Should you trust your first impression? - Peter Mende-Siedlecki

应该相信第一印象吗？ - Peter Mende-Siedlecki

翻译人员: Justine Bai 校对人员: Qiwen Lu

Imagine you're at a football game

想象你在一场足球赛中，

when this obnoxious guy sits next to you.

这个讨厌鬼坐在你的旁边。

He's loud,

he spills his drink on you,

他大吵大叫，

把饮料溅到你身上，

and he makes fun of your team.

并且还嘲笑你支持的足球队。

Days later, you're walking in the park

几天之后，当你正在公园散步，

when suddenly it starts to pour rain.

突然下起大雨。

Who should show up at your side

此时谁会出现在你身边

to offer you an umbrella?

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

此时你对他的看法会因为

based on this second encounter,

第二次相遇而改变，

or do you go with your first impression

还是会坚持对他的第一印象

and write him off?

继续讨厌他？

Research in social psychology suggests

社会心理学专家认为

that we're quick to form lasting impressions of others

我们会基于别人的行为

based on their behaviors.

作出永久的印象评价。

We manage to do this with little effort,

我们为此无需付出太多努力，

inferring stable character traits

通过单一的行为

from a single behavior,

作出对他人稳定性格的判断。

like a harsh word

比如一句伤人的话，

or a clumsy step.

或者笨拙的步伐。

Using our impressions as guides,

凭借主观印象，

we can accurately predict

我们能准确预测

how people are going to behave in the future.

他人将会发生的行为。

Armed with the knowledge

由于把足球赛中

the guy from the football game

第一次遇见的那个人

was a jerk the first time you met him,

定义为混蛋，

you might expect more of the same down the road.

你可能会预想他会做出更多混事。

If so, you might choose to avoid him

如果是这样，下次遇见的时候

the next time you see him.

你可能会选择躲着他。

That said, we can change our impressions

基于这样的理论，通过新的信息

in light of new information.

我们可以改变自己的刻板印象。

Behavioral researchers have identified

行为研究者发现了

consistent patterns that seem to guide

引导印象更新过程的

this process of impression updating.

固定模式。

On one hand, learning very negative,

一方面，

对一个人的负面评价所带来的影响

highly immoral information about someone

typically has a stronger impact

要高于

than learning very positive, highly moral information.

对一个人的正面评价所带来的影响。

So, unfortunately for our new friend

所以，很不幸

对在足球赛中认识的那位新朋友来说，

from the football game,

his bad behavior at the game

他在观众席上不道德的行为带来的影响

might outweigh his good behavior at the park.

会大于他在公园里的友善行为。

Research suggests that this bias occurs

研究表明，这种偏见产生的原因

because immoral behaviors are more diagnostic,

在于负面行为更容易识别，

or revealing,

或者说让一个人的真实性格

of a person's true character.

更有呈现力。

Okay, so by this logic,

根据这种思维逻辑，

bad is always stronger than good

在涉及到信息更新时，

坏行为的影响力要大于好行为。

when it comes to updating.

Well, not necessarily.

这一理论不一定完全适用。

Certain types of learning don't seem to lead

某些认知方式不会导致

to this sort of negativity bias.

这种负面的偏见。

When learning about another person's abilities and competencies,

当了解到某人的能力时，

for instance,

以此为例，

this bias flips.

这种偏见就跳开了。

It's actually the positive information

实际上，积极信息的影响力

that gets weighted more heavily.

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,

一个球员踢进球

it ultimately has a stronger impact

在你对他技术的印象上

on your impression of their skills

比他们丢了球

than if they miss the net.

影响力更大。

The two sides of the updating story

两方面的信息更新

are ultimately quite consistent.

最终相当一致。

Overall, behaviors that are perceived

总的来说，在人们建立或更新印象时

as being less frequent are also the ones

越是少见的行为

that people tend to weigh more heavily

人们越容易

when forming and updating impressions,

看得更重，

highly immoral actions

比如，非常不道德的行为

and highly competent actions.

和能体现能力的行为

So, what's happening at the level of the brain

所以，在我们刷新印象时

when we're updating our impressions?

大脑里发生了什么呢？

Using fMRI,

利用fMRI——

or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,

功能性磁共振成像

researchers have identified

研究者发现

an extended network of brain regions

回应新信息的

that respond to new information

新扩展出的脑区网络

that's inconsistent with initial impressions.

同最初的印象并无关联

These include areas typically associated

这些区域尤其同

with social cognition,

社会认知、

attention,

注意力

and cognitive control.

以及认知控制相关。

Moreover, when updating impressions

再者，当别人的行为

based on people's behaviors,

刷新了印象，

activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex

腹内侧前额叶皮层的活动

and the superior temporal sulcus

和颞上沟

correlates with perceptions

告诉我们

of how frequently those behaviors occur in daily life.

这些行为在日常生活中是否频繁。

In other words, the brain seems to be tracking

换言之，大脑似乎在进行

low-level, statistical properties of behavior

低水平的行为统计

in order to make complex decisions

以此来做出关于别人品行如何的

regarding other people's character.

复杂的决定。

It needs to decide

大脑需要判断

is this person's behavior typical

这个人的行为是十分典型

or is it out of the ordinary?

还是与众不同？

In the situation

在这个

with the obnoxious-football-fan-turned-good-samaritan,

烦人的球迷变成好人的情境下，

your brain says,

你的大脑告诉你

"Well, in my experience,

“依据往常经验，

pretty much anyone would lend someone their umbrella,

通常大部分人都会为别人遮雨，

but the way this guy acted at the football game,

但这家伙在球赛时的举动

that was unusual."

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:

这个信息里存在良好的道德：

your brain, and by extension you,

你的大脑，或者说你本人

might care more about

也许更关注

the very negative, immoral things

别人做出的

another person has done

负面的、不道德的事

compared to the very positive, moral things,

而不是积极的、有道德的事，

but it's a direct result

但这是那些罕见的坏行为

of the comparative rarity of those bad behaviors.

带来的直接结果。

We're more used to people being basically good,

我们习惯上认为人大体上是好的，

like taking time to help a stranger in need.

乐于花时间帮助别人。

In this context, bad might be stronger than good,

在这样的背景下，坏影响就远多于好的，

but only because good is more plentiful.

但这只是因为好事更常见。

Think about the last time you judged someone

回想一下你上次根据一个人的所作所为

based on their behavior,

来评价一个人，

especially a time when you really feel

尤其是在你真的想要

like you changed your mind about someone.

改变对某人的看法时。

Was the behavior that caused you

那个引发你

to update your impression

改变对方印象的行为，

something you'd expect anyone to do,

是每个人都会做的事，

or was it something totally out of the ordinary?

还是不同寻常的事？