How your brain decides what is beautiful | Anjan Chatterjee

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

It's 1878.

Godina je 1878,

Sir Francis Galton gives a remarkable talk.

ser Frensis Galton je održao izvanredan govor.

He's speaking to the anthropologic institute of Great Britain and Ireland.

Govorio je pred antropološkim institutom Velike Britanije i Irske.

Known for his pioneering work in human intelligence,

Poznat po njegovom pionirskom radu na polju ljudske inteligencije,

Galton is a brilliant polymath.

Galton je briljantna svestrana ličnost.

He's an explorer,

On je istraživač,

an anthropologist,

antropolog,

a sociologist,

sociolog,

a psychologist

psiholog

and a statistician.

i statističar.

He's also a eugenist.

Takođe je eugeničar.

In this talk,

U ovom govoru

he presents a new technique by which he can combine photographs

je predstavio nove tehnike kojima može da kombinuje fotografije

and produce composite portraits.

i da dobije kombinovane portrete.

This technique could be used to characterize different types of people.

Ova tehnika može da se koristi da bi se kategorisali različiti tipovi ljudi.

Galton thinks that if he combines photographs of violent criminals,

Galton je smatrao da ako kombinuje fotografije nasilnih kriminalaca,

he will discover the face of criminality.

otkriće lik kriminala.

But to his surprise,

No, na njegovo zaprepašćenje,

the composite portrait that he produces

kombinovani portret koji je stvorio

is beautiful.

je lep.

Galton's surprising finding raises deep questions:

Galtonovo iznenađujuće otkriće povlači ozbiljna pitanja:

What is beauty?

šta je lepota?

Why do certain configurations of line and color and form excite us so?

Zašto nas određene konfiguracije linija, boje i oblika toliko uzbuđuju?

For most of human history,

Većim delom ljudske istorije

these questions have been approached using logic and speculation.

ovim pitanjima se prilazilo upotrebom logike i nagađanja.

But in the last few decades,

No u poslednjih nekoliko decenija,

scientists have addressed the question of beauty

naučnici su se bavili pitanjem lepote

using ideas from evolutionary psychology and tools of neuroscience.

koristeći ideje iz evolutivne psihologije, kao i oruđa neuronauke.

We're beginning to glimpse the why and the how of beauty,

Počinjemo da vidimo obrise uzroka i načina lepote,

at least in terms of what it means for the human face and form.

bar u smislu toga šta ona znači u slučaju ljudskog lica i oblika.

And in the process,

A usput,

we're stumbling upon some surprises.

nailazimo na neka iznenađenja.

When it comes to seeing beauty in each other,

Kada se radi o prepoznavanju naše međusobne lepote,

while this decision is certainly subjective for the individual,

iako je ova odluka svakako subjektivna za pojedinca,

it's sculpted by factors that contribute to the survival of the group.

oblikuju je faktori koji doprinose opstanku grupe.

Many experiments have shown

Mnogi eksperimenti su pokazali

that a few basic parameters contribute to what makes a face attractive.

da nekoliko osnovnih parametara doprinosi onome što lice čini privlačnim.

These include averaging, symmetry and the effects of hormones.

Oni uključuju prosečnu vrednost, simetriju i uticaj hormona.

Let's take each one of these in turn.

Pozabavimo se svakim ponaosob.

Galton's finding

Galtonovo otkriće

that composite or average faces are typically more attractive

da su kombinovana ili prosečna lica tipično privlačnija

than each individual face that contributes to the average

od svakog pojedinačnog lica koje tvori prosečno,

has been replicated many times.

ponovljen je više puta.

This laboratory finding fits with many people's intuitions.

Ovo laboratorijsko otkriće se uklapa sa intuicijom mnogih ljudi.

Average faces represent the central tendencies of a group.

Prosečna lica predstavljaju centralne težnje grupe.

People with mixed features represent different populations,

Ljudi mešanih crta lica predstavljaju različite narode

and presumably harbor greater genetic diversity

i, navodno, gaje veću genetsku raznovrsnost

and adaptability to the environment.

i adaptiranost na sredinu.

Many people find mixed-race individuals attractive

Mnogim ljudima su pojedinci mešovitih rasa privlačni,

and inbred families less so.

a oni iz unutarporodičnih brakova nisu toliko.

The second factor that contributes to beauty is symmetry.

Drugi faktor koji doprinosi lepoti je simetrija.

People generally find symmetric faces more attractive than asymmetric ones.

Ljudi uopšteno smatraju simetrična lica privlačnijim od asimetričnih.

Developmental abnormalities are often associated with asymmetries.

Razvojne anomalije se često povezuju sa asimetrijom.

And in plants, animals and humans,

A kod biljaka, životinja i ljudi,

asymmetries often arise from parasitic infections.

asimetrije često proističu iz parazitskih infekcija.

Symmetry, it turns out,

Simetrija, ispostavlja se,

is also an indicator of health.

da je i indikator zdravlja.

In the 1930s,

Tokom 1930-ih,

a man named Maksymilian Faktorowicz

čovek po imenu Maksimilijan Faktorovič

recognized the importance of symmetry for beauty

je prepoznao važnost simetrije za lepotu

when he designed the beauty micrometer.

kada je dizajnirao mikrometar lepote.

With this device,

Ovom spravom

he could measure minor asymmetric flaws

je mogao da izmeri manje asimetrične mane

which he could then make up for with products he sold from his company,

koje je onda mogao da prikrije proizvodima koje je prodavala njegova firma,

named brilliantly after himself, Max Factor,

koju je briljantno nazvao po sebi, Maks Faktor,

which, as you know, is one of the world's most famous brands

a koja je, kao što znate, jedan od najpoznatijih svetskih brendova

for "make up."

"šminke".

The third factor that contributes to facial attractiveness

Treći faktor koji doprinosi privlačnosti lica

is the effect of hormones.

je efekat hormona.

And here, I need to apologize for confining my comments

A ovde, moram da se izvinim što ću svoje komentare da ograničim

to heterosexual norms.

na heteroseksualne norme.

But estrogen and testosterone play important roles

Međutim, estrogen i testosteron igraju važne uloge

in shaping features that we find attractive.

u oblikovanju crta koje smatramo privlačnim.

Estrogen produces features that signal fertility.

Estrogen proizvodi crte koje signaliziraju plodnost.

Men typically find women attractive

Muškarcima su obično privlačne žene

who have elements of both youth and maturity.

koje imaju elemente i mladosti i zrelosti.

A face that's too baby-like might mean that the girl is not yet fertile,

Lice koje je suviše nalik bebećem može da znači da devojka još nije plodna,

so men find women attractive

te su muškarcima privlačne žene

who have large eyes, full lips and narrow chins

koje imaju krupne oči, pune usne i uske brade,

as indicators of youth,

što su indikatori mladosti,

and high cheekbones as an indicator of maturity.

a visoke jagodične kosti su indikator zrelosti.

Testosterone produces features that we regard as typically masculine.

Testosteron proizvodi crte koje obično smatramo muževnim.

These include heavier brows,

One uključuju gušće obrve,

thinner cheeks

mršavije obraze

and bigger, squared-off jaws.

i veću, četvrtastiju vilicu.

But here's a fascinating irony.

Međutim, tu je očaravajuća ironija.

In many species,

Kod mnogih vrsta,

if anything,

ako ništa drugo,

testosterone suppresses the immune system.

testosteron narušava imuni sistem.

So the idea that testosterone-infused features are a fitness indicator

Pa ideja da su crte koje tvori testosteron indikatori dobre forme,

doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.

zaista nema mnogo smisla.

Here, the logic is turned on its head.

Ovde je logika obrnuta naopačke.

Instead of a fitness indicator,

Umesto indikatora dobre forme,

scientists invoke a handicap principle.

naučnici prizivaju princip hendikepa.

The most commonly cited example of a handicap

Najnavođeniji primer hendikepa

is the peacock's tail.

je paunov rep.

This beautiful but cumbersome tail doesn't exactly help the peacock

Ovaj lepi, ali nezgrapni rep baš i ne pomaže paunu

avoid predators

da izbegne grabljivice

and approach peahens.

i da priđe paunicama.

Why should such an extravagant appendage evolve?

Zašto bi tako ekstravagantan dodatak evoluirao?

Even Charles Darwin,

Čak je i Čarls Darvin,

in an 1860 letter to Asa Gray wrote

u pismu Asi Grej iz 1860. napisao

that the sight of the peacock's tail made him physically ill.

da mu od prizora paunovog repa fizički pozli.

He couldn't explain it with his theory of natural selection,

Nije mogao to da objasni svojom teorijom prirodne selekcije,

and out of this frustration,

a iz ove frustracije

he developed the theory of sexual selection.

razvio je teoriju seksualne selekcije.

On this account,

U tom slučaju,

the display of the peacock's tail is about sexual enticement,

kod izgleda paunovog repa se radi o seksualnoj privlačnosti,

and this enticement means it's more likely the peacock will mate

a ta privlačnost znači da paun ima veće šanse da se pari

and have offspring.

i ima potomstvo.

Now, the modern twist on this display argument

Sad, savremeno viđenje argumenta o paradiranju

is that the peacock is also advertising its health to the peahen.

je to da paun takođe reklamira paunicama svoje zdravlje.

Only especially fit organisms can afford to divert resources

Samo naročito podobni organizmi mogu da priušte prebacivanje resursa

to maintaining such an extravagant appendage.

za održavanje tako ekstravagantnog dodatka.

Only especially fit men can afford the price that testosterone levies

Samo naročito podobni muškarci mogu da priušte cenu koju testosteron nameće

on their immune system.

njihovom imunom sistemu.

And by analogy, think of the fact

I analogno tome, setite se činjenice

that only very rich men can afford to pay more than $10,000 for a watch

da jedino veoma bogati muškarci mogu da priušte više od 10.000 dolara za sat

as a display of their financial fitness.

kao prikaz njihove finansijske podobnosti.

Now, many people hear these kinds of evolutionary claims

Sad, mnogi ljudi čuju slične tipove evolutivnih tvrdnji

and think they mean that we somehow are unconsciously seeking mates

i misle da to znači da mi nekako podsvesno tražimo partnere

who are healthy.

koji su zdravi.

And I think this idea is probably not right.

A ja mislim da ova zamisao najverovatnije nije tačna.

Teenagers and young adults are not exactly known for making decisions

Tinejdžeri i mladi nisu baš čuveni po donošenju odluka

that are predicated on health concerns.

koje su zasnovane na brizi o zdravlju.

But they don't have to be,

Međutim, ne moraju da budu,

and let me explain why.

a dozvolite da objasnim zašto.

Imagine a population

Zamislite populaciju

in which people have three different kinds of preferences:

u kojoj ljudi imaju tri različita vida preferenci:

for green, for orange and for red.

za zeleno, narandžasto i crveno.

From their point of view,

S njihove tačke gledišta,

these preferences have nothing to do with health;

ovi prioriteti nemaju nikakve veze sa zdravljem;

they just like what they like.

prosto im se to nešto sviđa.

But if it were also the case that these preferences are associated

Ali ako bi bio slučaj da su ovi prioriteti povezani

with the different likelihood of producing offspring --

sa različitom verovatnoćom dobijanja potomstva -

let's say in a ratio of 3:2:1 --

recimo u razmeri 3:2:1 -

then in the first generation,

onda će u prvoj generaciji

there would be 3 greens to 2 oranges to 1 red,

da bude 3 zelena, 2 narandžasta, 1 crveni,

and in each subsequent generation,

a u svakoj sledećoj generaciji,

the proportion of greens increase,

udeo zelenih će da se poveća,

so that in 10 generations,

pa će za deset generacija,

98 percent of this population has a green preference.

98 procenata populacije da ima preference prema zelenom.

Now, a scientist coming in and sampling this population

Sad, naučnik koji dođe i napravi uzorak ove populacije

discovers that green preferences are universal.

će da otkrije da su zelene preference univerzalne.

So the point about this little abstract example

Dakle, poenta ovog kratkog, apstraktnog primera

is that while preferences for specific physical features

je da, iako preference prema određenim fizičkim crtama

can be arbitrary for the individual,

mogu da budu arbitrarne za pojedinca,

if those features are heritable

ako su te crte nasledne

and they are associated with a reproductive advantage,

i u vezi su sa reproduktivnom prednošću,

over time,

vremenom

they become universal for the group.

će da postanu univerzalne za grupu.

So what happens in the brain when we see beautiful people?

Dakle, šta se dešava u mozgu kad ugledamo lepe ljude?

Attractive faces activate parts of our visual cortex

Privlačna lica aktiviraju delove našeg vizuelnog korteksa

in the back of the brain,

u pozadini našeg mozga,

an area called the fusiform gyrus,

u oblasti nazvanoj fuziformni girus,

that is especially tuned to processing faces,

koji je naročito podešen da obrađuje lica,

and an adjacent area called the lateral occipital complex,

a susedna oblast nazvana bočni potiljačni kompleks,

that is especially attuned to processing objects.

koji je naročito podešen za obradu predmeta.

In addition,

Uz to,

attractive faces activate parts of our reward and pleasure centers

privlačna lica aktiviraju delove naših centara za nagradu i zadovoljstvo

in the front and deep in the brain,

spreda i duboko u mozgu,

and these include areas that have complicated names,

a to uključuje oblasti koje imaju komplikovana imena,

like the ventral striatum,

poput ventralnog strijatuma,

the orbitofrontal cortex

orbitofrontalnog korteksa

and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

i ventromedijalnog prefrontalnog korteksa.

Our visual brain that is tuned to processing faces

Naš vizuelni mozak koji je podešen da obrađuje lica

interacts with our pleasure centers

interaguje sa našim centrima za zadovoljstvo

to underpin the experience of beauty.

kako bi potkrepio iskustvo lepote.

Amazingly, while we all engage with beauty,

Začudo, dok smo svi angažovani oko lepote,

without our knowledge,

bez našeg znanja,

beauty also engages us.

i lepota angažuje nas.

Our brains respond to attractive faces

Naši mozgovi reaguju na privlačna lica,

even when we're not thinking about beauty.

čak i kad ne razmišljamo o lepoti.

We conducted an experiment in which people saw a series of faces,

Sproveli smo eksperiment u kome su ljudi videli niz lica,

and in one condition,

a pod jednim uslovom,

they had to decide if a pair of faces were the same or a different person.

morali su da odluče da li par lica pripada istoj ili različitoj osobi.

Even in this condition,

Čak i pod ovim uslovom,

attractive faces drove neural activity robustly in their visual cortex,

privlačna lica su pokretala snažnu nervnu aktivnost u vizuelnom korteksu,

despite the fact that they were thinking about a person's identity

uprkos činjenici da su razmišljali o identitetu osobe,

and not their beauty.

a ne o njenoj lepoti.

Another group similarly found automatic responses to beauty

Druga grupa je slično otkrila automatsku reakciju na lepotu

within our pleasure centers.

unutar naših centara za zadovoljstvo.

Taken together, these studies suggest

Uzeta zajedno, ova istraživanja nagoveštavaju

that our brain automatically responds to beauty

da naš mozak automatski reaguje na lepotu

by linking vision and pleasure.

povezujući vid i zadovoljstvo.

These beauty detectors, it seems,

Čini se da ovi detektori lepote

ping every time we see beauty,

zablešte svaki put kad vidimo lepotu,

regardless of whatever else we might be thinking.

bez obzira na bilo šta drugo o čemu budemo razmišljali.

We also have a "beauty is good" stereotype embedded in the brain.

Takođe u mozgu imamo ugrađen stereotip "lepota je dobra".

Within the orbitofrontal cortex,

Unutar orbitofrontalnog korteksa,

there's overlapping neural activity

imamo preklapajuću nervnu aktivnost

in response to beauty and to goodness,

kao odgovor na lepotu i dobrotu,

and this happens even when people aren't explicitly thinking

a to se dešava čak i kad ljudi eksplicitno ne razmišljaju

about beauty or goodness.

o lepoti ili dobroti.

Our brains seem to reflexively associate beauty and good.

Čini se da naši mozgovi refleksivno povezuju lepotu i dobrotu.

And this reflexive association may be the biologic trigger

A ova refleksivna asocijacija bi mogla da bude biološki okidač

for the many social effects of beauty.

za mnoge društvene efekte lepote.

Attractive people receive all kinds of advantages in life.

Privlačni ljudi imaju razne vidove prednosti u životu.

They're regarded as more intelligent,

Smatraju ih inteligentnijim,

more trustworthy,

pouzdanijim,

they're given higher pay and lesser punishments,

imaju veće plate i ređe ih kažnjavaju,

even when such judgments are not warranted.

čak i kad su slični sudovi neosnovani.

These kinds of observations reveal beauty's ugly side.

Ovakva zapažanja otkrivaju ružnu stranu lepote.

In my lab, we recently found

Nedavno smo u mojoj laboratoriji otkrili

that people with minor facial anomalies and disfigurements

da ljude sa manjim anomalijama i deformitetima lica

are regarded as less good, less kind,

smatraju manje dobrim, manje plemenitim,

less intelligent, less competent and less hardworking.

manje inteligentnim, manje kompetentnim i manje vrednim.

Unfortunately, we also have a "disfigured is bad" stereotype.

Nažalost, takođe imamo stereotip "deformisanost znači zlo".

This stereotype is probably exploited and magnified

Ovaj stereotip je verovatno eksploatisan i uveličan

by images in popular media,

prizorima iz popularnih medija,

in which facial disfigurement is often used as a shorthand

u kojima se deformitet lica često koristi kao prečica

to depict someone of villainous character.

za prikazivanje nekoga ko ima karakter negativca.

We need to understand these kinds of implicit biases

Moramo da razumemo ove vidove implicitne pristrasnosti,

if we are to overcome them

ako želimo da ih prevaziđemo

and aim for a society in which we treat people fairly,

i da težimo društvu u kom se prema ljudima odnosimo pošteno,

based on their behavior and not on the happenstance of their looks.

zasnovano na njihovom ponašanju, a ne zbog slučajnosti kako izgledaju.

Let me leave you with one final thought.

Dozvolite da završim finalnim zapažanjem.

Beauty is a work in progress.

Lepota je delo u nastajanju.

The so-called universal attributes of beauty

Takozvani univerzalni atributi lepote

were selected for during the almost two million years of the Pleistocene.

su odabrani tokom skoro dva miliona godina pleistocena.

Life was nasty, brutish and a very long time ago.

Život je bio gadan, nasilan i veoma veoma dalek.

The selection criteria for reproductive success from that time

Tadašnji kriterijum selekcije za reproduktivni uspeh,

doesn't really apply today.

danas je zaista neprimenjiv.

For example,

Na primer,

death by parasite is not one of the top ways that people die,

smrt od parazita nije jedan od najčešćih uzročnika smrti,

at least not in the technologically developed world.

barem ne u tehnološki razvijenom svetu.

From antibiotics to surgery,

Od antibiotika do operacije,

birth control to in vitro fertilization,

kontracepcije i vantelesne oplodnje,

the filters for reproductive success are being relaxed.

filteri za reproduktivni uspeh popuštaju.

And under these relaxed conditions,

A pod ovim labavijim uslovima,

preference and trait combinations are free to drift

preference i kombinacije osobina mogu slobodno da se kreću

and become more variable.

i da postanu varijabilnije.

Even as we are profoundly affecting our environment,

Čak i dok suštinski utičemo na okolinu,

modern medicine and technological innovation

savremena medicina i tehnološke inovacije

is profoundly affecting

suštinski utiču

the very essence of what it means to look beautiful.

na samu srž toga šta znači izgledati lepo.

The universal nature of beauty is changing

Univerzalna priroda lepote se menja,

even as we're changing the universe.

čak i dok menjamo univerzum.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)