Why some people find exercise harder than others | Emily Balcetis

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Ivana Korom

Vision is the most important

Vid je najvažnije

and prioritized sense that we have.

i prioritetno čulo koje imamo.

We are constantly looking

Stalno posmatramo

at the world around us,

svet oko nas,

and quickly we identify and make sense

i brzo identifikujemo i nalazimo smisao

of what it is that we see.

u onome što vidimo.

Let's just start with an example

Hajde da započnemo primerom

of that very fact.

same te činjenice.

I'm going to show you a photograph of a person,

Pokazaću vam fotografiju osobe,

just for a second or two,

samo na sekundu ili dve,

and I'd like for you to identify

i želela bih da identifikujete

what emotion is on his face.

emociju na njegovom licu.

Ready?

Spremni?

Here you go. Go with your gut reaction.

Evo ga. Pratite svoj instinkt.

Okay. What did you see?

Okej. Šta ste videli?

Well, we actually surveyed

Pa, zapravo smo anketirali

over 120 individuals,

preko 120 osoba,

and the results were mixed.

i rezultati su bili pomešani.

People did not agree

Ljudi se nisu slagali

on what emotion they saw on his face.

oko emocije koju su videli na njegovom licu.

Maybe you saw discomfort.

Možda ste videli nelagodnost.

That was the most frequent response

To je bio najćešći odgovor

that we received.

koji smo dobijali.

But if you asked the person on your left,

Ali ako biste upitali osobu sa vaše leve strane,

they might have said regret or skepticism,

možda bi rekli kajanje ili skepticizam,

and if you asked somebody on your right,

a ako biste upitali osobu sa vaše desne strane,

they might have said something entirely different,

možda bi rekli nešto potpuno različito,

like hope or empathy.

kao što je nada ili empatija.

So we are all looking

Svi ponovo gledamo isto lice.

at the very same face again.

We might see something

Možda ćemo videti nešto

entirely different,

potpuno drugačije,

because perception is subjective.

jer je opažanje subjektivno.

What we think we see

Ono što mislimo da vidimo

is actually filtered

je zapravo filtrirano

through our own mind's eye.

kroz oči našeg uma.

Of course, there are many other examples

Naravno, ima mnogo drugih primera

of how we see the world through own mind's eye.

kako vidimo svet kroz oči našeg uma.

I'm going to give you just a few.

Izneću vam samo nekoliko.

So dieters, for instance,

Oni koji drže dijetu, na primer,

see apples as larger

vide jabuke kao veće

than people who are not counting calories.

nego ljudi koji ne broje kalorije.

Softball players see the ball as smaller

Igrači softbola vide loptu kao manju

if they've just come out of a slump,

ako su upravo izašli iz krize,

compared to people who had a hot night at the plate.

u poređenju sa ljudima koji su imali dobar period.

And actually, our political beliefs also

I zapravo, naša politička uverenja takođe

can affect the way we see other people,

mogu uticati na način na koji vidimo druge ljude,

including politicians.

uključujući političare.

So my research team and I decided to test this question.

Moj istraživački tim i ja smo rešili da ispitamo ovaj problem.

In 2008, Barack Obama was running for president

2008. godine, Barak Obama je bio kandidat za predsednika

for the very first time,

po prvi put,

and we surveyed hundreds of Americans

i anketirali smo stotine Amerikanaca

one month before the election.

mesec dana pre izbora.

What we found in this survey

Ono što smo otkrili u ovom istraživanju

was that some people, some Americans,

jeste da neki ljudi, neki Amerikanci,

think photographs like these

smatraju da fotografije poput ovih

best reflect how Obama really looks.

najbolje prikazuju kako Obama u stvari izgleda.

Of these people, 75 percent

Od tih ljudi, 75 procenata

voted for Obama in the actual election.

je glasalo za Obamu na dan izbora.

Other people, though, thought photographs like these

Drugi ljudi su, pak, smatrali da ovakve fotografije

best reflect how Obama really looks.

najbolje prikazuju kako Obama izgleda.

89 percent of these people

89 procenata ovih ljudi

voted for McCain.

glasalo je za Mekejna.

We presented many photographs of Obama

Prikazali smo mnogo fotografija Obame

one at a time,

jednu po jednu,

so people did not realize that what we were changing

tako da ljudi nisu shvatili da je ono što smo menjali

from one photograph to the next

od jedne do druge fotografije

was whether we had artificially lightened

bilo da smo veštački posvetleli

or darkened his skin tone.

ili potamneli boju njegove kože.

So how is that possible?

Kako je to moguće?

How could it be that when I look at a person,

Kako može biti da kada pogledam osobu,

an object, or an event,

predmet, ili događaj,

I see something very different

vidim nešto veoma različito

than somebody else does?

nego što to neko drugi vidi?

Well, the reasons are many,

Pa, razloga je mnogo,

but one reason requires that we understand

ali jedan razlog zahteva da razumemo

a little bit more about how our eyes work.

malo više o tome kako naše oči funkcionišu.

So vision scientists know

Naučnici znaju

that the amount of information

da količina informacija

that we can see

koju možemo videti

at any given point in time,

u bilo kom datom trenutku,

what we can focus on, is actually relatively small.

na šta se možemo fokusirati, je zapravo relativno mala.

What we can see with great sharpness

Ono što možemo videti sa velikom oštrinom

and clarity and accuracy

i jasnoćom i preciznošću

is the equivalent

je ekvivalentno

of the surface area of our thumb

površini našeg palca

on our outstretched arm.

na našoj ispruženoj ruci.

Everything else around that is blurry,

Sve izvan toga je mutno,

rendering much of what is presented

iznoseći većinu onoga što se prikazuje

to our eyes as ambiguous.

pred našim očima kao dvosmisleno.

But we have to clarify

Ali moramo da razjasnimo

and make sense of what it is that we see,

i nađemo smisao u onom što vidimo

and it's our mind that helps us fill in that gap.

i naš um nam pomaže da popunimo tu prazninu.

As a result, perception is a subjective experience,

Kao rezultat, opažanje je subjektivno iskustvo,

and that's how we end up seeing

i zato na kraju vidimo

through our own mind's eye.

kroz oči našeg uma.

So, I'm a social psychologist,

Ja sam socijalni psiholog,

and it's questions like these

i pitanja poput ovih

that really intrigue me.

me stvarno intrigiraju.

I am fascinated by those times

Fascinirana sam onim trenucima

when people do not see eye to eye.

kada se ljudi ne slažu.

Why is it that somebody might

Zašto bi neko mogao

literally see the glass as half full,

bukvalno videti čašu kao napola punu,

and somebody literally sees it

a neko je bukvalno vidi

as half empty?

kao napola praznu?

What is it about what one person is thinking and feeling

Šta je to u vezi s onim što osoba misli i oseća

that leads them to see the world

što vodi tome da vidi svet

in an entirely different way?

na potpuno drugačiji način?

And does that even matter?

I da li je to uopšte bitno?

So to begin to tackle these questions,

Da bismo počeli da se bavimo ovim pitanjima,

my research team and I decided to delve deeply

moj istraživački tim i ja smo rešili da dublje zaronimo

into an issue that has received

u problem koji je zadobio

international attention:

međunarodnu pažnju:

our health and fitness.

naše zdravlje i fizička spremnost.

Across the world,

Širom sveta,

people are struggling to manage their weight,

ljudi se bore da upravljaju svojom težinom,

and there is a variety of strategies

i postoji mnoštvo strategija

that we have to help us keep the pounds off.

koje imamo da nam pomognu u skidanju kilograma.

For instance, we set the best of intentions

Na primer, odredili smo sa najboljim namerama

to exercise after the holidays,

da vežbamo nakon praznika,

but actually, the majority of Americans

ali zapravo, većina Amerikanaca

find that their New Year's resolutions

otkrije da njihove novogodišnje odluke

are broken by Valentine's Day.

budu srušene do Dana zaljubljenih.

We talk to ourselves

Obraćamo se sebi

in very encouraging ways,

na vrlo ohrabrujuće načine,

telling ourselves this is our year

govoreći da je ovo naša godina

to get back into shape,

kada ćemo se vratiti u formu,

but that is not enough to bring us back

ali to nije dovoljno da nas vrati

to our ideal weight.

na našu idealnu težinu.

So why?

Zašto?

Of course, there is no simple answer,

Naravno, nema jednostavnog odgovora,

but one reason, I argue,

ali jedan od razloga, po meni,

is that our mind's eye

je taj da oči našeg uma

might work against us.

možda rade protiv nas.

Some people may literally see exercise

Neki ljudi mogu bukvalno videti vežbanje

as more difficult,

kao teže,

and some people might literally

a neki ljudi mogu bukvalno

see exercise as easier.

videti vežbanje kao lakše.

So, as a first step to testing these questions,

Dakle, kao prvi korak u testiranju ovih pitanja,

we gathered objective measurements

prikupili smo objektivne mere

of individuals' physical fitness.

fizičkog stanja pojedinaca.

We measured the circumference of their waist,

Izmerili smo obim njihovog struka,

compared to the circumference of their hips.

u poređenju sa obimom kukova.

A higher waist-to-hip ratio

Veći odnos struka i kukova

is an indicator of being less physically fit

je pokazatelj lošije forme

than a lower waist-to-hip ratio.

nego niži odnos struka i kukova.

After gathering these measurements,

Nakon prikupljanja ovih mera,

we told our participants that

rekli smo našim učesnicima

they would walk to a finish line

da će hodati ka liniji cilja

while carrying extra weight

noseći dodatnu težinu

in a sort of race.

u nekoj vrsti trke.

But before they did that,

Ali pre nego što to urade,

we asked them to estimate the distance

zatražili smo od njih da procene udaljenost

to the finish line.

do linije cilja.

We thought that the physical states of their body

Mislili smo da bi fizičko stanje njihovog tela

might change how they perceived the distance.

moglo izmeniti način na koji opažaju udaljenost.

So what did we find?

I šta smo otkrili?

Well, waist-to-hip ratio

Pa, odnos struka i kukova

predicted perceptions of distance.

je predvideo opažanje udaljenosti.

People who were out of shape and unfit

Ljudi koji su bili van forme

actually saw the distance to the finish line

zaista su videli daljinu do linije cilja

as significantly greater

kao značajno veću

than people who were in better shape.

nego ljudi koji su bili u boljoj formi.

People's states of their own body

Stanje tela ljudi

changed how they perceived the environment.

menja kako oni opažaju sredinu.

But so too can our mind.

Ali to takođe može i naš um.

In fact, our bodies and our minds

U stvari, naša tela i umovi

work in tandem

rade u tandemu

to change how we see the world around us.

da bi izmenili kako vidimo svet oko nas.

That led us to think that maybe people

To nas je navelo da pomislimo da bi možda ljudi

with strong motivations

sa jakom motivacijom

and strong goals to exercise

i jakim ciljevima da vežbaju

might actually see the finish line as closer

mogli zapravo videti liniju cilja kao bližu

than people who have weaker motivations.

nego ljudi koji imaju slabiju motivaciju.

So to test whether motivations

Zato da bismo proverili da li motivacija

affect our perceptual experiences in this way,

utiče na naša opažajna iskustva na ovaj način,

we conducted a second study.

sproveli smo drugo istraživanje.

Again, we gathered objective measurements

Ponovo smo prikupili objektivne mere

of people's physical fitness,

fizičke spreme ljudi,

measuring the circumference of their waist

izmerivši njihov obim struka

and the circumference of their hips,

i obim kukova,

and we had them do a few other tests of fitness.

i dali smo im da obave nekoliko drugih testova fizičke spreme.

Based on feedback that we gave them,

Na osnovu povratnih informacija koje smo im davali,

some of our participants told us

neki od učesnika su nam rekli

they're not motivated to exercise any more.

da nisu više motivisani da vežbaju.

They felt like they already met their fitness goals

Osećali su da su već ostvarili svoje ciljeve vezane za fizičko zdravlje

and they weren't going to do anything else.

i da neće više ništa učiniti.

These people were not motivated.

Ovi ljudi nisu bili motivisani.

Other people, though, based on our feedback,

Drugi ljudi, pak, na osnovu povratnih informacija,

told us they were highly motivated to exercise.

rekli su nam da su visoko motivisani da vežbaju.

They had a strong goal to make it to the finish line.

Imali su snažan cilj da stignu do linije cilja.

But again, before we had them walk to the finish line,

Ali opet, pre nego što smo ih poslali da šetaju do linije cilja,

we had them estimate the distance.

tražili smo da procene udaljenost.

How far away was the finish line?

Koliko daleko je bila linija cilja?

And again, like the previous study,

I ponovo, kao u prethodnoj studiji,

we found that waist-to-hip ratio

pronašli smo da je odnos struka i kukova

predicted perceptions of distance.

predvideo opažanje udaljenosti.

Unfit individuals saw the distance as farther,

Osobe van forme su videle udaljenost kao veću,

saw the finish line as farther away,

videli su liniju cilja kao udaljeniju,

than people who were in better shape.

nego ljudi koji su bili u boljoj formi.

Importantly, though, this only happened

Doduše, bitno je da se ovo desilo samo

for people who were not motivated

kod ljudi koji nisu bili motivisani

to exercise.

da vežbaju.

On the other hand,

Sa druge strane,

people who were highly motivated to exercise

ljudi koji su bili visoko motivisani da vežbaju

saw the distance as short.

videli su udaljenost kao kratku.

Even the most out of shape individuals

Čak i osobe koje su najviše bile van forme

saw the finish line

videle su liniju cilja

as just as close,

jednako bliskom,

if not slightly closer,

ako ne malčice bližom,

than people who were in better shape.

nego ljudi koji su bili u boljoj formi.

So our bodies can change

Naša tela mogu da promene

how far away that finish line looks,

koliko daleko izgleda ta linija cilja,

but people who had committed to a manageable goal

ali ljudi koji su se posvetili izvodljivom cilju

that they could accomplish in the near future

koji mogu ostvariti u bliskoj budućnosti

and who believed that they were capable

i koji su verovali da su sposobni

of meeting that goal

da postignu taj cilj

actually saw the exercise as easier.

zapravo su videli vežbanje kao lakše.

That led us to wonder,

To nas je navelo da se zapitamo,

is there a strategy that we could use

postoji li strategija koju možemo koristiti

and teach people that would help

i učiti ljude njome kako bismo pomogli

change their perceptions of the distance,

da izmenimo njihovo opažanje daljine,

help them make exercise look easier?

pomoći im da vežbanje izgleda lakše?

So we turned to the vision science literature

Okrenuli smo se literaturi nauke o vidu

to figure out what should we do,

da bismo otkrili šta da radimo,

and based on what we read, we came up with a strategy

i na osnovu onoga što smo pročitali, osmislili smo strategiju

that we called, "Keep your eyes on the prize."

koju smo nazvali "imaj nagradu u vidu".

So this is not the slogan

Ovo nije slogan

from an inspirational poster.

sa postera koji za cilj ima da nekog inspiriše.

It's an actual directive

To je stvarna preporuka

for how to look around your environment.

kako da posmatrate svoju okolinu.

People that we trained in this strategy,

Ljudima koje smo naučili ovom strategijom,

we told them to focus their attention on the finish line,

rekli smo da usmere svoju pažnju na liniju cilja,

to avoid looking around,

da izbegavaju razgledanje unaokolo,

to imagine a spotlight

da zamisle da reflektor

was shining on that goal,

obasjava taj cilj,

and that everything around it was blurry

i da je sve oko njega mutno

and perhaps difficult to see.

i možda teško da se vidi.

We thought that this strategy

Smatrali smo da bi ova strategija

would help make the exercise look easier.

mogla pomoći da vežbanje izgleda lakše.

We compared this group

Uporedili smo ovu grupu

to a baseline group.

sa polaznom grupom.

To this group we said,

Toj grupi smo rekli:

just look around the environment

samo razgledajte okolinu

as you naturally would.

kao što biste inače radili.

You will notice the finish line,

Primetićete liniju cilja,

but you might also notice

ali mogli biste takođe primetiti

the garbage can off to the right,

kantu za đubre sa desne strane,

or the people and the lamp post off to the left.

ili ljude i banderu na levoj strani.

We thought that people who used this strategy

Smatrali smo da će ljudi koji koriste ovu strategiju

would see the distance as farther.

videti udaljenost kao veću.

So what did we find?

I šta smo otkrili?

When we had them estimate the distance,

Kada smo im zatražili da procene daljinu,

was this strategy successful

da li je ova strategija bila uspešna

for changing their perceptual experience?

u menjanju njihovog iskustvenog doživljaja?

Yes.

Da.

People who kept their eyes on the prize

Ljudi koji su imali nagradu u vidu

saw the finish line as 30 percent closer

videli su liniju cilja kao 30 odsto bližu

than people who looked around

nego ljudi koji su gledali unaokolo

as they naturally would.

kao što bi i inače radili.

We thought this was great.

Pomislili smo da je ovo sjajno.

We were really excited because it meant

Bili smo zaista uzbuđeni jer je to značilo

that this strategy helped make

da je ova strategija pomogla

the exercise look easier,

da vežbanje izgleda lakše,

but the big question was,

ali veliko pitanje je bilo:

could this help make exercise

da li bi ta pomoć mogla da vežbanje učini

actually better?

zaista boljim?

Could it improve the quality

Da li bi takođe mogla poboljšati i kvalitet vežbanja?

of exercise as well?

So next, we told our participants,

Sledeće, rekli smo našim učesnicima:

you are going to walk to the finish line

hodaćete ka liniji cilja

while wearing extra weight.

noseći dodatnu težinu.

We added weights to their ankles

Dodali smo tegove na njihove članke

that amounted to 15 percent of their body weight.

koji su iznosili do 15 odsto njihove telesne težine,

We told them to lift their knees up high

Rekli smo im da visoko podižu kolena

and walk to the finish line quickly.

i brzo hodaju ka liniji cilja.

We designed this exercise in particular

Posebno smo osmislili ovu vežbu

to be moderately challenging

da bude umereno teška

but not impossible,

ali ne nemoguća,

like most exercises

kao većina vežbi

that actually improve our fitness.

koje zaista poboljšavaju našu fizičku spremu.

So the big question, then:

Dakle, veliko pitanje:

Did keeping your eyes on the prize

da li je imati u vidu nagradu

and narrowly focusing on the finish line

i usko fokusiranje na liniju cilja

change their experience of the exercise?

izmenilo iskustvo vežbanja?

It did.

Jeste.

People who kept their eyes on the prize

Ljudi koji su imali nagradu u vidu

told us afterward that it required

rekli su nam da im je bilo potrebno

17 percent less exertion

17 posto manje napora

for them to do this exercise

da urade ovu vežbu

than people who looked around naturally.

nego ljudi koji su prirodno gledali unaokolo.

It changed their subjective experience

To je promenilo njihovo subjektivno iskustvo vežbanja.

of the exercise.

It also changed the objective nature

Takođe je izmenilo objektivnu prirodu njihovog vežbanja.

of their exercise.

People who kept their eyes on the prize

Ljudi koji su imali nagradu u vidu

actually moved 23 percent faster

zaista su se kretali 23 odsto brže

than people who looked around naturally.

nego ljudi koji su prirodno razgledali unaokolo.

To put that in perspective,

Poređenja radi,

a 23 percent increase

porast od 23 odsto

is like trading in your 1980 Chevy Citation

je kao da zamenite vaš Ševi Sajtejšn iz 1980.

for a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette.

za Ševrolet Korvetu iz 1980. godine.

We were so excited by this,

Toliko smo bili uzbuđeni zbog ovoga,

because this meant that a strategy

jer je ovo značilo da je strategija

that costs nothing,

koja ne košta ništa,

that is easy for people to use,

koja je laka za korišćenje,

regardless of whether they're in shape

bez obzira da li su u formi

or struggling to get there,

ili se bore da to postignu,

had a big effect.

imala veliki efekat.

Keeping your eyes on the prize

Imati nagradu u vidu

made the exercise look and feel easier

je činilo da vežba izgleda i deluje lakše

even when people were working harder

čak i kada su ljudi radili napornije

because they were moving faster.

jer su se kretali brže.

Now, I know there's more to good health

Sad, znam da je dobro zdravlje više

than walking a little bit faster,

od malo bržeg hodanja,

but keeping your eyes on the prize

ali imati nagradu u vidu

might be one additional strategy

bi mogla biti dodatna strategija

koju možete koristiti da biste pomogli u podsticanju

that you can use to help promote

a healthy lifestyle.

zdravog stila života.

If you're not convinced yet

Ako još uvek niste uvereni

that we all see the world through our own mind's eye,

da svi mi vidimo svet kroz oči našeg uma,

let me leave you with one final example.

daću vam još jedan poslednji primer.

Here's a photograph of a beautiful street in Stockholm, with two cars.

Evo fotografije prelepe ulice u Stokholmu, sa dva auta.

The car in the back looks much larger

Auto pozadi deluje mnogo veće

than the car in the front.

nego auto koji je ispred.

However, in reality,

Međutim, u stvarnosti,

these cars are the same size,

ovi automobili su iste veličine,

but that's not how we see it.

ali ih mi ne vidimo tako.

So does this mean that

Da li ovo znači da

our eyes have gone haywire

naše oči prave zbrku

and that our brains are a mess?

i da je naš mozak u haosu?

No, it doesn't mean that at all.

Ne, to nipošto ne znači to.

It's just how our eyes work.

Tako jednostavno naše oči funkcionišu.

We might see the world in a different way,

Možemo videti svet na drugačiji način,

and sometimes that might not

i ponekad to ne mora biti

line up with reality,

u skladu sa stvarnošću,

but it doesn't mean that one of us is right

ali to ne znači da je neko među nama u pravu,

and one of us is wrong.

a da neko greši.

We all see the world through our mind's eye,

Svi mi vidimo svet kroz oči našeg uma,

but we can teach ourselves to see it differently.

ali možemo se naučiti da ga vidimo drugačije.

So I can think of days

Mogu se prisetiti dana

that have gone horribly wrong for me.

koji su bili užasno loši po mene.

I'm fed up, I'm grumpy, I'm tired,

Muka mi je od svega, mrzovoljna sam, umorna,

and I'm so behind,

i toliko sam loše volje,

and there's a big black cloud

i veliki crni oblak

hanging over my head,

mi visi nad glavom,

and on days like these,

i takvim danima,

it looks like everyone around me

izgleda da su svi oko mene

is down in the dumps too.

takođe nesrećni.

My colleague at work looks annoyed

Moj kolega na poslu deluje iznervirano

when I ask for an extension on a deadline,

kada mu zatražim produžavanje roka,

and my friend looks frustrated

i moj prijatelj deluje frustrirano

when I show up late for lunch because a meeting ran long,

kada zakasnim na ručak jer se sastanak odužio,

and at the end of the day,

i na kraju dana,

my husband looks disappointed

moj muž deluje razočarano

because I'd rather go to bed than go to the movies.

jer bih radije u krevet nego u bioskop.

And on days like these, when everybody looks

I tim danima, kada mi svi izgledaju

upset and angry to me,

uznemireno i ljuto,

I try to remind myself that there are other ways of seeing them.

pokušavam da se podsetim da postoje drugi načini njihovog sagledavanja.

Perhaps my colleague was confused,

Možda je moj kolega bio zbunjen,

perhaps my friend was concerned,

možda je moj prijatelj bio zabrinut,

and perhaps my husband was feeling empathy instead.

i možda je moj muž u stvari saosećao sa mnom.

So we all see the world

Dakle svi mi vidimo svet

through our own mind's eye,

kroz oči našeg uma,

and on some days, it might look

i nekim danima, može izgledati

like the world is a dangerous

da je svet opasno mesto

and challenging and insurmountable place,

prepuno izazova i nepremostivih prepreka,

but it doesn't have to look that way all the time.

ali ne mora stalno da izgleda tako.

We can teach ourselves to see it differently,

Možemo se naučiti da ga vidimo drugačije,

and when we find a way to make the world

i kada nađemo način da učinimo da svet

look nicer and easier,

izgleda lepše i lakše,

it might actually become so.

mogao bi zaista takav i postati.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)