的;
And because fertility rates fell across that very same period that life expectancy was going up, that pyramid that has always represented the distribution of age in the population, with many young ones at the bottom winnowed to a tiny peak of older people who make it and survive to old age is being reshaped into a rectangle . 因为在同一时期内 生育率下降了 平均寿命增加了 那个用来表示 人口年龄分布的金字塔形 底部的年轻人口总是很多 延伸到老龄人口的尖顶 那些是成功存活到高龄的人 （人口金字塔）形状发生了改变 变成了长方形
fertility:n.多产;肥沃;[农经]生产力;丰饶; represented:v.代表; (represent的过去式和过去分词) distribution:n.分布;分配;分发;分销; winnowed:adj.扬净的;风选的;v.把挑出来(winnow的过去式和过去分词); peak:n.高峰; v.达到高峰; adj.最高度的; reshaped:vt.改造;再成形; rectangle:n.矩形;长方形;
And now, if you're the kind of person who can get chills from population statistics , these are the ones that should do it. 如果你是那种 对人口统计感到恐惧的人 这些变化应该会让你感到难受
chills:n.寒冷; v.使变冷; statistics:n.统计数字;统计资料;统计学;(statistic的复数)
Because what that means is that for the first time in the history of the species , the majority of babies born in the Developed World are having the opportunity to grow old. 因为这变化表明 在人类种族历史上头一回 大多数 在发达国家出生的婴儿 有机会 活到老年
species:n.[生物]物种;种类; majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人:
How did this happen? 这是怎么发生的？
Well we're no genetically hardier than our ancestors were 10,000 years ago. 我们并不是在基因上 比一万年前的祖先强壮
genetically:adv.从遗传学角度;从基因方面; hardier:能吃苦耐劳的(hardy的比较级);
This increase in life expectancy is the remarkable product of culture -- the crucible that holds science and technology and wide-scale changes in behavior that improve health and well-being . 平均寿命的增加 全要归功于文化 -- 一个包含了 科学和技术 以及广泛的（社会）行为改变的熔炉 导致人们的健康和福利的增进
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; crucible:n.坩埚;严酷的考验; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; wide-scale:adj.大规模的;广泛的; well-being:n.幸福;康乐;
Through cultural changes, our ancestors largely eliminated early death so that people can now live out their full lives. 通过文化的改变 我们的祖先 大幅度地消除了早亡 所以现在的人可以走完完整的一生
cultural:adj.与文化有关的;文化的;与艺术、文学、音乐等有关的; largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; eliminated:v.排除;清除;消除;(比赛中)淘汰;消灭;(eliminate的过去式和过去分词)
Now there are problems associated with aging -- diseases , poverty , loss of social status . 老龄化催生了很多问题 疾病、贫困、社会地位的丧失
associated:adj.有关联的; v.联想; (associate的过去分词和过去式) diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类; poverty:n.贫困;困难;缺少;低劣; status:n.地位;状态;情形;重要身份;
It's hardly time to rest on our laurels . 这可不是坐享荣誉的时候
laurels:n.荣誉(laurel的复数); v.戴桂冠;
But the more we learn about aging, the clearer it becomes that a sweeping downward course is grossly inaccurate . 不过当我们研究的越多 老龄化就变得越清晰 把它说成是一条单纯的下坡路 是非常不准确的
sweeping:n.扫除; adj.影响广泛的; v.打扫; (sweep的现在分词) downward:adj.下降的;向下的;adv.同"downwards"; grossly:adv.很;非常; inaccurate:adj.错误的;
Aging brings some rather remarkable improvements -- increased knowledge, expertise -- and emotional aspects of life improve. 衰老也带来一些非同凡响的进步 知识的增加,专业的精深 人生的情绪层面也有所提升
improvements:n.改善;改进;改善的事物;(improvement的复数) expertise:n.专门知识;专门技术;专家的意见; emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的; aspects:n.方面;相位;面貌(aspect的复数);
That's right, older people are happy. 这句话很对 老年人是快乐的
They're happier than middle-aged people, and younger people certainly. 他们比中年人更快乐 更理所当然地比年轻人更快乐
middle-aged:adj.中年的;具有中年人特点的;适合于中年人的;
Study after study is coming to the same conclusion . 一个又一个的研究 证实了相同的结论
conclusion:n.结论;结局;推论;
The CDC recently conducted a survey where they asked respondents simply to tell them whether they experienced significant psychological distress in the previous week. 疾病防治中心(CDC)最近进行了一次调查 他们简单地要求受试者来报告 在过去的一周里自己是否经历了 重大的心理困扰
recently:adv.最近;新近; conducted:v.组织;安排;实施;执行;指挥;带领;引导;(conduct的过去分词和过去式) survey:n.调查;测量;审视;纵览;vt.调查;勘测;俯瞰;vi.测量土地; respondents:n.回答者,调查对象(respondent复数形式); significant:adj.重大的;有效的;有意义的;值得注意的;意味深长的;n.象征;有意义的事物; psychological:adj.心理的;心理学的;精神上的; distress:n.危难,不幸;贫困;悲痛;v.使悲痛;使贫困; previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前;
And fewer older people answered affirmatively to that question than middle-aged people, and younger people as well. 老年人承认有这类问题的 比中年人少 也比年轻人少
affirmatively:adv.肯定地;断然地;
And a recent Gallup poll asked participants how much stress and worry and anger they had experienced the previous day. 一项近期的盖洛普调查 询问参与者 有多少压力、焦虑和愤怒情绪 他们在前一天体验过
Gallup poll:n.盖洛普民意测验; participants:n.参与者(participant的复数形式);
And stress, worry, anger all decrease with age. 压力、焦虑、愤怒 都随着年龄增长而减少
decrease:v.降低;减少;缩小;减弱;n.减少;减小量;所减少的总量;减缩位置;
Now social scientists call this the paradox of aging. 社会学家称这种现象为老龄化悖论
paradox:n.悖论,反论;似非而是的论点;自相矛盾的人或事;
After all, aging is not a piece of cake . 老龄化可不是小事
not a piece of cake:谈何容易;
So we've asked all sorts of questions to see if we could undo this finding. 我们问了各种各样的问题 试图推翻这个研究结论
We've asked whether it may be that the current generations of older people are and always have been the greatest generations. 我们提出这可能是因为 现在正值老年的这一代人 一直以来都是 最伟大的一代人
That is that younger people today may not typically experience these improvements as they grow older. 而现在的年青一代 可能不会在成长过程中 经历同样的进步
typically:adv.代表性地;作为特色地;
We've asked, well maybe older people are just trying to put a positive spin on an otherwise depressing existence. 我们也提出 也许老年人只是在发扬阿Q精神 来应对令人沮丧的事实
positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片; spin:v.旋转;纺纱;吐丝;纺线;n.头晕;(快速)旋转;常用于英式英语;晕头转向; depressing:adj.令人抑郁的; v.使沮丧; (depress的现在分词)
(Laughter) （笑声）
But the more we've tried to disavow this finding, the more evidence we find to support it. 然而我们越是想要颠覆这个结论 反而找到越多的证据 来支持这个结论
disavow:vt.否认,否定;抵赖;拒绝对…的责任; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
Years ago, my colleagues and I embarked on a study where we followed the same group of people over a 10-year period. 很多年前,我和同事一起开始了一项研究 我们对同一组人进行跟踪调查长达十年
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); embarked:v.上船;装船;(embark的过去式和过去分词)
Originally the sample was aged 18 to 94. 这组人最开始的年龄从18岁到94岁不等
Originally:adv.原来;起初;
And we studied whether and how their emotional experiences changed as they grew older. 我们研究了他们的情绪体验 是否随着岁月而改变
Our participants would carry electronic pagers for a week at a time, and we'd page them throughout the day and evenings at random times. 研究参与者随身携带电子纸张 每次持续一周时间 我们在早晚的任意时间呼叫他们
electronic:adj.电子的;电子器件的;电子设备的; pagers:n.呼叫器,寻呼机(pager的复数形式); throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; random:adj.[数]随机的;任意的;胡乱的;n.随意;adv.胡乱地;
And every time we paged them we'd ask them to answer several questions -- 每一次我们呼叫他们 我们会问他们几个问题
On a one to seven scale, how happy are you right now? 用1到7的量表来衡量他们当时高兴的程度
How sad are you right now? 悲伤的程度
How frustrated are you right now? -- so that we could get a sense of the kinds of emotions and feelings they were having in their day-to-day lives. 沮丧的程度 这样我们就能 监测到他们情绪和感觉上的 日常状况
frustrated:adj.失意的,挫败的;泄气的;v.挫败;阻挠;(frustrate的过去式和过去分词) emotions:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感;(emotion的复数) day-to-day:adj.日常的;逐日的;
And using this intense study of individuals , we find that it's not one particular generation that's doing better than the others, but the same individuals over time come to report relatively greater positive experien ce. 通过这种 对个人的密集调查 我们发现并没有任何一代人 比其他人更好 但是同一个人随着年岁增长 开始报告 相对更积极的体验
intense:adj.强烈的;紧张的;非常的;热情的; individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数); ce.:abbr.英国国教会;英格兰圣公会;公元(表示日期时用法同AD);
Now you see this slight downturn at very advanced ages. 现在你看到在非常高的年龄 这里有些许下降
slight:adj.轻微的;略微的;细小的;纤细的;n.侮慢;冷落;轻视;v.侮慢;冷落;轻视; downturn:n.衰退(经济方面);低迷时期; advanced:adj.先进的; v.前进; (advance的过去式和过去分词形式)
And there is a slight downturn. 这里的确有一些下降
But at no point does it return to the levels we see in early adulthood . 但是绝没有回复到 他们 早期成年期的水平
adulthood:n.成年;成人期;
Now it's really too simplistic to say that older people are "happy." 当然,光说 老年人更“快乐”,那太过草率
simplistic:adj.过分简单化的;过分单纯化的;
In our study, they are more positive, but they're also more likely than younger people to experience mixed emotions -- sadness at the same time you experience happiness; you know, that tear in the eye when you're smiling at a friend. 在我们的研究里,他们更积极 但他们也比年轻人 更能体会到复杂的情感 悲喜交加 你们知道 就是冲着朋友微笑的同时眼含泪花
at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时;
And other research has shown that older people seem to engage with sadness more comfortably. 有其他研究显示 老年人能够 更从容地应对悲伤
engage:v.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定;
They're more accepting of sadness than younger people are. 他们比年轻人更能接受悲伤情绪
And we suspect that this may help to explain why older people are better than younger people at solving hotly-charged emotional conflicts and debates . 我们怀疑这能帮助解释 为什么老年人比年轻人 更擅长处理激烈的情绪冲突和争论
suspect:n.犯罪嫌疑人;v.怀疑;不信任;adj.可疑的; conflicts:n.冲突; v.抵触; debates:n.[法]辩论;讨论(debate的复数);v.[法]辩论;讨论(debate的三单形式);
Older people can view injustice with compassion , but not despair . 老年人看待不公 能够带着怜悯 而不是绝望
injustice:n.不公正;不讲道义; compassion:n.同情;怜悯; despair:v.绝望;失去希望;丧失信心;n.绝望;
And all things being equal, older people direct their cognitive resources , like attention and memory, to positive information more than negative . 在同等条件下 老年人会将自己的认知资源 比如注意力和记忆力 更多地导向积极信息,而不是消极信息
cognitive:adj.认知的,认识的; resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数); negative:adj.[数]负的;消极的;否定的;阴性的;n.否定;负数;[摄]底片;v.否定;拒绝;
If we show older, middle-aged, younger people images , like the ones you see on the screen, and we later ask them to recall all the images that they can, older people, but not younger people, remember more positive images than negative images. 我们向老年组、中年组和青年组展示图像 正如你们在屏幕上看到的 过后我们让他们 回忆他们看到的图像 老年组,而非青年组 记得的积极图像 多过消极图像
images:n.印象;声誉;形象;画像;雕像;(image的第三人称单数和复数) recall:v.记起;回想起;使想到;勾起;召回;n.记忆力;记性;回归请求;回收令;
We've asked older and younger people to view faces in laboratory studies, some frowning , some smiling. 我们让老年组和青年组 去看实验室研究所用的脸部表情 一些皱眉、一些微笑
laboratory:n.实验室,研究室; frowning:v.皱眉;愁眉苦脸;(frown的现在分词)
Older people look toward the smiling faces and away from the frowning, angry faces. 老年组看向微笑的脸 而回避皱眉的、愤怒的脸
In day-to-day life, this translates into greater enjoyment and satisfaction . 在日常生活中 这转换成更大的乐趣 以及满足
enjoyment:n.享受;乐趣;享有; satisfaction:n.满意,满足;赔偿;乐事;赎罪;
But as social scientists, we continue to ask about possible alternatives . 但作为社会学家,我们继续问 是否有其他可能
alternatives:n.可供选择的事物;(alternative的复数)
We've said, well maybe older people report more positive emotions because they're cognitively impaired . 也许老年人 报告更多的积极感受 是因为他们认知机能受损
cognitively:adv.认知地; impaired:adj.受损的;v.损害(impair的过去式和过去分词);
(Laughter) （笑声）
We've said, could it be that positive emotions are simply easier to process than negative emotions, and so you switch to the positive emotions? 会不会 积极情绪比消极情绪更易处理 所以他们更倾向于积极情绪？
process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的;
Maybe our neural centers in our brain are degraded such that we're unable to process negative emotions anymore. 也许我们脑内的神经系统 退化了 以致无法处理消极情绪
neural:adj.神经的;神经系统的;背的;神经中枢的; degraded:adj.退化的; v.分解; (degrade的过去分词和过去式)
But that's not the case. 但事实并非如此
The most mentally sharp older adults are the ones who show this positivity effect the most. 老年组里思维最敏捷的 恰恰是最积极的
mentally:adv.精神上,智力上;心理上; sharp:锋利的,尖的 positivity:n.积极性,确实;
And under conditions where it really matters, older people do process the negative information just as well as the positive information. 在关键时刻 老年人处理消极情绪 和处理积极情绪的能力是一样的
as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且;
So how can this be? 这是为什么呢？
Well in our research, we've found that these changes are grounded fundamentally in the uniquely human ability to monitor time -- not just clock time and calendar time, but lifetime. 在我们的研究里 我们发现这些改变 在最基本上植根于 人类监控时间的独特能力 不光是时钟的时间和日历的时间 更是生命的时间
fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 uniquely:adv.独特地;珍奇地; calendar:n.日历;挂历;v.把…记入日程表中;
And if there's a paradox of aging, it's that recognizing that we won't live forever changes our perspective on life in positive ways. 如果说老龄化悖论成立 那也是因为我们认识到生命易逝 而使我们把人生观 变得更积极
recognizing:v.认识;认出;承认;接受,赞成(recognize的现在分词)
When time horizons are long and nebulous , as they typically are in youth, people are constantly preparing, trying to soak up all the information they possibly can, taking risks, exploring . 人生的终点遥远又朦胧 年轻时通常都这么想 人们就会一直跃跃欲试 试图尽可能地去吸收信息 承担风险、探索未知
horizons:n.地平线;范围,眼界;(horizon的复数) nebulous:adj.朦胧的;星云的,星云状的; constantly:adv.不断地;时常地; soak:v.浸泡;浸湿;浸透;湿透;n.浸泡;浸渍;湿透;洗澡; exploring:v.探索:考察:探查;(explore的现在分词)
We might spend time with people we don't even like because it's somehow interesting. 我们可能会跟不喜欢的人共度时光 因为感觉这挺有趣
somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地;
We might learn something unexpected . 我们也许不经意间学到一些不该学的东西
unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
We go on blind dates. 我们去相亲
(Laughter) （笑声）
You know, after all, if it doesn't work out, there's always tomorrow. 毕竟 就算失败了,也还有明天
People over 50 don't go on blind dates. 超过50岁的人 就不会去相亲了
(Laughter) （笑声）
As we age, our time horizons grow shorter and our goals change. 当我们逐渐变老 跟人生终点的距离不断缩短 我们的人生目标从而改变
When we recognize that we don't have all the time in the world, we see our priorities most clearly. 当我们意识到时间不再多的可以尽情挥霍 就能清楚地看到事情的轻重缓急
recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到; priorities:n.优先事项;优先权;重点;(priority的复数)
We take less notice of trivial matters. 我们变得不在意琐碎之事了
trivial:adj.不重要的,琐碎的;琐细的;
We savor life. 我们享受人生
savor:vt.尽情享受; vi.有…的滋味; n.滋味;
We're more appreciative , more open to reconciliation . 我们更懂感恩 更向往和谐
appreciative:adj.感激的;赏识的;有欣赏力的;承认有价值的; reconciliation:n.和解;调和;和谐;甘愿;
We invest in more emotionally important parts of life, and life gets better, so we're happier day-to-day. 我们更致力于精神层面上重要的东西 生活变得更好 所以日益快乐
invest:v.投资;(把资金)投入;投入(时间、精力等);授予; emotionally:adv.感情上;情绪上;令人激动地;情绪冲动地;
But that same shift in perspective leads us to have less tolerance than ever for injustice. 但是这种观念的改变 也降低了 对不公的容忍
shift:n.移动;变化;手段;轮班;v.移动;转变;转换; tolerance:n.公差;耐量;宽容;容忍;
By 2015, there will be more people in the United States over the age of 60 than under 15. 到2015年 美国人口中 60岁以上的人口 将会超过不满15岁的人口
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
What will happen to societies that are top-heavy with older people? 社会老龄化之后 会有什么改变？
top-heavy:adj.头重脚轻的,不稳定的;投资过多的;
The numbers won't determine the outcome . 数量并不能 左右结果
determine:v.决定;确定;测定;查明;形成;影响;裁决;安排; outcome:n.结果,结局;成果;
Culture will. 文化才会
If we invest in science and technology and find solutions for the real problems that older people face and we capitalize on the very real strengths of older people, then added years of life can dramatically improve quality of life at all ages. 如果我们投入科学和技术 为老龄化问题 找出解决之道 我们充分发挥 老年人的 真正优势 那么,寿命的增加 将会戏剧性地改善人们的生活质量 无论是哪个年龄段
capitalize on:利用; dramatically:adv.戏剧地;引人注目地;adv.显著地,剧烈地;
Societies with millions of talented, emotionally stable citizens who are healthier and better educated than any generations before them, armed with knowledge about the practical matters of life and motivated to solve the big issues can be better societies than we have ever known. 社会上有上百万的 有才能而且情绪稳定的市民 他们更健康,受过更高的教育 与他们之前的任何一代人比 用知识武装自己 了解人生的各种状况 积极主动地 去解决重大问题 社会将变得更加美好 比我们已知的更好
stable:n.马厩;牛棚;adj.稳定的;牢固的;坚定的;vi.被关在马厩;赶入马房; practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课; motivated:adj.有动机的; v.使产生动机; issues:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;(issue的第三人称单数和复数)
My father, who is 92, likes to say, "Let's stop talking only about how to save the old folks and start talking about how to get them to save us all." 我父亲已经92岁了 他喜欢说 ”让我们不要再说 解救老年人这种话了 我们要开始谈谈 如何让老年人解救所有人。”
Thank you. 谢谢
(Applause) （鼓掌）