Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? | Dan Gilbert

Translator: Ana Rozados Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

When you have 21 minutes to speak,

Cando tes 21 minutos para falar,

two million years seems like a really long time.

dous millóns de anos parecen moito tempo.

But evolutionarily, two million years is nothing.

Mais evolutivamente, dous millóns non son nada.

And yet, in two million years,

Porén, en dous millóns de anos

the human brain has nearly tripled in mass,

o cerebro humano case triplicou a súa masa,

going from the one-and-a-quarter-pound brain of our ancestor here, Habilis,

pasando do cerebro de medio quilo que tiñan os nosos devanceiros, Habilis,

to the almost three-pound meatloaf everybody here has between their ears.

a uns miolos de case quilo e medio

que temos todos agora entre as orellas.

What is it about a big brain

Que acontece cun cerebro grande,

that nature was so eager for every one of us to have one?

para que a natureza tivese tanta ansia de nos dar un a todos?

Well, it turns out when brains triple in size,

Porque cando o cerebro triplica o seu tamaño

they don't just get three times bigger; they gain new structures.

non só se fai tres veces máis grande, senón que adquire novas estruturas.

And one of the main reasons our brain got so big is because it got a new part,

Unha das razóns polas que o cerebro se agrandou é porque ten unha parte nova

called the "frontal lobe,"

chamada lobo frontal,

particularly, a part called the "prefrontal cortex."

en particular unha zona chamada córtex prefrontal.

What does a prefrontal cortex do for you

Que fai o córtex prefrontal para xustificar

that should justify the entire architectural overhaul of the human skull

todo o cambio arquitectónico do cranio humano

in the blink of evolutionary time?

nun chiscar de ollos evolutivo?

Well, it turns out the prefrontal cortex does lots of things,

Resulta que o córtex prefrontal fai unha chea de cousas,

but one of the most important things it does is it's an experience simulator.

pero unha das máis importantes é ser un simulador de experiencias.

Pilots practice in flight simulators

Os pilotos practican en simuladores de voo

so that they don't make real mistakes in planes.

para non cometer erros reais en avións.

Human beings have this marvelous adaptation

O ser humano posúe esta adaptación marabillosa

that they can actually have experiences in their heads

de poder crear experiencias na súa cabeza

before they try them out in real life.

antes de experimentalas na vida real.

This is a trick that none of our ancestors could do,

Ningún dos nosos devanceiros podía facer este truco,

and that no other animal can do quite like we can.

e non pode facelo ningún outro animal como o facemos nós.

It's a marvelous adaptation.

É unha adaptación marabillosa.

It's up there with opposable thumbs and standing upright and language

Está ao mesmo nivel que o dedo prénsil, erguerse en dúas patas e a linguaxe

as one of the things that got our species out of the trees

como unha das cousas que fixo que a nosa especie saíse das árbores

and into the shopping mall.

e entrase no centro comercial.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

All of you have done this.

Todos fixestes isto.

Ben&Jerry’s non teñen xeados de fígado e cebola,

Ben and Jerry's doesn't have "liver and onion" ice cream,

and it's not because they whipped some up, tried it and went, "Yuck!"

e non porque bateran un pouco, o probaran e dixeran: "Que noxo!",

It's because, without leaving your armchair,

senón porque sen erguerte do sofá

you can simulate that flavor and say "yuck" before you make it.

podes simular ese sabor e dicir "que noxo" antes de elaboralo.

Let's see how your experience simulators are working.

Imos ver como funcionan os simuladores de experiencias.

Let's just run a quick diagnostic

Fagamos un breve diagnóstico

before I proceed with the rest of the talk.

antes de continuar co resto da charla.

Here's two different futures that I invite you to contemplate.

Imos ver dous futuros diferentes e convídovos a que os contempledes.

You can try to simulate them and tell me which one you think you might prefer.

Podedes simulalos e dicirme cal pensades que preferiredes.

One of them is winning the lottery. This is about 314 million dollars.

Un deles é gañar a lotería. Son uns 314 millóns de dólares.

And the other is becoming paraplegic.

E o outro é quedar parapléxico.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Just give it a moment of thought.

Pensádeo un intre.

You probably don't feel like you need a moment of thought.

Seguramente non precisades tempo para pensalo.

Interestingly, there are data on these two groups of people,

É curioso que existen datos sobre estes dous grupos de persoas,

data on how happy they are.

datos sobre o felices que son.

And this is exactly what you expected, isn't it?

Iso é exactamente o que esperabades, non si?

But these aren't the data. I made these up!

Pero eses non son os datos. Inventeinos eu!

These are the data.

Estes son os datos.

You failed the pop quiz, and you're hardly five minutes into the lecture.

Suspendestes o test e levades cinco minutos escasos na clase.

Because the fact is that a year after losing the use of their legs

Porque o feito é que un ano despois de perderen a mobilidade nas pernas,

and a year after winning the lotto,

e un ano despois de gañaren a lotería, os que gañaron a lotería e os parapléxicos

lottery winners and paraplegics are equally happy with their lives.

son igual de felices coas súas vidas.

Don't feel too bad about failing the first pop quiz,

Non vos sintades mal por suspender o primeiro test

because everybody fails all of the pop quizzes all of the time.

porque todo o mundo suspende sempre todos os exames sorpresa.

The research that my laboratory has been doing,

A investigación que levou a cabo o meu laboratorio,

that economists and psychologists around the country have been doing,

que desenvolveron psicólogos e economistas por todo o mundo,

has revealed something really quite startling to us,

revelounos en realidade algo bastante sorprendente,

something we call the "impact bias,"

ao que lle chamamos o nesgo do impacto,

which is the tendency for the simulator to work badly,

que é a tendencia do simulador a funcionar mal.

for the simulator to make you believe that different outcomes are more different

Porque o simulador faiche crer que as diferentes posibilidades

than, in fact, they really are.

son máis dispares do que en realidade son.

From field studies to laboratory studies,

Desde estudos de campo aos do laboratorio,

we see that winning or losing an election,

vemos que gañar ou perder unha elección, gañar ou perder unha parella,

gaining or losing a romantic partner,

getting or not getting a promotion,

conseguir ou non un ascenso, aprobar ou non un exame,

passing or not passing a college test,

on and on,

etc., ten moito menos impacto, menos intensidade e dura moito menos

have far less impact, less intensity and much less duration

than people expect them to have.

do que a xente espera que teña.

A recent study -- this almost floors me --

Isto case me derruba:

a recent study showing how major life traumas affect people

un estudo recente demostra que canto maiores son os traumas vividos,

suggests that if it happened over three months ago,

se pasasen uns tres meses antes,

with only a few exceptions,

quitando algunhas excepcións,

it has no impact whatsoever on your happiness.

non terían impacto sobre a felicidade.

Why?

Por que?

Because happiness can be synthesized.

Porque a felicidade pode sintetizarse.

Sir Thomas Brown wrote in 1642, "I am the happiest man alive.

Sir Thomas Brown escribiu en 1642: "Son o home máis feliz do mundo.

I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity.

Teño o don de converter a pobreza en riqueza, a adversidade en prosperidade.

I am more invulnerable than Achilles; fortune hath not one place to hit me."

Son máis invulnerable que Aquiles; o fado non ten lugar para me abater".

What kind of remarkable machinery does this guy have in his head?

Que clase de maquinaria extraordinaria ten este home na cabeza?

Well, it turns out it's precisely the same remarkable machinery that all of us have.

Pois resulta que ten precisamente a mesma que temos todos.

Human beings have something

Os humanos teñen algo

that we might think of as a "psychological immune system,"

que podemos considerar "sistema psicoinmune":

a system of cognitive processes, largely nonconscious cognitive processes,

Un sistema de procesos cognitivo, sobre todo non conscientes,

that help them change their views of the world,

que lles axuda a cambiar a súa visión do mundo,

so that they can feel better about the worlds

para se sentiren mellor

na situación na que se atopan.

in which they find themselves.

Like Sir Thomas, you have this machine.

Coma Sir Thomas, tedes esta máquina.

A diferencia del, parece que non o sabedes.

Unlike Sir Thomas, you seem not to know it.

We synthesize happiness, but we think happiness is a thing to be found.

Sintetizamos a felicidade, pero cremos que é algo que se atopa.

Now, you don't need me to give you

Xa non precisades que vos dea

too many examples of people synthesizing happiness, I suspect,

moitos exemplos de xente que sintetiza a felicidade, supoño.

though I'm going to show you some experimental evidence.

Pero vouvos amosar algunhas probas experimentais,

You don't have to look very far for evidence.

non tedes que ir moi lonxe para atopalas.

I took a copy of the "New York Times"

Nun exemplar do New York Times

tentei buscar exemplos de xente que sintetiza a felicidade.

and tried to find some instances of people synthesizing happiness.

Here are three guys synthesizing happiness.

Aquí temos tres tíos que a sintetizan.

"I'm better off physically, financially, mentally ..."

"Estou moito mellor física, financeira e mentalmente...

"I don't have one minute's regret. It was a glorious experience."

"Non teño nada de que me laiar. Foi unha experiencia gloriosa".

"I believe it turned out for the best."

"Coido que resultou ser o mellor".

Who are these characters who are so damn happy?

Quen son estes personaxes que están tan felices?

The first one is Jim Wright.

O primeiro é Jim Wright.

Some of you are old enough to remember:

Algúns tedes idade para lembralo:

he was the chairman of the House of Representatives,

Era o presidente da Cámara de Representantes

and he resigned in disgrace

e caeu en desgraza e dimitiu

when this young Republican named Newt Gingrich found out about

cando aquel mozo republicano, Newt Gingrich,

destapou un turbio negocio que el fixera.

a shady book deal that he had done.

He lost everything.

Perdeuno todo.

O demócrata máis poderoso do país perdeuno todo.

The most powerful Democrat in the country lost everything:

he lost his money, he lost his power.

Perdeu o diñeiro e o poder.

What does he have to say all these years later about it?

Que di el despois de todos eses anos?

"Estou moito mellor física, financeira e mentalmente

"I am so much better off physically, financially, mentally

e en case todos os aspectos".

and in almost every other way."

What other way would there be to be better off?

En que outros sentidos podería estar mellor?

Vegetably? Minerally? Animally?

Vexetal? Mineral? Animalmente?

Xa os cubriu case todos.

He's pretty much covered them there.

Moreese Bickham is somebody you've never heard of.

Nunca oístes falar de Moresee Bickham.

Moreese Bickham uttered these words upon being released.

Moresee Bickham dixo estas palabras tras ser liberado.

He was 78 years old.

Tiña 78 anos.

He'd spent 37 years in Louisiana State Penitentiary

Pasara 37 nun cárcere do estado de Louisiana

for a crime he didn't commit.

por un crime que non cometera.

He was ultimately [released for good behavior halfway through his sentence.]

[Ao final liberárono

por boa conducta na metade da súa sentenza].

What did he have to say about his experience?

Que dixo da súa experiencia?

"I don't have one minute's regret. It was a glorious experience."

"Non teño nada de que me laiar. Foi unha experiencia gloriosa". Gloriosa!

Glorious!

This guy's not saying, "There were some nice guys. They had a gym."

Non di:

"Había tipos agradables. Tiñan un ximnasio".

"Glorious" -- a word we usually reserve for something like a religious experience.

"Gloriosa",

unha palabra que se reserva para algo coma unha experiencia relixiosa.

Harry S. Langerman uttered these words.

Harry S. Langermann pronunciou estas palabras, e poderiades coñecelo,

He's somebody you might have known but didn't,

porque en 1949 leu un artigo no xornal

because in 1949, he read a little article in the paper

about a hamburger stand owned by these two brothers named McDonald.

sobre un posto de hamburguesas de dous irmáns, os McDonalds.

And he thought, "That's a really neat idea!"

E pensou: "É unha idea estupenda!"

So he went to find them.

Entón foi xunta eles e dixéronlle:

They said, "We can give you a franchise on this for 3,000 bucks."

"Podémosche dar unha franquía por 3000 dólares".

Harry went back to New York, asked his brother, an investment banker,

Harry volveu a Nova York, pediulle a seu irmán, investidor financeiro,

to loan him 3,000 dollars, and his brother's immortal words were,

un préstamo de 3000 dólares e a frase inmortal do irmán foi:

"You idiot, nobody eats hamburgers."

"Parvo, ninguén come hamburguesas".

He wouldn't lend him the money.

Non lle deixou o diñeiro e,

Of course, six months later, Ray Kroc had exactly the same idea.

por suposto, seis meses despois Ray Kroc tivo xusto a mesma idea.

It turns out, people do eat hamburgers,

Resulta que a xente come hamburguesas,

and Ray Kroc, for a while, became the richest man in America.

e Ray Kroc, por un tempo, converteuse no home máis rico de EE. UU.

And then, finally,

E, por último,

some of you recognize this young photo of Pete Best,

algúns recoñeceredes esta foto antiga de Pete Best,

who was the original drummer for the Beatles,

o batería orixinal dos Beatles,

until they, you know, sent him out on an errand and snuck away

ata que, xa sabedes, mandárono por aí, pasaron del

and picked up Ringo on a tour.

e colleron a Ringo na xira.

Well, in 1994, when Pete Best was interviewed --

En 1994, cando entrevistaron a Pete Best

yes, he's still a drummer; yes, he's a studio musician --

(si, segue a ser batería, si, é músico de estudio)

he had this to say: "I'm happier than I would have been with the Beatles."

dixo isto: "Son máis feliz do que sería cos Beatles".

OK, there's something important to be learned from these people,

Ben. Hai algo importante que aprender desta xente,

and it is the secret of happiness.

o segredo da felicidade.

Here it is, finally to be revealed.

E aquí vai ser revelado por fin.

First: accrue wealth, power and prestige,

Primeiro: acumular riqueza, poder e prestixio e logo perdelo.

then lose it.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Second: spend as much of your life in prison as you possibly can.

Segundo: pasar tanto tempo como poidas no cárcere.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Third: make somebody else really, really rich.

Terceiro: facer moi, moi rica a outra persoa.

E por último: non xuntarse cos Beatles.

And finally: never, ever join the Beatles.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Yeah, right.

Si, xa.

Because when people synthesize happiness,

Porque cando a xente sintetiza a felicidade,

as these gentlemen seem to have done,

como parece que fixeron estas persoas,

we all smile at them, but we kind of roll our eyes and say,

todos lles sorrimos, pero dalgún xeito poñemos os ollos en branco:

"Yeah, right, you never really wanted the job."

"Si, xa, en realidade nunca quixeches o traballo".

"Oh yeah, right -- you really didn't have that much in common with her,

"Ah, si, claro. A verdade é que non tiñas tanto en común con ela,

and you figured that out just about the time

e imaxinabas que co tempo

she threw the engagement ring in your face."

che tiraría o anel de compromiso na cara".

We smirk,

Facemos un escarnio porque cremos que a felicidade sintética

because we believe that synthetic happiness is not of the same quality

non ten a mesma calidade que a que chamamos felicidade natural.

as what we might call "natural happiness."

What are these terms?

Que significan estes termos?

Natural happiness is what we get when we get what we wanted,

A felicidade natural é a que obtemos cando conseguimos o que queremos,

and synthetic happiness is what we make when we don't get what we wanted.

e a felicidade sintética é a que creamos cando non conseguimos o que queremos.

And in our society, we have a strong belief

Na nosa sociedade temos unha crenza arraigada

that synthetic happiness is of an inferior kind.

de que a felicidade sintética é dunha categoría inferior.

Por que temos esa crenza?

Why do we have that belief?

Well, it's very simple.

Ben, é moi simple.

What kind of economic engine would keep churning

Que clase de motor económico seguiría funcionando

if we believed that not getting what we want

se cremos que non obter o que queremos

could make us just as happy as getting it?

nos pode facer tan felices como obtelo?

With all apologies to my friend Matthieu Ricard,

Que me perdoe o meu amigo Matthieu Ricard,

un centro comercial cheo de monxes zen

a shopping mall full of Zen monks

is not going to be particularly profitable,

non vai ser especialmente rendible

because they don't want stuff enough.

porque non precisan demasiadas cousas.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

I want to suggest to you

Quero ensinarvos que a felicidade sintética

that synthetic happiness is every bit as real and enduring

é tan real e duradeira

as the kind of happiness you stumble upon

coma o tipo de felicidade que atopades

when you get exactly what you were aiming for.

cando conseguides exactamente o que buscades.

Now, I'm a scientist, so I'm going to do this not with rhetoric,

Son científico, así que non vou facer isto con retórica,

but by marinating you in a little bit of data.

senón mergullándovos nuns cantos datos.

Deixádeme ensinarvos primeiro un paradigma experimental usado

Let me first show you an experimental paradigm

that's used to demonstrate the synthesis of happiness

para demostrar a síntese da felicidade entre vellos amigos normais.

among regular old folks.

E non é meu.

This isn't mine,

it's a 50-year-old paradigm called the "free choice paradigm."

É un paradigma que ten 50 anos, o da "libre elección".

It's very simple.

É moi simple.

You bring in, say, six objects,

Traes, por exemplo, seis obxectos,

and you ask a subject to rank them from the most to the least liked.

pídeslle a alguén que os puntúe do que máis ao que menos lle gusta.

In this case, because this experiment uses them,

Neste caso, porque os usa o experimento,

these are Monet prints.

son láminas de Monet.

Everybody ranks these Monet prints from the one they like the most

Todos podedes puntuar as láminas de Monet

desde a que máis vos gusta ata a que vos gusta menos.

to the one they like the least.

Now we give you a choice:

Agora dámosvos a elixir:

"We happen to have some extra prints in the closet.

"Temos máis láminas no armario.

We're going to give you one as your prize to take home.

Imos darvos unha como premio para levardes para a casa.

We happen to have number three and number four," we tell the subject.

Resulta que temos o número tres e o número catro", dicímoslle á persoa.

This is a bit of a difficult choice,

É unha elección algo difícil,

because neither one is preferred strongly to the other,

porque non preferimos moito máis unha cá outra,

but naturally, people tend to pick number three,

pero polo xeral a xente adoita coller o número tres

because they liked it a little better than number four.

porque lle gusta un pouco máis có número catro.

Sometime later -- it could be 15 minutes, it could be 15 days --

Tempo despois, poden pasar 15 minutos ou 15 días...

the same stimuli are put before the subject,

sométese á persoa aos mesmos estímulos,

and the subject is asked to re-rank the stimuli.

e pídeselle que volva puntuar eses estímulos.

"Tell us how much you like them now."

"Dinos canto che gustan agora".

What happens?

Que acontece?

Watch as happiness is synthesized.

Observade como se sintetiza a felicidade.

This is the result that's been replicated over and over again.

Este é o resultado que se repite unha e outra vez.

You're watching happiness be synthesized.

Estades a ver a felicidade sintetizada.

Would you like to see it again?

Queredes volver vela?

Happiness!

A felicidade!

"The one I got is really better than I thought!

"O que gañei é moito mellor do que pensaba!

That other one I didn't get sucks!"

O que non levei non vale nada!"

Esa é a síntese da felicidade.

That's the synthesis of happiness.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Entón, cal é a resposta correcta a iso?

Now, what's the right response to that?

"Yeah, right!"

"Si, xa!"

Now, here's the experiment we did,

Aquí está o experimento que fixemos,

and I hope this is going to convince you

espero que vos convenza de que

that "Yeah, right!" was not the right response.

"si, xa!" non era a resposta correcta.

We did this experiment with a group of patients

Fixemos este experimento cun grupo de pacientes

who had anterograde amnesia.

con amnesia anterógrada.

These are hospitalized patients.

Son pacientes hospitalizados,

Most of them have Korsakoff syndrome,

a maioría con síndrome de Korsakov,

a polyneuritic psychosis.

unha psicose polineurítica.

They drank way too much, and they can't make new memories.

Beberon demasiado e non poden crear novos recordos.

They remember their childhood, but if you walk in and introduce yourself

Lembran a infancia pero se te achegas e te presentas

and then leave the room,

e logo marchas da sala,

when you come back, they don't know who you are.

cando volves non saben quen es.

Levamos as láminas de Monet ao hospital.

We took our Monet prints to the hospital.

And we asked these patients to rank them

E pedímoslles a estes pacientes que as puntuasen

from the one they liked the most to the one they liked the least.

da que máis lles gustaba á que lles gustaba menos.

Logo démoslles a escoller entre o número tres e o catro.

We then gave them the choice between number three and number four.

Like everybody else, they said,

Igual que os demais, dixeron:

"Gee, thanks Doc! That's great! I could use a new print.

"Vaia, grazas, doutor. Está xenial! Unha lámina nova.

I'll take number three."

Vou coller o número tres".

We explained we would have number three mailed to them.

Explicámoslles que lles enviariamos por correo o número tres.

We gathered up our materials,

Recollemos os materiais, saímos da sala

and we went out of the room and counted to a half hour.

e contamos media hora.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Volvemos á sala e dixemos: "Ola, estamos de volta".

Back into the room, we say, "Hi, we're back."

The patients, bless them, say, "Ah, Doc, I'm sorry,

Os pacientes, benditos sexan, dixeron: "Doutor, síntoo,

teño un problema de memoria; por iso estou aquí.

I've got a memory problem; that's why I'm here.

If I've met you before, I don't remember."

Se nos coñecemos antes, non o lembro".

"Really, Jim, you don't remember? I was just here with the Monet prints?"

"De verdade non se lembra de min? Vin antes coas láminas de Monet".

"Sorry, Doc, I just don't have a clue."

"Síntoo, doutor, non teño nin idea".

"No problem, Jim.

"Non se preocupe, Jim. Só preciso que puntúe estas láminas

All I want you to do is rank these for me,

from the one you like the most to the one you like the least."

da que máis lle guste á que lle guste menos".

What do they do?

E que fan?

Ben, primeiro imos comprobar que de verdade teñen amnesia.

Well, let's first check and make sure they're really amnesiac.

Pedímoslles aos pacientes con amnesia que nos digan que lámina teñen,

We ask these amnesiac patients to tell us which one they own,

which one they chose last time, which one is theirs.

cal foi a que escolleron a última vez, a deles.

And what we find is, amnesiac patients just guess.

E o que fan os pacientes con amnesia é supoñer.

These are normal controls, where if I did this with you,

Son controis rutineiros, que se volos fixese a vós,

all of you would know which print you chose.

todos saberiades que lámina escollestes.

But if I do this with amnesiac patients, they don't have a clue.

Pero ao facelo a pacientes con amnesia, non teñen nin idea.

They can't pick their print out of a lineup.

Non saben escoller a súa lámina da lista.

Here's what normal controls do: they synthesize happiness. Right?

Isto é o que fan os controis rutineiros: sintetizan a felicidade.

Non si? Este é o cambio na puntuación,

This is the change in liking score,

desde a primeira vez que puntúan ata a segunda vez.

the change from the first time they ranked to the second time they ranked.

Normal controls show -- that was the magic I showed you;

Os controis rutineiros demostran a maxia que vos ensinei;

now I'm showing it to you in graphical form --

agora vou amosárvola de xeito gráfico:

"The one I own is better than I thought.

"O que teño é mellor do que pensaba.

The one I didn't own, the one I left behind,

O que non teño, aquel que non escollín,

non é tan bo como pensaba".

is not as good as I thought."

Amnesiacs do exactly the same thing. Think about this result.

Os amnésicos fan exactamente o mesmo. Pensade neste resultado.

These people like better the one they own,

A eles gústalles máis o que teñen,

but they don't know they own it.

pero non saben que o teñen.

"Yeah, right" is not the right response!

"Si, xa" non é a resposta correcta!

What these people did when they synthesized happiness

O que fixeron eles cando sintetizaron a felicidade

is they really, truly changed

foi en realidade cambiar

their affective, hedonic, aesthetic reactions to that poster.

as súas reaccións afectivas, hedónicas e estéticas ante a lámina.

They're not just saying it because they own it,

Non o din só porque é deles,

because they don't know they own it.

porque non saben que o teñen.

When psychologists show you bars,

Cando os psicólogos vos ensinan barras,

you know that they are showing you averages of lots of people.

sabedes que vos están a ensinar as medias de moita xente.

And yet, all of us have this psychological immune system,

E porén todos temos este sistema psicoinmune,

this capacity to synthesize happiness,

esta capacidade para sintetizar a felicidade,

but some of us do this trick better than others.

pero a algúns dásenos mellor ca a outros.

And some situations allow anybody to do it more effectively

E algunhas situacións provocan que calquera o faga de xeito máis efectivo

than other situations do.

ca outras situacións.

It turns out that freedom,

Resulta que a liberdade,

the ability to make up your mind and change your mind,

a capacidade de tomar decisións e de cambialas,

is the friend of natural happiness,

é unha aliada natural da felicidade, porque che permite escoller

because it allows you to choose among all those delicious futures

entre todos os prometedores futuros

and find the one that you would most enjoy.

e atopar aquel do que máis gozarías.

But freedom to choose,

Pero a liberdade de elección,

to change and make up your mind,

de cambiar e tomar decisións,

is the enemy of synthetic happiness,

é inimiga da felicidade sintética.

and I'm going to show you why.

E vouvos amosar por que. Dilbert xa o sabe, claro.

Dilbert already knows, of course.

"Dogbert's tech support. How may I abuse you?"

"Asistencia Dogbert. Como podo abusar de vostede?"

"My printer prints a blank page after every document."

"A impresora saca unha folla en branco con cada páxina".

"Why complain about getting free paper?"

"Por que queixarse por ter papel gratis?"

"Free? Aren't you just giving me my own paper?"

"Gratis? Non me estás a dar o meu propio papel?

"Look at the quality of the free paper compared to your lousy regular paper!

"Mira a calidade do papel gratis comparada co teu ruín papel normal!

Only a fool or a liar would say that they look the same!"

Só un parvo ou un mentireiro diría que parecen iguais!"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem a little silkier!"

"Agora que o dis, si que semella un pouco máis satinado!"

"What are you doing?"

"Que fas?"

"I'm helping people accept the things they cannot change." Indeed.

"Axudarlle á xente a aceptar as cousas que non poden cambiar". Exacto.

The psychological immune system works best

O sistema psicoinmune funciona mellor

when we are totally stuck, when we are trapped.

cando estamos totalmente atascados, cando estamos atrapados.

This is the difference between dating and marriage.

Esa é a diferenza entre namorar e estar casados.

You go out on a date with a guy,

Se saes con alguén

and he picks his nose; you don't go out on another date.

e mete o dedo no nariz non volves ter outra cita.

You're married to a guy and he picks his nose?

E se estás casada e mete o dedo no nariz?

He has a heart of gold. Don't touch the fruitcake!

Ten un corazón de ouro. Non toques o pastel!

You find a way to be happy with what's happened.

Buscas un xeito de ser feliz con esa situación.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Now, what I want to show you

Agora, o que quero ensinarvos

is that people don't know this about themselves,

é que a xente non sabe isto sobre ela mesma,

and not knowing this can work to our supreme disadvantage.

e non sabelo pode converterse na nosa maior desvantaxe.

Here's an experiment we did at Harvard.

Este é un experimento feito en Harvard.

We created a black-and-white photography course,

Organizamos un curso de fotografía en branco e negro,

and we allowed students to come in and learn how to use a darkroom.

e deixámoslles aos alumnos vir e aprender a usar o cuarto de revelado.

So we gave them cameras, they went around campus,

Démoslles cámaras e eles foron polo campus

they took 12 pictures of their favorite professors

e tiraron 12 fotos dos seus mestres favoritos,

and their dorm room and their dog,

do seu dormitorio e do seu can,

and all the other things they wanted to have Harvard memories of.

e de todas as cousas que querían ter como lembranzas de Harvard.

They bring us the camera, we make up a contact sheet,

Trouxéronnos a cámara, creamos unha folla de contacto,

they figure out which are the two best pictures.

imaxinaron cales eran as dúas mellores fotos

We now spend six hours teaching them about darkrooms,

e pasamos seis horas ensinándolles o cuarto de revelado.

and they blow two of them up.

E amplían dúas,

They have two gorgeous 8 x 10 glossies

e teñen dúas fermosas fotos de 20x25

of meaningful things to them, and we say,

de cousas importantes para eles, e dicimos:

"Which one would you like to give up?"

"Cal queres descartar?"

"I have to give one up?"

"Debo descartar unha?"

"Yes, we need one as evidence of the class project.

"Si, precisamos unha como proba do proxecto de clase.

So you have to give me one. You have to make a choice.

Así que debes darme unha. Tes que tomar unha decisión.

You get to keep one, and I get to keep one."

Debes quedar ti con unha e eu con outra".

Now, there are two conditions in this experiment.

Hai dúas condicións neste experimento.

In one case, the students are told,

Nun dos casos, díselles aos estudantes:

"But you know, if you want to change your mind,

"Xa sabes, se queres cambiar de idea,

I'll always have the other one here,

sempre vou ter eu aquí a outra,

and in the next four days, before I actually mail it to headquarters" --

e nos seguintes catro días, antes de enviala por correo á central..."

yeah, "headquarters" --

Si, a central...

(Laughter)

"Estarei encantado de trocarcha.

"I'll be glad to swap it out with you.

In fact, I'll come to your dorm room, just give me an email.

De feito, irei ao teu cuarto, só tes que enviarme un correo.

Better yet, I'll check with you.

Mellor aínda, vereino contigo.

You ever want to change your mind, it's totally returnable."

Se queres cambiar de idea é totalmente reversible.

The other half of the students are told exactly the opposite:

Á outra metade de alumnos díselles xusto o contrario:

"Make your choice, and by the way,

"Toma unha decisión e, por certo,

the mail is going out, gosh, in two minutes, to England.

o correo sae en dous minutos cara a Inglaterra.

Your picture will be winging its way over the Atlantic.

A túa foto estará voando sobre o Atlántico.

You will never see it again."

Non a volverás ver".

Half of the students in each of these conditions

A metade dos estudantes en cada un destes casos

are asked to make predictions

debe facer predicións

about how much they're going to come to like

sobre canto lles vai gustar a foto coa que queden

the picture that they keep

and the picture they leave behind.

e a foto que descartan.

Other students are just sent back to their little dorm rooms

A outros estudantes envíanos aos seus cuartos

and they are measured over the next three to six days

e mídenlles durante os seguintes tres a seis días

on their satisfaction with the pictures.

o seu agrado e satisfacción coas fotos.

Look at what we find.

Mirade o que descubrimos.

First of all, here's what students think is going to happen.

Primeiro o que os estudantes cren que vai pasar.

They think they're going to maybe come to like the picture they chose

Pensan que se cadra lles vai gustar a foto que escolleron

a little more than the one they left behind.

algo máis que a que descartaron,

pero estas diferenzas non son estatisticamente significativas.

But these are not statistically significant differences.

É un incremento moi pequeno e non importa moito

It's a very small increase, and it doesn't much matter

whether they were in the reversible or irreversible condition.

se están na situación reversible ou na irreversible.

Wrong-o.

É un erro. Malos simuladores. Porque isto é o que pasa en realidade.

Bad simulators.

Because here's what's really happening.

Both right before the swap and five days later,

Xusto antes do intercambio e cinco días máis tarde,

people who are stuck with that picture,

ás persoas que están apegadas a esa foto,

who have no choice,

que non teñen elección,

who can never change their mind,

que non poden cambiar de opinión,

like it a lot.

gústalles moito!

And people who are deliberating -- "Should I return it?

E as persoas que están deliberando: "Debo cambiala?

Have I gotten the right one?

Escollín a axeitada? Se cadra esta non é a boa?

Maybe this isn't the good one. Maybe I left the good one?" --

Quizais descartei a boa?" suicidáronse.

have killed themselves.

They don't like their picture.

Non lles gusta a súa foto

In fact, even after the opportunity to swap has expired,

e de feito, mesmo despois de caducar a opción de cambiar,

they still don't like their picture.

segue sen lles gustar a foto.

Why?

Por que?

Because the [reversible] condition is not conducive

Porque a situación [reversible] non conduce

to the synthesis of happiness.

á síntese da felicidade.

So here's the final piece of this experiment.

E aquí vai a parte final deste experimento.

We bring in a whole new group of naive Harvard students

Traemos un novo grupo enteiro de estudantes inxenuos de Harvard

and we say, "You know, we're doing a photography course,

e dicímoslles: "Mirade, estamos a facer un curso de fotografía e

and we can do it one of two ways.

podemos facelo de dous modos.

We could do it so that when you take the two pictures,

Podemos facelo de modo que cando tiredes as dúas fotos

you'd have four days to change your mind,

teñades catro días para cambiar de idea,

or we're doing another course where you take the two pictures

ou facemos outro curso no que tirades dúas fotos

and you make up your mind right away and you can never change it.

e tomades unha decisión no momento e nunca podedes cambiala.

Which course would you like to be in?" Duh!

Que curso preferides facer? Ah!

Sixty-six percent of the students, two-thirds,

66 por cento dos estudantes, dous terzos,

prefer to be in the course where they have the opportunity to change their mind.

prefiren estar no curso no que teñen opción de cambiar de idea.

Hello? Sixty-six percent of the students choose to be in the course

Como? 66 por cento dos estudantes escollen asistir ao curso

in which they will ultimately be deeply dissatisfied with the picture --

no que finalmente estarán moi insatisfeitos coa foto.

(Laughter)

Porque non coñecen as condicións nas que agroma a felicidade sintética.

because they do not know the conditions under which synthetic happiness grows.

The Bard said everything best, of course, and he's making my point here

O Bardo contouno todo mellor, claro, e defende aquí a miña versión

but he's making it hyperbolically:

pero faino de xeito hiperbólico:

"'Tis nothing good or bad But thinking makes it so."

"Non hai nada bo ou ruín/ Mais pensalo faino bo ou ruín".

É un fermoso poema, pero non pode ser totalmente certo.

It's nice poetry, but that can't exactly be right.

Is there really nothing good or bad?

De verdade non hai nada bo ou ruín?

Is it really the case that gall bladder surgery and a trip to Paris

En serio unha operación da vesícula biliar e unha viaxe a París

are just the same thing?

son o mesmo?

(Laughter)

(Risos)

That seems like a one-question IQ test.

Parece un test de CI dunha soa pregunta.

They can't be exactly the same.

Non poden ser o mesmo.

In more turgid prose, but closer to the truth,

Nunha prosa máis solemne pero máis próxima á verdade,

was the father of modern capitalism, Adam Smith, and he said this.

o pai do capitalismo moderno, Adam Smith, dixo o seguinte.

This is worth contemplating:

Vale a pena contemplar isto:

"The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life

"A gran fonte tanto da miseria coma das desordes da vida humana

seems to arise from overrating the difference

parece proceder de sobrevalorar a diferenza

between one permanent situation and another.

entre unha situación permanente e outra...

Some of these situations may, no doubt, deserve to be preferred to others,

Sen dúbida algunhas situacións merecen ser preferidas fronte a outras,

but none of them can deserve to be pursued

pero ningunha pode merecer ser perseguida

with that passionate ardor which drives us to violate the rules

con ese ardor apaixonado que nos conduce a violar as regras,

either of prudence or of justice,

sexan de prudencia ou xustiza,

or to corrupt the future tranquility of our minds,

ou a corromper a futura tranquilidade da nosa mente,

either by shame from the remembrance of our own folly,

sexa por vergoña ou por lembranza da nosa propia estupidez,

or by remorse for the horror of our own injustice."

ou polo arrepentimento do horror da nosa propia inxustiza".

In other words: yes, some things are better than others.

Noutras palabras: si, algunhas cousas son mellores ca outras.

We should have preferences that lead us into one future over another.

Debemos ter preferencias que nos conduzan cara a un futuro sobre outro.

But when those preferences drive us too hard and too fast

Pero cando esas preferencias nos resulten difíciles ou moi rápidas

because we have overrated the difference between these futures,

porque sobrevaloramos as diferenzas entre eses futuros,

we are at risk.

corremos un risco.

Cando a nosa ambición ten límites, lévanos a traballar con alegría.

When our ambition is bounded, it leads us to work joyfully.

When our ambition is unbounded,

Cando a nosa ambición é ilimitada,

it leads us to lie, to cheat, to steal, to hurt others,

lévanos a mentir, a enganar, a roubar, a ferir a outros,

to sacrifice things of real value.

a sacrificar cousas con valor real.

When our fears are bounded,

Cando os nosos medos son limitados,

we're prudent, we're cautious,

somos prudentes, cautos,

we're thoughtful.

reflexivos.

When our fears are unbounded and overblown,

Cando os nosos medos son ilimitados e desbordantes,

we're reckless, and we're cowardly.

somos imprudentes e covardes.

The lesson I want to leave you with, from these data,

A lección que quero compartir con vós a partir destes datos

is that our longings and our worries are both to some degree overblown,

é que os nosos desexos e preocupacións son en certo xeito desbordantes

because we have within us the capacity to manufacture the very commodity

porque temos dentro de nós a capacidade de fabricar a propia materia prima

we are constantly chasing when we choose experience.

que estamos a buscar constantemente cando escollemos a experiencia.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)