不要再次辜負你的新年愿望

04 不要再次辜負你的新年愿望

新年許愿不是拍拍腦門說說而已，它關(guān)系到行為方式的改變。無論如何，這都應(yīng)是一件極其艱巨的壯舉。

Tradition dictates that each new year is an opportunity for self-improvement.Perhaps you have designated 2017 as the annus mirabilis in which you will finally become thinner, fitter or richer.In which case, you are likely to end the year with much the same midriff, vigour and bank balance as you had in 2016.

老規(guī)矩，每逢新年都是一次自我完善的機會。也許你已指定2017年為“奇跡年”，在這劃時代的一年里，你終于要變得更瘦、更健康、更有錢。如果你確實是這么規(guī)劃的，那么到今年年底時，你的身材、體魄和銀行存款很可能還跟2016年基本一樣。

New year's resolutions are not to be undertaken lightly — and certainly should not be popped out on December 31 with the same abandon as champagne corks.That is because they are about behaviour change, which is a difficult feat to pull off at any time of the year.

新年決心是不能輕易下的，肯定不能在12月31日像香檳瓶塞一樣，“砰”地一聲冒出來。因為它關(guān)系到改變行為方式，無論在一年中的任何時候，這都是一件難以實現(xiàn)的壯舉。

It is hard to pluck out a reliable figure about the proportion of people who stick to their good intentions, but one survey of more than 2,000 people found that 56 per cent do not.

關(guān)于有多少人能堅持自己的美好愿望，很難找出一個可信數(shù)據(jù)，不過一項對2000多人的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)56%的人都做不到。

This should not be surprising.We have all had ample opportunity over the past 12 months to reflect on our shortcomings, with few of us managing to achieve desirable change earlier.Why this inertia should suddenly dissolve in January has always puzzled me, which is why my new year's resolution is usually not to make any.

這沒什么好驚訝的。我們每個人在過去12個月都有大把機會去反省自己的缺點，但鮮少有人能努力提前完成理想轉(zhuǎn)變。為什么這種懶惰會在1月份突然消失？我總是對此感到困惑，這就是為什么我通常不制定任何新年計劃。

It is not that my life does not require betterment — but, to a certain degree, I lack willpower.It is this precious commodity that is seen as key to whether the resolutions made on January 1 are adhered to.

倒不是說我的生活不需要改善，不過就某種程度而言，我缺乏意志力。人們認為這一可貴的品質(zhì)正是新年計劃能否堅持的關(guān)鍵。

Permanently overcoming my sweet tooth would be a resolution doomed to failure.Instead, I try to occasionally eschew a biscuit with my morning coffee.From such modest ambitions are minor triumphs fashioned.

徹底戒掉我對甜食的嗜好，這一目標注定失敗。取而代之，我試著早上喝咖啡時偶爾戒一塊餅干。通過此類適度目標，達成一些小小的改變。

Psychologists have long thought willpower was a finite resource that should be expended judiciously, on life's most important challenges.Newer studies, however, are less confident about this assertion, implying that we may possess the capacity to be strong-willed in all aspects of life, from diet and health through to jobs and relationships.

心理學家長期以來一直認為意志力是一種有限的資源，應(yīng)該審慎地用在人生中最重要的挑戰(zhàn)上。但最新研究對這一論斷沒那么確信，這意味著我們或許可以在生活的各個方面都具有堅強的意志力，從飲食和健康，到工作和人際關(guān)系。

Willpower, or self-discipline, is also often likened to a muscle — the debate is really whether the muscle is strengthened, or fatigued, by regular use.

意志力（或自律）還常常被比作肌肉，問題是經(jīng)常使用是強化了肌肉，還是造成肌肉疲勞。

The idea that willpower is a capacity with limits originates in classic studies that give participants two successive challenges, both of which require willpower, for example resisting delicious foods.Very generally, people seem to struggle more on the second task — an observation that has been traditionally explained away by the first task draining the willpower tank.

意志力是一種有限的能力，這種觀點起源于古典研究，這些研究給參與者接連兩個挑戰(zhàn)，二者都需要意志力，比如抵制美食。一般來說人們似乎在第二個任務(wù)上更掙扎，而該現(xiàn)象的傳統(tǒng)解釋是：第一個任務(wù)用光了意志力儲槽。

What the scientists say

科學家們的說法

In 2015, Dr Evan Carter from the University of Miami challenged this wisdom by narrowing his meta-analysis down to only those studies using well-established willpower tasks, and also trawling the literature for unpublished studies.(This gets around the phenomenon of publication bias, in which novel or positive results find their way into print but null or negative results, which are just as enlightening, are buried.)

2015年，邁阿密大學(University of Miami)的埃文·卡特博士(Dr Evan Carter)挑戰(zhàn)了這一觀點，他將元分析范圍縮窄到那些只使用獲得廣泛認可的意志力任務(wù)的研究上，他還搜羅那些未發(fā)表的研究文獻。如此一來，他避開了發(fā)表偏倚(publication bias)現(xiàn)象，即新穎的或積極的結(jié)果會得到發(fā)表，而平淡、消極、但同樣有啟發(fā)作用的結(jié)果卻遭到埋沒。

Dr Carter's analysis, which also hints at the possibility that self-control gets better with practice, puts him at odds with Roy Baumeister, perhaps currently the best-known psychologist in the willpower field.Professor Baumeister, at Florida State University, believes self-control diminishes as blood glucose levels drop and the brain runs low on energy.

卡特博士的研究暗示通過練習可能會實現(xiàn)更好的自我控制，這一觀點讓他與羅伊·鮑邁斯特(Roy Baumeister)意見不一。鮑邁斯特是佛羅里達州立大學(Florida State University)教授，可能是當前意志力研究領(lǐng)域最著名的心理學家，他認為隨著血糖水平下降，大腦活力不足，自我控制力也會減弱。

Even if the science of willpower seems opaque, psychology can still offer insights into how to help those January resolutions stick.John Norcross, professor of psychology at Scranton University, Pennsylvania, and the author of Changeology, contends that there are five stages to behaviour change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.

即使有關(guān)意志力的科學似乎很難懂，心理學依然能夠就如何堅持新年計劃提供啟發(fā)?！陡淖儗W》(Changeology)一書的作者、賓夕法尼亞州斯克蘭頓大學(Scranton University)心理學教授約翰·諾克羅斯(John Norcross)認為，行為改變有5個階段：前期思考、沉思、準備、行動和保持。

What works?

什么能夠奏效？

I asked Professor Norcross for his three top tips to Financial Times readers embarking on resolutions.His first recommendation is to track progress, on the basis that behaviours that are measured are more likely to improve, via reminders and rewards.

我向諾克羅斯教授詢問，對于想要著手實現(xiàn)新年計劃的英國《金融時報》讀者，他給出的最重要的3條建議是什么。他的第一個建議是追蹤進度，其依據(jù)是，通過提醒和獎勵等手段，得到衡量的行為更有可能改善。

Second, he says, adapt your environment.My interpretation: if you want to rein in spending, don't go to a casino.After all, cues are all around us, prompting us subconsciously to behave in certain ways.As Prof Norcross puts it: “Trigger healthy behaviours by hanging with prudent people, places and things.” For me, it means not having biscuits in the house.

他說，第二個建議是改變你的環(huán)境。我的解讀是：如果你想要控制支出，不要去賭場。畢竟，我們被暗示包圍著，這些暗示會促使我們下意識地做出某些行為。就如諾克羅斯教授說的：“通過和審慎的人交往，待在審慎的地方，接觸審慎的事物，來激發(fā)健康的行為。”對我而言，這意味著不要在家里放餅干。

His final tip? Expect to mess up.It may even help: “One of our research studies showed that 71 per cent of successful resolvers said their first slip had actually strengthened their efforts — they learnt from the mistake and recommitted.”

他給出的最后一條提示是什么？預(yù)期自己會搞砸。這甚至有幫助：“我們的一項研究表明，在成功實現(xiàn)計劃的人中，71%的人表示，他們的第一次失敗實際上加強了他們的努力——他們從錯誤中學習，并且再次投入努力?！?/p>

Psychologists haven't completely cornered the market: economists can offer wisdom on behavioural change too.One of my favourite strategies is embodied by the websitewww.stickk.com.It was co-founded by Yale academics Dean Karlan and Ian Ayres, among others, and relies on two brutal behavioural truths: people do not like losing money (loss aversion), and they are likely to behave better when others are looking.

心理學家并沒有完全壟斷這個市場：經(jīng)濟學家也可以為行為改變提供一些看法。網(wǎng)站www.stickk.com總結(jié)了我最喜歡的策略之一。這個網(wǎng)站由耶魯(Yale)學者迪安·卡蘭(Dean Karlan)和伊恩·艾爾斯(Ian Ayres)等人聯(lián)合創(chuàng)立，依賴兩條冷酷的行為真理：人們不喜歡損失錢財（損失厭惡）；當其他人在看著的時候，他們可能會表現(xiàn)得更好。

A person signing up to a “commitment contract” — such as keeping weight below a certain threshold — must agree to have it policed by a referee, and to forfeit a financial penalty if he or she falters.Sending forfeited cash to an “undeserving” recipient — for example, an overweight Trump supporter pledging money to the Clinton Foundation if the pounds don't budge — is a particularly effective insurance policy against misdemeanour.The website claims to triple the chances of people fulfilling their promises.

簽署“承諾合約”（比如保持體重低于某一特定數(shù)值）的人必須同意，由一名裁判員進行監(jiān)督，如果他或她有所動搖，就會被沒收一筆罰金。把沒收的罰金給“不值得的”接受者，是對抗行為不當?shù)挠葹橛行У谋Ｕ洗胧?，比如，一個超重的特朗普支持者承諾，如果不能減重，就得把錢捐給克林頓基金會(Clinton Foundation)。該網(wǎng)站聲稱能讓人們實現(xiàn)諾言的幾率提高兩倍。

If I really wanted to conquer the biscuit blight, I would probably try something along those lines: maybe a fiver for every furtive Hob Nob, with the proceeds going to the Kardashians.But I have got a leftover Christmas assortment to get through first.

如果我真的想要克服我對餅干的嗜好，我很可能會根據(jù)這些原則嘗試一下：比如每偷吃一塊Hob Nobs餅干就罰款5英鎊，這些錢將會流向卡戴珊(Kardashian)家族。但首先，先讓我把圣誕節(jié)沒吃完的各色食物吃掉吧。

詞匯總結(jié)

annus mirabilis ['?n?smi'rɑ:bilis]

[拉丁語]奇跡迭出之年，令人驚異之年，震撼大地之年

Tradition dictates that each new year is an opportunity for self-improvement.Perhaps you have designated 2017 as the annus mirabilis in which you will finally become thinner, fitter or richer.

老規(guī)矩，每逢新年都是一次自我完善的機會。也許你已指定2017年為“奇跡年”，在這劃時代的一年里，你終于要變得更瘦、更健康、更有錢。

bank balance

銀行存款，銀行存款余額

In which case, you are likely to end the year with much the same midriff, vigour and bank balance as you had in 2016.

老如果你確實是這么規(guī)劃的，那么到今年年底時，你的身材、體魄和銀行存款很可能還跟2016年基本一樣。

pluck out

拔出

It is hard to pluck out a reliable figure about the proportion of people who stick to their good intentions, but one survey of more than 2,000 people found that 56 per cent do not.

關(guān)于有多少人能堅持自己的美好愿望，很難找出一個可信數(shù)據(jù)，不過一項對2000多人的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)56%的人都做不到。

rein in

控制；放慢；止住

My interpretation: if you want to rein in spending, don't go to a casino.

我的解讀是：如果你想要控制支出，不要去賭場。

loss aversion

損失厭惡，損失規(guī)避

It relies on two brutal behavioural truths: people do not like losing money (loss aversion), and they are likely to behave better when others are looking.

依賴兩條冷酷的行為真理：人們不喜歡損失錢財（損失厭惡）；當其他人在看著的時候，他們可能會表現(xiàn)得更好。