Lessons from the longest study on human development | Helen Pearson

Prevoditelj: Anja Kolobarić Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Today I want to confess something to you,

Danas vam želim nešto priznati,

but first of all I'm going to ask you a couple of questions.

ali prvo ću vas pitati nekoliko pitanja.

How many people here have children?

Koliko vas ovdje ima djecu?

And how many of you are confident

I koliko je vas uvjereno

that you know how to bring up your children

da znate kako odgojiti svoju djecu

in exactly the right way?

baš kako treba?

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

OK, I don't see too many hands going up on that second one,

Dobro, vidim da nije puno vas podiglo ruku na ovo drugo pitanje,

and that's my confession, too.

a to je i moje priznanje.

I've got three boys;

Imam tri dječaka;

they're three, nine and 12.

imaju tri, devet i dvanaest godina.

And like you, and like most parents,

I poput vas, i mnogih roditelja,

the honest truth is I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing.

istina je da više-manje nemam pojma što radim.

I want them to be happy and healthy in their lives,

Želim da svoje živote žive u sreći i zdravlju,

but I don't know what I'm supposed to do

ali ne znam što bih trebala raditi

to make sure they are happy and healthy.

kako bih osigurala da to tako i bude.

There's so many books offering all kinds of conflicting advice,

Puno knjiga nudi kojekakve proturječne savjete,

it can be really overwhelming.

To zaista može biti previše,

So I've spent most of their lives just making it up as I go along.

pa sam tako većinu njihovih života provela donoseći odluke usput.

However, something changed me a few years ago,

No, nešto me promijenilo kada sam prije nekoliko godina

when I came across a little secret that we have in Britain.

otkrila jednu našu britansku tajnu.

It's helped me become more confident about how I bring up my own children,

Pomogla mi je da budem samouvjerenija u odgoju djece

and it's revealed a lot about how we as a society can help all children.

i puno mi je otkrila o tome kako mi kao društvo možemo pomoći djeci.

I want to share that secret with you today.

Danas s vama želim podijeliti tu tajnu.

For the last 70 years,

Zadnjih 70 godina

scientists in Britain have been following thousands of children through their lives

znanstvenici u Britaniji pratili su tisuće djece tijekom njihovih života

as part of an incredible scientific study.

u sklopu čudesnog znanstvenog istraživanja.

There's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world.

U svijetu ne postoji ništa slično.

Collecting information on thousands of children

Prikupljanje podataka o tisućama djece

is a really powerful thing to do,

uistinu je moćna stvar

because it means we can compare the ones who say,

jer znači da možemo usporediti one koji su, npr.

do well at school or end up healthy or happy or wealthy as adults,

dobri učenici i koji na kraju budu sretni ili bogati odrasli ljudi

and the ones who struggle much more,

i one koji se više muče

and then we can sift through all the information we've collected

i od toga možemo probirati prikupljene podatke

and try to work out why their lives turned out different.

i pokušati shvatiti zašto su naši životi drugačiji.

This British study -- it's actually a kind of crazy story.

Ovo britansko istraživanje - to je zapravo jedna luda priča.

So it all starts back in 1946,

Sve je počelo 1946.,

just a few months after the end of the war,

nekoliko mjeseci nakon što je rat završio,

when scientists wanted to know

kad znanstvenici htjedoše znati

what it was like for a woman to have a baby at the time.

kako je ženi u to vrijeme bilo imati dijete.

They carried out this huge survey of mothers

Proveli su veliko ispitivanje majki

and ended up recording the birth of nearly every baby

i zabilježili rođenje gotovo svakog djeteta

born in England, Scotland and Wales in one week.

rođenog u Engleskoj, Škotskoj i Walesu u tjedan dana.

That was nearly 14,000 babies.

Bilo je to gotovo 14.000 djece.

The questions they asked these women

Pitanja koja su postavljali tim ženama

are very different than the ones we might ask today.

drugačija su od onih koje bismo danas postavljali.

They sound really old-fashioned now.

Sada zvuče jako zastarjelo.

They asked them things like,

Pitali su ih pitanja poput:

"During pregnancy,

"tijekom trudnoće,

did you get your full extra ration of a pint of milk a day?"

jeste li dobivali dodatnu porciju od pola litre mlijeka dnevno?"

"How much did you spend on smocks, corsets,

"Koliko ste potrošili na trudničke haljine, korzete

nightdresses, knickers and brassieres?"

spavaćice, gaćice i grudnjake?"

And this is my favorite one:

A ovo mi je pitanje najdraže:

"Who looked after your husband while you were in bed with this baby?"

"Tko se brinuo za vašeg muža dok ste vi ležali s tim djetetom?"

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Now, this wartime study actually ended up being so successful

E, ovo ratno istraživanje zapravo je bilo toliko uspješno

that scientists did it again.

da su ga znanstvenici ponovili.

They recorded the births of thousands of babies born in 1958

Zabilježili su rođenja tisuća djece rođenih 1958.

and thousands more in 1970.

i još tisuća djece rođenih 1970.

They did it again in the early 1990s,

Ponovili su to i ranih 1990-ih,

and again at the turn of the millennium.

a onda i na prijelazu tisućljeća.

Altogether, more than 70,000 children have been involved in these studies

Ukupno je više od 70.000 djece bilo uključeno u ova istraživanja

across those five generations.

kroz pet generacija.

They're called the British birth cohorts,

To su kohorte britanskih rađanja

and scientists have gone back and recorded more information

i otada se znanstvenici vraćaju da zabilježe još podataka

on all of these people every few years ever since.

o svim tim ljudima svakih nekoliko godina.

The amount of information that's now been collected on these people

Količina podataka koja je prikupljena o tim ljudima

is just completely mind-boggling.

zaista je zapanjujuća.

It includes thousands of paper questionnaires

Uključuje tisuću pismenih upitnika

and terabytes' worth of computer data.

i terabajte kompjutorskih podataka.

Scientists have also built up a huge bank of tissue samples,

Znanstvenici su izgradili i banku uzoraka tkiva,

which includes locks of hair, nail clippings, baby teeth and DNA.

koja uključuje pramenove kose, odrezane nokte, mliječne zube i DNK.

They've even collected 9,000 placentas from some of the births,

Prikupili su čak i 9.000 posteljica od nekih poroda,

which are now pickled in plastic buckets in a secure storage warehouse.

koji se sad čuvaju u plastičnim kanticama u sigurnom skladištu.

This whole project has become unique --

Cijeli je ovaj projekt postao jedinstven

so, no other country in the world is tracking generations of children

i nijedna druga država u svijetu ne prati generacije djece

in quite this detail.

ovako detaljno.

These are some of the best-studied people on the planet,

Ovo su neki od najproučavanijih ljudi na planetu,

and the data has become incredibly valuable for scientists,

a podaci su postali iznimno vrijedni za znanstvenike,

generating well over 6,000 academic papers and books.

koji su stvorili više od 6.000 akademskih članaka i knjiga.

But today I want to focus on just one finding --

Ali danas se želim usredotočiti samo na ovo -

perhaps the most important discovery to come from this remarkable study.

možda i najvažnije otkriće ovog značajnog istraživanja.

And it's also the one that spoke to me personally,

A to je i ono koje je meni blisko

because it's about how to use science to do the best for our children.

jer se tiče toga kako koristiti znanost da djeci omogućimo najbolje.

So, let's get the bad news out of the way first.

'Ajmo prvo proći loše vijesti.

Perhaps the biggest message from this remarkable study is this:

Možda i najveća poruka ovog izuzetnog istraživanja glasi:

don't be born into poverty or into disadvantage,

nemojte se roditi u siromašnoj obitelji koja teško živi

because if you are,

jer će vam

you're far more likely to walk a difficult path in life.

životni put vrlo vjerojatno biti puno teži.

Many children in this study were born into poor families

Mnogo djece iz istraživanja rođeno je u siromašnim obiteljima

or into working-class families that had cramped homes or other problems,

ili obiteljima iz radničke klase koje žive u tijesnim kućama ili s drugim problemima

and it's clear now that those disadvantaged children

i sada je jasno da takva djeca koja žive u nedaćama

have been more likely to struggle on almost every score.

češće imaju više teškoća na gotovo svakom životnom polju.

They've been more likely to do worse at school,

Češće su lošiji u školi,

to end up with worse jobs and to earn less money.

završe na lošijim radnim mjestima i zarađuju manje novca.

Now, maybe that sounds really obvious,

Ovo možda zvuči očito,

but some of the results have been really surprising,

ali neki od tih rezultata bili su zaista iznenađujući,

so children who had a tough start in life

pa djeca koja imaju težak početak života

are also more likely to end up unhealthy as adults.

također češće završe kao nezdravi odrasli ljudi.

They're more likely to be overweight,

Skloniji su prekomjernoj težini,

to have high blood pressure,

visokom krvnom tlaku,

and then decades down the line,

a desetljećima kasnije

more likely to have a failing memory, poor health and even to die earlier.

češće gube pamćenje, imaju loše zdravlje i čak i ranije umiru.

Now, I talked about what happens later,

Pričala sam o tome što se događa kasnije,

but some of these differences emerge at a really shockingly early age.

ali neke od ovih razlika pojavljuju se iznenađujuće rano.

In one study,

U jednom istraživanju

children who were growing up in poverty

djeca koja su odrastala u siromaštvu

were almost a year behind the richer children on educational tests,

kaskala su gotovo godinu dana u obrazovnim testovima u usporedbi s bogatom djecom,

and that was by the age of just three.

i to do treće godine.

These types of differences have been found again and again across the generations.

Ovakve su razlike otkrivene na mnogim generacijama.

It means that our early circumstances have a profound influence

To znači da naša rana okolina ima jako puno utjecaja

on the way that the rest of our lives play out.

na način na koji se naši životi odvijaju.

And working out why that is

Shvatiti zašto je to tako

is one of the most difficult questions that we face today.

jedno je od najtežih pitanja s kojima se danas susrećemo.

So there we have it.

Eto ga.

The first lesson for successful life, everyone, is this:

Ljudi, prva lekcija za uspješan život glasi:

choose your parents very carefully.

pažljivo izaberite roditelje.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Don't be born into a poor family or into a struggling family.

Nemojte se roditi u siromašnoj obitelji ili u onoj koja teško živi.

Now, I'm sure you can see the small problem here.

Sigurna sam da primjećujete problemčić.

We can't choose our parents or how much they earn,

Ne možemo birati roditelje niti visinu njihovih prihoda,

but this British study has also struck a real note of optimism

ali ovo britansko istraživanje ima jednu optimističnu crtu

by showing that not everyone who has a disadvantaged start

koja pokazuje da ne mora svatko tko je počeo u teškoj situaciji

ends up in difficult circumstances.

završiti u teškim okolnostima.

As you know, many people have a tough start in life,

Kao što znate, mnogim ljudima život započne teško,

but they end up doing very well on some measure nevertheless,

ali svejedno su uspješni do neke mjere,

and this study starts to explain how.

a ovo istraživanje objašnjava kako je to moguće.

So the second lesson is this:

Druga lekcija glasi:

parents really matter.

roditelji su uistinu važni.

In this study,

U ovom istraživanju,

children who had engaged, interested parents,

djeca angažiranih, zainteresiranih roditelja

ones who had ambition for their future,

s ambicijama za njihovu budućnost

were more likely to escape from a difficult start.

češće su pobjegli iz loših okolnosti.

It seems that parents and what they do are really, really important,

Roditelji i ono što oni čine uistinu, uistinu je važno,

especially in the first few years of life.

pogotovo u prvih nekoliko godina života.

Let me give you an example of that.

Dat ću vam primjer.

In one study,

U jednom istraživanju

scientists looked at about 17,000 children who were born in 1970.

istraživači su promatrali oko 17.000 djece rođenih '70-ih godina.

They sifted all the mountains of data that they had collected

Prekopali su gomile podataka koje su prikupili

to try to work out

kako bi shvatili

what allowed the children who'd had a difficult start in life

što je omogućilo djeci kojima je početak života bio težak

to go on and do well at school nevertheless.

da svejedno u školi postižu dobar uspjeh.

In other words, which ones beat the odds.

Tj., probrali su one koji su uspjeli unatoč svemu.

The data showed that what mattered more than anything else was parents.

Podaci su pokazali da su roditelji bili najvažniji.

Having engaged, interested parents in those first few years of life

Angažirani, zainteresirani roditelji u prvih nekoliko godina

was strongly linked to children going on to do well at school later on.

snažno su povezani s djecom koja su na kraju ostvarivala dobar uspjeh u školi.

In fact, quite small things that parents do

Štoviše, sitnice koje roditelji čine

are associated with good outcomes for children.

povezane su s pozitivnim ishodima djece.

Talking and listening to a child,

Razgovor i slušanje djeteta,

responding to them warmly,

toplina usmjerena prema njima,

teaching them their letters and numbers,

poučavanje slovima i brojevima,

taking them on trips and visits.

vođenje na izlete i u posjete.

Reading to children every day seems to be really important, too.

Svakodnevno čitanje djeci također je prilično bitno.

So in one study,

U jednom istraživanju

children whose parents were reading to them daily when they were five

djeca kojoj su roditelji čitali svakodnevno u petoj godini

and then showing an interest in their education at the age of 10,

i pokazivali interes za njihovo obrazovanje u desetoj godini

were significantly less likely to be in poverty at the age of 30

rjeđe su bili siromašni u 30. godini

than those whose parents weren't doing those things.

od one djece čiji roditelji to nisu činili.

Now, there are huge challenges with interpreting this type of science.

Velik je izazov tumačiti ovakvu znanost.

These studies show that certain things that parents do

Istraživanja pokazuju da su neke stvari koje roditelji rade

are correlated with good outcomes for children,

povezane su s pozitivnim ishodima za djecu,

but we don't necessarily know those behaviors caused the good outcomes,

ali nismo sigurni jesu li ti postupci izazvali te pozitivne ishode

or whether some other factor is getting in the way.

ili neki drugi faktor stoji na putu.

For example, we have to take genes into account,

Npr. moramo uzeti gene u obzir,

and that's a whole other talk in itself.

a to je jedan sasvim drugi govor.

But scientists working with this British study

Znanstvenici koji su radili na ovom britanskom istraživanju

are working really hard to get at causes,

naporno rade na otkrivanju uzroka,

and this is one study I particularly love.

a ovo je istraživanje koje posebno volim.

In this one,

U ovome su

they looked at the bedtime routines of about 10,000 children

pratili rutine za laku noć 10.000 djece

born at the turn of the millennium.

rođenih na prijelazu iz tisućljeća.

Were the children going to bed at regular times,

Jesu li djeca išla spavati u isto vrijeme

or did they go to bed at different times during the week?

ili su svaki dan tijekom tjedna išli spavati u drugo vrijeme?

The data showed that those children who were going to bed at different times

Podaci su pokazali da su djeca koja su išla spavati u različito vrijeme

were more likely to have behavioral problems,

češće imala problema s ponašanjem,

and then those that switched to having regular bedtimes

a ona koja su imala ustaljeno vrijeme počinka

often showed an improvement in behavior,

često su pokazivala poboljšanja u ponašanju,

and that was really crucial,

a to je bilo zaista ključno

because it suggested it was the bedtime routines

jer je to pokazalo da rutine za laku noć

that were really helping things get better for those kids.

zaista pomažu djeci da napreduju.

Here's another one to think about.

Evo još nešto za razmišljanje.

In this one,

U ovome istraživanju

scientists looked at children who were reading for pleasure.

istraživači su pratili djecu koja su čitala iz užitka.

That means that they picked up a magazine, a picture book, a story book.

To znači da su uzela časopis, slikovnicu ili čitanku.

The data showed that children who were reading for pleasure

Podaci su pokazali da su djeca koja su čitala iz užitka

at the ages of five and 10

između pete i desete godine

were more likely to go on in school better, on average,

u prosjeku češće bili uspješnija u školi,

on school tests later in their lives.

na testovima i u životima.

And not just tests of reading,

I to ne samo na testovima čitanja,

but tests of spelling and maths as well.

već i na testovima sricanja i matematike.

This study tried to control for all the confounding factors,

Ovo je istraživanje pokušavalo kontrolirati sve konfliktne faktore,

so it looked at children who were equally intelligent

pa je pratilo djecu koja su bila jednako inteligentna

and from the same social-class background,

i koja su dolazila iz iste društvene klase,

so it seemed as if it was the reading which really helped those children

pa se ispostavilo da je upravo čitanje pomoglo toj djeci

go on and score better on those school tests later in their lives.

da postižu bolji uspjeh na testovima, a kasnije i u životu.

Now at the start,

Na početku sam rekla

I said the first lesson from this study

da je prva lekcija iz ovog istraživanja

was not to be born into poverty or into disadvantage,

ta da se ne smijemo roditi u siromaštvu i teškoćama

because those children tend to follow more difficult paths in their lives.

jer ta djeca najčešće nastavljaju tim teškim životnim putem.

But then I said that parenting matters,

Onda sam rekla da je važan roditeljski stil

and that good parenting, if you can call it that,

i da dobro roditeljstvo, nazovimo ga tako,

helps children beat the odds

pomaže djeci da uspiju

and overcome some of those early disadvantages.

i svladaju neke od tih ranih teškoća.

So wait,

Čekajte,

does that actually mean, then, that poverty doesn't matter after all?

znači li to da siromaštvo uopće nije bitno?

You could argue it doesn't matter if a child is born poor --

Možete reći da nije bitno ako je dijete rođeno siromašno -

as long as their parents are good parents, they're going to do just fine.

dok su roditelji dobri roditelji, bit će sve u redu.

I don't believe that's true.

Ne vjerujem da je to istina.

This study shows that poverty and parenting matter.

Istraživanje pokazuje da su oba čimbenika bitna.

And one study actually put figures on that,

Jedno istraživanje pokazuje točne brojke,

so it looked at children growing up in persistent poverty

pa je pratilo djecu koja odrastaju u stalnom siromaštvu

and how well they were doing at school.

i kako im ide u školi.

The data showed

Istraživanje je pokazalo

that even when their parents were doing everything right --

da čak i kad su roditelji sve radili kako treba --

putting them to bed on time

slali ih na počinak na vrijeme

and reading to them every day and everything else --

i čitali im svaki dan i sve ostalo -

that only got those children so far.

to je djeci samo donekle pomoglo.

Good parenting only reduced the educational gap

Dobro roditeljstvo samo je smanjilo obrazovni jaz

between the rich and poor children by about 50 percent.

između bogate i siromašne djece, i to za otprilike 50%.

Now that means that poverty leaves a really lasting scar,

To znači da siromaštvo ostavlja trajan ožiljak,

and it means that if we really want to ensure the success and well-being

a to znači da ako zaista želimo osigurati uspjeh i dobrobit

of the next generation,

sljedeće generacije,

then tackling child poverty is an incredibly important thing to do.

iznimno je bitno da se suočimo s problemom dječjeg siromaštva.

Now, what does all this mean for you and me?

Što sve to znači za vas i mene?

Are there lessons here we can all take home and use?

Ima li tu lekcija koju svi možemo koristiti?

As a scientist and a journalist,

Kao znanstvenik i novinar,

I like to have some science to inform my parenting ...

Volim kad me znanost pouči roditeljstvu...

and I can tell you that when you're shouting at your kids

i mogu vam reći da kada vičete na svoju djecu

to go to bed on time,

da odu spavati na vrijeme,

it really helps to have the scientific literature on your side.

važno je da na vašoj strani imate znanstvenu literaturu.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And wouldn't it be great to think

Ne bi li bilo sjajno misliti

that all we had to do to have happy, successful children

da je za odgoj zdrave, uspješne djece potrebno samo

was to talk to them, be interested in their future,

razgovarati s njima, zanimati se za njihovu budućnost,

put them to bed on time, and give them a book to read?

staviti ih na spavanje na vrijeme i dati im knjigu?

Our job would be done.

Naš posao bio bi gotov.

Now, as you can imagine,

Kao što možete zamisliti,

the answers aren't quite as simple as that.

odgovori nisu tako jednostavni.

For one thing, this study looks at what happens

Kao prvo, istraživanje promatra što se događa

to thousands and thousands of children on average,

tisućama i tisućama djece u prosjeku,

but that doesn't necessarily say what will help my child or your child

ali to nam ne govori što će pomoći mome ili vašem djetetu

or any individual child.

ili bilo kojem djetetu.

In the end, each of our children is going to walk their own path,

Na kraju će svako naše dijete poći vlastitim putem,

and that's partly defined by the genes they inherit

a to je dijelom određeno naslijeđenim genima

and of course all the experiences they have through their lives,

i, naravno, iskustvima koje prožive za života,

including their interactions with us, their parents.

uključujući njihove interakcije s nama, roditeljima.

I will tell you what I did after I learned all this.

Reći ću vam što sam učinila kad sam to saznala.

It's a bit embarrassing.

Malo je sramotno.

I realized I was so busy working,

Shvatila sam da sam toliko radila

and ironically,

i ironično,

learning and writing about this incredible study of British children,

učila i pisala o ovom nevjerojatnom istraživanju britanske djece

that there were days when I hardly even spoke to my own British children.

da je bilo dana kad jedva i da sam progovorila s vlastitom britanskom djecom.

So at home, we introduced talking time,

Zato smo kod kuće uveli vrijeme za razgovor

which is just 15 minutes at the end of the day

koje iznosi samo 15 minuta na kraju dana

when we talk and listen to the boys.

kad pričamo i slušamo svoje dječake.

I try better now to ask them what they did today,

Sad se više trudim pitati ih što su danas radili

and to show that I value what they do at school.

i pokazati im da cijenim to što rade u školi.

Of course, I make sure they always have a book to read.

Naravno, na raspolaganju uvijek imaju knjigu za čitanje.

I tell them I'm ambitious for their future,

Kažem im da sam ambiciozna za njihovu budućnost

and I think they can be happy and do great things.

i da mislim da mogu biti sretni i raditi sjajne stvari.

I don't know that any of that will make a difference,

Ne znam hoće li to išta promijeniti,

but I'm pretty confident it won't do them any harm,

ali potpuno sam sigurna da im neće naštetiti,

and it might even do them some good.

a možda im čak i bude korisno.

Ultimately, if we want happy children,

Nažalost, ako želimo sretnu djecu,

all we can do is listen to the science,

možemo jedino slušati znanost

and of course,

i, naravno,

listen to our children themselves.

slušati i našu djecu.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.