【TED演讲】你应该相信你的第一印象吗

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Imagine you're at a football game when this obnoxious guy sits next to you.

想象一下，当你在看足球比赛时，一个讨厌的家伙坐在你旁边。

He's loud, he spills his drink on you, and he makes fun of your team.

他大吵大叫，把饮料溅到你身上，还嘲笑你支持的足球队。

Days later, you're walking in the park when suddenly it starts to pour rain.

几天后，当你在公园散步时，突然下起了倾盆大雨。

Who should show up at your side to offer you an umbrella?

此时谁会出现在你身边为你遮雨？

The same guy from the football game.

恰巧就是足球赛上你旁边的那个人。

Do you change your mind about him based on this second encounter, or do you go with your first impression and write him off?

此时你对他的看法会因为第二次相遇而改变，还是会坚持对他的第一印象，继续讨厌他？

Research in social psychology suggests that we're quick to form lasting impressions of others based on their behaviors.

社会心理学专家认为，我们会基于他人的行为，快速对其产生长久的印象。

We manage to do this with little effort, inferring stable character traits from a single behavior, like a harsh word or a clumsy step.

我们不费吹灰之力就能做到这一点，从一个单一的行为中推断出稳定的性格特征，比如一句伤人的话，或者笨拙的步伐。

Using our impressions as guides, we can accurately predict how people are going to behave in the future.

以印象为指南，我们能准确预测他人将会发生的行为。

Armed with the knowledge the guy from the football game was a jerk the first time you met him, you might expect more of the same down the road.

由于把足球赛中第一次遇见的那个人定义为混蛋，你可能会预想他做出更多混事。

If so, you might choose to avoid him the next time you see him.

这样的话，下次见到他时，你可能会选择避开他。

That said, we can change our impressions in light of new information.

基于这样的理论，通过新的信息我们可以改变自己的刻板印象。

Behavioral researchers have identified consistent patterns that seem to guide this process of impression updating.

行为研究者发现了引导印象更新过程的固定模式。

On one hand, learning very negative, highly immoral information about someone typically has a stronger impact than learning very positive, highly moral information.

一方面，对一个人负面、高度不道德的评价所带来的影响，要高于正面、高度道德的评价所带来的影响。

So, unfortunately for our new friend from the football game, his bad behavior at the game might outweigh his good behavior at the park.

所以很不幸，对在足球赛中认识的那位新朋友来说，他在观众席上不道德的行为带来的影响会大于他在公园里的友善行为。

Research suggests that this bias occurs because immoral behaviors are more diagnostic, or revealing, of a person's true character.

研究表明，这种偏见的产生是因为不道德的行为更能体现或揭示一个人的真实性格。

Okay, so by this logic, bad is always stronger than good when it comes to updating.

根据这种思维逻辑，在涉及到印象更新时，坏行为的影响力要大于好行为。

Well, not necessarily.

嗯，不一定。

Certain types of learning don't seem to lead to this sort of negativity bias.

某些认知方式不会导致这种负面的偏见。

When learning about another person's abilities and competencies, for instance, this bias flips.

例如，当了解到某人的能力时，这种偏见就会颠倒过来。

It's actually the positive information that gets weighted more heavily.

实际上，积极信息的影响力变得更大了。

Let's go back to that football game.

让我们再谈回足球赛的事。

If a player scores a goal, it ultimately has a stronger impact on your impression of their skills than if they miss the net.

一个球员进球时，你对他球技的印象比丢球带来的影响力更大。

The two sides of the updating story are ultimately quite consistent.

两方面的信息更新最终相当一致。

Overall, behaviors that are perceived as being less frequent are also the ones that people tend to weigh more heavily when forming and updating impressions,

总的来说，在人们建立或更新印象时，越是少见的行为，人们越看重，

highly immoral actions and highly competent actions.

比如，极其不道德的行为和能体现能力的行为。

So, what's happening at the level of the brain when we're updating our impressions?

那么，当我们更新印象时，大脑中发生了什么呢？

Using fMRI, or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,

使用fMRI，也就是功能磁共振成像，

researchers have identified an extended network of brain regions that respond to new information that's inconsistent with initial impressions.

研究者发现，为回应新信息而新扩展出的脑区网络，同最初的印象并无关联。

These include areas typically associated with social cognition, attention, and cognitive control.

这些区域尤其同社会认知、注意力以及认知控制相关。

Moreover, when updating impressions based on people's behaviors,

此外，当根据人们的行为更新印象时，

activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the superior temporal sulcus correlates with perceptions of how frequently those behaviors occur in daily life.

腹外侧前额叶皮层和颞上沟的活动告诉我们这些行为在日常生活中是否频繁。

In other words, the brain seems to be tracking low-level,

换言之，大脑似乎在进行低水平的行为统计，

statistical properties of behavior in order to make complex decisions regarding other people's character.

以此来做出关于他人品行如何的复杂决定。

It needs to decide is this person's behavior typical or is it out of the ordinary?

大脑需要判断这个人的行为是典型的还是不寻常的？

In the situation with the obnoxious-football-fan-turned-good-samaritan, your brain says, "Well, in my experience,

在这个烦人的球迷变成好人的情境下，你的大脑告诉你“依据往常经验，

pretty much anyone would lend someone their umbrella, but the way this guy acted at the football game, that was unusual."

通常大部分人都会为别人遮雨，但这家伙在球赛时的举动可不多见。”

And so, you decide to go with your first impression.

所以，你决定遵从自己的第一印象。

There's a good moral in this data: your brain, and by extension you, might care more about the very negative,

这些数据有一个很积极的意义：你的大脑，或者说你本人，也许更关注别人做出的负面的、不道德的事，

immoral things another person has done compared to the very positive, moral things,

而不是积极有道德的事，

but it's a direct result of the comparative rarity of those bad behaviors.

但这是那些罕见的坏行为带来的直接结果。

We're more used to people being basically good, like taking time to help a stranger in need.

我们习惯上认为人大体上是好的，乐于花时间帮助别人。

In this context, bad might be stronger than good, but only because good is more plentiful.

在这样的背景下，坏影响就远多于好的，但这只是因为好事更常见。

Think about the last time you judged someone based on their behavior,

回想一下，你上次根据一个人的所作所为来评价他，

especially a time when you really feel like you changed your mind about someone.

尤其是当你真的觉得自己对他改变了主意的时候。

Was the behavior that caused you to update your impression something you'd expect anyone to do, or was it something totally out of the ordinary?

那个引发你改变对方印象的行为，是每个人都会做的事，还是不同寻常的事？