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MollyCrockett_2012S-_注意神经骗局_

I'm a neuroscientist , and I study decision-making . 我是位神经学家,我研究决策制定
neuroscientist:n.神经系统科学家; decision-making:n.决策;
I do experiments to test how different chemicals in the brain influence the choices we make. 我做了一些试验,来测试大脑中不同的化学物质 如何影响我们所作的选择
chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数) influence:n.影响;势力;感化;有影响的人或事;v.影响;改变;
I'm here to tell you the secret to successful decision-making: a cheese sandwich . 我在这里是要告诉你们制定成功决策的秘诀: 一个奶酪三明治
sandwich:n.三明治;夹心面包片;
That's right. According to scientists, a cheese sandwich is the solution to all your tough decisions. 没错。据科学家所言,奶酪三明治 是解决一切艰难决定的良伴
According to:根据,据说; solution:n.解决方案;溶液;溶解;解答;
How do I know? I'm the scientist who did the study. 我是怎么知道的呢?因为我就是做这个研究的科学家。
A few years ago, my colleagues and I were interested in how a brain chemical called serotonin would influence people's decisions in social situations. 几年前,我和我的同事们对此产生兴趣—— 大脑中一种称为血清素的化学物质 如何影响人们在社会情境下所做的决定
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); serotonin:n.[生化]血清素;5-羟色胺(血管收缩素);
Specifically , we wanted to know how serotonin would affect the way people react when they're treated unfairly . 具体来讲,我们想知道,血清素如何影响 人们在遭到不公待遇时的反应
Specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; react:v.起反应;回应;(对食物等)有不良反应,过敏;起化学反应; treated:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;(treat的过去分词和过去式) unfairly:adv.不公平地;不正当地;
So we did an experiment. 所以我们做了一项试验
We manipulated people's serotonin levels by giving them this really disgusting-tasting artificial lemon-flavored drink that works by taking away the raw ingredient for serotonin in the brain. 通过提供这种极其难喝的柠檬味饮料 来操控人们的血清素水平 其原理是带走大脑中制造血清素 的原料
manipulated:v.(暗中)控制,操纵,影响;使用;治疗脱臼;(manipulate的过去式和过去分词) artificial:adj.人造的;仿造的;虚伪的;非原产地的;武断的; ingredient:n.原料;要素;组成部分;adj.构成组成部分的;
This is the amino acid tryptophan . 也就是色氨酸
amino acid:n.氨基酸; tryptophan:n.[生化]色氨酸;
So what we found was, when tryptophan was low, people were more likely to take revenge when they're treated unfairly. 我们的发现是,当色氨酸(含量)低时, 人们更倾向于采取报复(行为) 来应对不公平待遇
revenge:n.报复;复仇;v.报复;替…报仇;洗雪;
That's the study we did, and here are some of the headlines that came out afterwards. 这就是我们所做的实验。这里有一些新闻标题 是后来报道的:
("A cheese sandwich is all you need for strong decision-making") (“强有力的决策制定只需要一个奶酪三明治”)
("What a friend we have in cheeses") (“奶酪,我们何等亲爱的朋友”)
("Eating Cheese and Meat May Boost Self-Control ") At this point, you might be wondering, did I miss something? (”吃奶酪和肉会增强自控“)这一点,你可以会疑惑:我遗漏了些什么吗?
Boost:n.提高;增长;帮助;激励;v.使增长;使兴旺;偷窃; Self-Control:n.克己,自我控制;
(" Official ! Chocolate stops you being grumpy ") Cheese? Chocolate? Where did that come from? (“官方消息!巧克力可以阻止坏脾气”)奶酪?巧克力?这都是从哪来的?
Official:adj.官方的;正式的;公务的;n.官员;公务员;高级职员; grumpy:adj.脾气暴躁的;性情乖戾的;n.脾气坏的人;爱抱怨的人;
And I thought the same thing myself when these came out, because our study had nothing to do with cheese or chocolate. 当这些(新闻)报道后,我自己也有同样的想法 因为我们的试验与奶酪和巧克力无关
had nothing to do with:与…无关;
We gave people this horrible-tasting drink that affected their tryptophan levels. 我们给人们这种难喝的饮料 它会影响他们的色氨酸水平
But it turns out that tryptophan also happens to be found in cheese and chocolate. 但我们发现,色氨酸也恰好存在于 奶酪与巧克力中
And of course when science says cheese and chocolate help you make better decisions, well, that's sure to grab people's attention. 当然,《科学》杂志声称奶酪与巧克力 能帮助人做出更好的决定,这必然会吸引眼球
grab:v.攫取;霸占;将…深深吸引;n.攫取;霸占;夺取之物;
So there you have it: the evolution of a headline. 所以你们现在明白了: 这是新闻标题的“演化“过程
evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进;
When this happened, a part of me thought, well, what's the big deal? 当这些发生时,我会想,好吧 这有什么大不了的?
So the media oversimplified a few things, but in the end, it's just a news story. 媒体过度简化了一些东西,但说到底 它只是一则新闻故事而已
media:n.媒体;媒质(medium的复数);血管中层;浊塞音;中脉; oversimplified:adj.过于简单化的;v.过于简单化(oversimplify的过去分词形式);
And I think a lot of scientists have this attitude . 我想很多科学家都有这样的态度
attitude:n.态度;看法;意见;姿势;
But the problem is that this kind of thing happens all the time, and it affects not just the stories you read in the news but also the products you see on the shelves. 但问题是,这样的事情总在发生 它们不仅会影响你所读到的新闻故事 还会影响你在货架上所见的商品
When the headlines rolled, what happened was, the marketers came calling. 当这些新闻发布之后,(接下来)会发生的是 营销人员打电话过来
marketers:n.卖主;市场营销者(marketer的复数);
Would I be willing to provide a scientific endorsement of a mood-boosting bottled water? 问我愿不愿意提供一份科学认证 证明某种瓶装水具有改善情绪的功能
scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; endorsement:n.赞同,支持,认可;宣传,代言;违章记录;
Or would I go on television to demonstrate , in front of a live audience, that comfort foods really do make you feel better? 或者问我是否愿意参加电视节目 面对一群现场直播的观众 证明安抚性的食品真的能够让你感觉更棒
demonstrate:vt.证明;展示;论证;vi.示威;
I think these folks meant well, but had I taken them up on their offers, 我想这些人的出发点是好的,但是如果我接受了他们的邀请
I would have been going beyond the science, and good scientists are careful not to do this. 我就是在逾越科学的界限 好的科学家会谨慎地避免这种做法
But nevertheless , neuroscience is turning up more and more in marketing. 然而尽管如此,神经科学正在越来越多地出现在市场中
nevertheless:adv.然而,不过;虽然如此;conj.然而,不过; neuroscience:n.神经系统科学(指神经病学,神经化学等);
Here's one example: Neuro drinks, a line of products, including Nuero Bliss here, which according to its label helps reduce stress, enhances mood , provides focused concentration , and promotes a positive outlook . 例如:神经性饮料 一系列产品,包括这种叫做”神经福佑“(Neuro Bliss)的饮料 它的标签上注明能够帮助减轻压力 改善情绪,提高注意力 促进乐观态度
Bliss:n.幸福;极乐; label:n.标签;标记;谓;唱片公司;v.贴标签于;用标签标明; enhances:提高(enhance的第三人称单数); mood:n.情绪,语气;心境;气氛; concentration:n.浓度;含量;集中;专心; promotes:v.促进;推动;促销;推销;提升;晋升;(promote的第三人称单数) positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片; outlook:n.见解;前景;人生观;可能性;
I have to say, this sounds awesome . (Laughter) 不得不说,这听起来很棒(笑声)
awesome:adj.令人敬畏的;使人畏惧的;可怕的;极好的;
I could totally have used this 10 minutes ago. 十分钟前我要是喝上一瓶就好了
So when this came up in my local shop, naturally I was curious about some of the research backing these claims . 当这些产品出现在我家附近的商店时 我自然想弄清楚有哪些科学研究支持着这些说法
naturally:adv.自然地;自然而然地;轻而易举;天生地;大方地; curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的; claims:v.宣称; n.声明; (claim的第三人称单数和复数)
So I went to the company's website looking to find some controlled trials of their products. 因此我浏览了这家公司的网站 寻找他们产品的对照实验
But I didn't find any. 但我一个都没找到
Trial or no trial, these claims are front and center on their label right next to a picture of a brain. 不管有没有实验,这些宣传说法都非常抢眼醒目 写在标签上,围绕着一张画有大脑的图片
And it turns out that pictures of brains have special properties. 事实上,那些大脑的图片是有特殊功能的
A couple of researchers asked a few hundred people to read a scientific article. 一组科研人员请几百人 读一篇科学论文
For half the people, the article included a brain image, and for the other half , it was the same article but it didn't have a brain image. 一半的人,所读文章配有一幅大脑图片, 另一半人,读同样的文章 但是没有配大脑图片
other half:n.另一半(指配偶或男友,女友);
At the end — you see where this is going — people were asked whether they agreed with the conclusions of the article. 最终 — 您知道是要干什么 — 参试人员被提问 是否赞同文章的结论
conclusions:n.结论,总结;决定;(conclusion的复数)
So this is how much people agree with the conclusions with no image. 这是人们对文章结论的赞同程度 这是没有图片的那个对照组
And this is how much they agree with the same article that did include a brain image. 这是人们对同样一篇文章结论的赞同程度 是有图片的那个对照组
So the take-home message here is, do you want to sell it? Put a brain on it. 因此值得深思的结论就是 想要卖得好?那就放上一张大脑图片
take-home:=take-homepay;
Now let me pause here and take a moment to say that neuroscience has advanced a lot in the last few decades, and we're constantly discovering amazing things about the brain. 这里我要暂停一下,来谈谈 神经科学在近几十年里取得的许多进步 我们不断地发现一些惊人的事实 有关大脑
advanced:adj.先进的; v.前进; (advance的过去式和过去分词形式) constantly:adv.不断地;时常地;
Like, just a couple of weeks ago, neuroscientists at MIT figured out how to break habits in rats just by controlling neural activity in a specific part of their brain. 比如:几周前,麻省理工学院的神经科学家 弄清了如何打破老鼠的生活习性 只需控制鼠脑中一个特定区域的神经活动就能实现
neuroscientists:n.神经系统科学家; neural:adj.神经的;神经系统的;背的;神经中枢的;
Really cool stuff . 这些都很酷
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
But the promise of neuroscience has led to some really high expectations and some overblown , unproven claims. 但神经科学给人的希望,也带来了一些 过高的期望和一些夸大的,未经证实的说辞
expectations:n.预料;预期;期待;希望;指望;(expectation的复数) overblown:adj.停息的; v.吹散; unproven:adj.未经检验的;未经证明的;
So what I'm going to do is show you how to spot a couple of classic moves, dead giveaways , really, for what's variously been called neuro-bunk, neuro-bollocks, or, my personal favorite, neuro-flapdoodle. 所以我要展示的就是 如何识别一些经典花招——是的我要彻底揭秘—— 它们统称为“神经骗局” “神经吹牛”,或我的最爱“神经瞎话”
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; giveaways:随赠品;使真相暴露的食物(giveaway的复数); variously:adv.不同地;多方面地;个别地;多彩地; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
So the first unproven claim is that you can use brain scans to read people's thoughts and emotions . 第一个未经证明的说辞就是你可以通过扫描人脑 来读取人们的想法和情绪
emotions:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感;(emotion的复数)
Here's a study published by a team of researchers as an op-ed in The New York Times. 这里是一队科研人员发表的研究 发表在纽约时报的专栏里
op-ed:n.评论版;
The headline? "You Love Your iPhone. Literally ." 标题是?“你爱你的iPhone。真的。”
Literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地:
It quickly became the most emailed article on the site . 这篇文章很快成为该网站转发最多的文章
site:n.地点;位置;场所;v.设置;为…选址;
So how'd they figure this out? 那么他们是如何得出结论的呢?
They put 16 people inside a brain scanner and showed them videos of ringing iPhones. 他们把16个人放入大脑扫描仪中 让他们看iPhone振铃的视频
scanner:n.[计]扫描仪;扫描器;光电子扫描装置;
The brain scans showed activation in a part of the brain called the insula , a region they say is linked to feelings of love and compassion . 扫描仪显示了大脑中一个区域的活动 这个区域被称作脑岛 他们认为这个区域与爱和同情的感受相关
activation:n.[电子][物]激活;活化作用; insula:n.[解剖]脑岛; region:n.地区;范围;部位; compassion:n.同情;怜悯;
So they concluded that because they saw activation in the insula, this meant the subjects loved their iPhones. 因此他们得出结论,看到了脑岛的活动 就意味着受试者对他们的iPhone有爱意
concluded:v.断定:得出结论:终止:达成:缔结(协定)(conclude的过去分词和过去式)
Now there's just one problem with this line of reasoning, and that's that the insula does a lot. 这个推理过程只有一个问题—— 脑岛有很多活动
Sure, it is involved in positive emotions like love and compassion, but it's also involved in tons of other processes , like memory, language, attention, even anger, disgust and pain. 确实,脑岛与正面情绪有关 比如爱和同情心 但脑岛也与很多其他事情相关 例如记忆,语言,注意力 甚至愤怒,厌恶和痛感
involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式); disgust:n.厌恶;反感;憎恶;v.使作呕;使厌恶;使反感;
So based on the same logic , I could equally conclude you hate your iPhone. 因此,基于同样的逻辑,我也可以推断说 你恨你的iPhone
logic:n.逻辑;逻辑学;逻辑性;adj.逻辑的;
The point here is, when you see activation in the insula, you can't just pick and choose your favorite explanation from off this list, and it's a really long list. 重点是,当您看到脑岛中的活动时 您不能只挑感受列表上您喜欢的解释 这个列表实在有很多选项
pick and choose:挑挑拣拣;
My colleagues Tal Yarkoni and Russ Poldrack have shown that the insula pops up in almost a third of all brain imaging studies that have ever been published. 我的同事Tal Yarkoni和Russ Poldrack 已经证明,几乎三分之一已发表的的脑成像研究 都与脑岛有关
imaging:n.[物]成像;造像;v.反映;想像;作…的像;象征;(image的现在分词形式)
So chances are really, really good that your insula is going off right now, but I won't kid myself to think this means you love me. 很有可能 你们的脑岛现在正在活动 不过,我不会骗自己说 这意味着你们爱我
So speaking of love and the brain, there's a researcher, known to some as Dr. Love, who claims that scientists have found the glue that holds society together, the source of love and prosperity . 所以说到爱与大脑 有个研究者,被某些人成为“爱博士”(Dr. Love) 他声称科学家已经找到一种粘合剂 能够将社会融为一体 是爱与繁荣之源
glue:n.胶;胶水;v.粘贴; source:n.来源;水源;原始资料; prosperity:n.繁荣,成功;
This time it's not a cheese sandwich. 这次,不再是奶酪三明治
No, it's a hormone called oxytocin . 是的,这次是一种叫做催产素的激素。
hormone:n.[生理]激素,荷尔蒙; oxytocin:n.[药]催产素;缩宫素;脑下垂体后叶荷尔蒙之一种;
You've probably heard of it. 您可能听说过
So, Dr. Love bases his argument on studies showing that when you boost people's oxytocin, this increases their trust, empathy and cooperation . Dr. Love论证是基于如下研究 当人体内催产素水平得到提升后 人们的互信,共感,和合作也会增强
empathy:n.神入;移情作用;执着; cooperation:n.合作;配合;
So he's calling oxytocin "the moral molecule ." 所以他称催产素为“道德分子”
moral:n.寓意;品行;教益;adj.道德的;道义上的;道德上的;品行端正的; molecule:n.[化学]分子;微小颗粒,微粒;
Now these studies are scientifically valid , and they've been replicated , but they're not the whole story. 现在这些研究是科学有效的 而且已经得到推广,但这并不是故事的全部
scientifically:adv.系统地;合乎科学地;学问上; valid:adj.有效的;有根据的;合法的;正当的; replicated:重复的;
Other studies have shown that boosting oxytocin increases envy . It increases gloating . 其他研究已经表明,增加催产素 也会增加嫉妒心,增加幸灾乐祸感
boosting:n.助推,局部通风;升压加力;v.推进(boost的现在分词形式); envy:n.嫉妒,妒忌;羡慕;v.嫉妒,妒忌;羡慕;感到妒忌;显示出妒忌; gloating:adj.心满意足的;v.扬扬得意;幸灾乐祸;(gloat的现在分词)
Oxytocin can bias people to favor their own group at the expense of other groups. 催产素会导致人们为了自身群体的利益 损害其他群体的利益
bias:adv.使有偏见;n.偏见;偏心;偏爱;v.使有偏见;使偏向;adj.斜的;[电]偏动的; at the expense of:以…为代价;由…支付费用;
And in some cases, oxytocin can even decrease cooperation. 在某些情况下,催产素甚至会导致合作减少
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;
So based on these studies, I could say oxytocin is an immoral molecule, and call myself Dr. Strangelove. 所以基于这些研究,我可以说催产素 是“不道德分子”,并叫我自为“奇爱博士 (电影Dr. Strangelove)
immoral:adj.不道德的;邪恶的;淫荡的;
(Laughter) (笑声)
So we've seen neuro-flapdoodle all over the headlines. 所以我们看到新闻标题里充斥着“神经胡说”
We see it in supermarkets, on book covers. 我们可以在超市,图书封面看到这些
What about the clinic ? 那诊所呢?
clinic:n.诊所;临床实习;(医院的)门诊部;门诊时间;
SPECT imaging is a brain-scanning technology that uses a radioactive tracer to track blood flow in the brain. SPECT成像,是一种脑扫描技术 用放射性示踪剂 跟踪脑部血液流动
SPECT:abbr.[核]单光子发射计算机化断层显像(singlephotonemissioncomputedtomography); technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; radioactive:adj.[核]放射性的;有辐射的; tracer:n.[核]示踪物;追踪者;描图者;(铁笔等)绘图工具; track:n.小道;足迹;车辙;轨道;v.追踪;跟踪;
For the bargain price of a few thousand dollars, there are clinics in the U.S. that will give you one of these SPECT scans and use the image to help diagnose your problems. 由于价格是几千美元 在美国有些诊所 给您做SPECT扫描,利用成像结果 帮助诊断您的问题
bargain:n.交易;便宜货;契约;v.讨价还价;议价;(谈价钱后)卖; clinics:n.诊所(clinic的复数形式); diagnose:vt.诊断;断定;vi.诊断;判断;
These scans, the clinics say, can help prevent Alzheimer's disease , solve weight and addiction issues , overcome marital conflicts , and treat, of course, a variety of mental illnesses ranging from depression to anxiety to ADHD. 诊所声称这些扫描能够帮助 防止老年痴呆症 解决体重和上瘾问题 解决婚姻冲突 还能治疗各类精神问题 从抑郁到焦虑到多动症
disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病; addiction:n.瘾;嗜好;入迷; 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) overcome:vt.克服;胜过;vi.克服;得胜; marital:adj.婚姻的;夫妇间的; conflicts:n.冲突; v.抵触; variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化; mental:adj.精神的;脑力的;疯的;n.精神病患者; depression:n.沮丧;洼地;不景气;忧愁; anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事;
This sounds great. A lot of people agree. 听起来很棒,很多人同意
Some of these clinics are pulling in tens of millions of dollars a year in business. 这些诊所每年吸金 数千万美元
There's just one problem. 但有个问题
The broad consensus in neuroscience is that we can't yet diagnose mental illness from a single brain scan. 在神经科学中的广泛共识是 我们还不能从单独的脑扫描中 诊断精神疾病
consensus:n.一致;舆论;合意;
But these clinics have treated tens of thousands of patients to date, many of them children, and SPECT imaging involves a radioactive injection , so exposing people to radiation , potentially harmful. 但是到目前为止这些诊所已经治疗了 数万病人 很多还是儿童 SPECT成像是将放射性物质注射到体内 把人们暴露在放射性物质之下,会有潜在危害
patients:n.接受治疗者,病人;(patient的复数) involves:v.包含;需要;牵涉;牵连;影响;(使)参加,加入(involve的第三人称单数) injection:n.注射;大量资金的投入;(液体的)注入; exposing:v.暴露;显露;揭露;揭穿;使面临;(expose的现在分词) radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法; potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地;
I am more excited than most people, as a neuroscientist, about the potential for neuroscience to treat mental illness and even maybe to make us better and smarter. 作为一名神经科学家,我对此更为兴奋 神经科学治疗精神疾病具有很大潜力 甚至可能把我们变得更好更聪明。
And if one day we can say that cheese and chocolate help us make better decisions, count me in. 如果某一天,我们可以说奶酪和巧克力 能够帮助我们更好地决策,我也会这么说
But we're not there yet. 但我们目前还未能取得这样的成果
We haven't found a "buy" button inside the brain, we can't tell whether someone is lying or in love just by looking at their brain scans, and we can't turn sinners into saints with hormones . 对于商品,从脑扫描我们还没有找到“购买”按钮 对于爱情,从脑扫描我们还不能区分爱与不爱 还不能单单从脑扫描作出判断 也不能通过激素让罪人变成圣人
sinners:n.罪人(sinner的复数); saints:n.圣徒(saint的复数); v.把…尊为圣人; hormones:n.[生理]激素;荷尔蒙;性激素;荷尔蒙制剂(hormone的复数);
Maybe someday we will, but until then, we have to be careful that we don't let overblown claims detract resources and attention away from the real science that's playing a much longer game. 也许,将来有可能,但在此之前 我们必须要小心,不能让夸大吹牛 减损对真正的科学的资源和注意力 只有科学能够经久不衰
detract:vt.转移,使分心;vi.贬低;减去; resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
So here's where you come in. 所以这是你们需要做的
If someone tries to sell you something with a brain on it, don't just take them at their word. 如果有人兜售有大脑图案的东西时 不要只听他们说的
Ask the tough questions. Ask to see the evidence . 问些难以回答的问题,问有何证据
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
Ask for the part of the story that's not being told. 问出事情隐藏的细节
The answers shouldn't be simple, because the brain isn't simple. 这个答案并不会简单,因为大脑本身就不简单
But that's not stopping us from trying to figure it out anyway. 但不管怎样,这并未阻止我们对它的探索
Thank you. (Applause) 谢谢。(掌声)