Molly Crockett: Beware neuro-bunk

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevodilac: Andrea Jovanovic Lektor: Ivana Korom

I'm a neuroscientist, and I study decision-making.

Ja sam neuronaučnik i izučavam proces odlučivanja.

I do experiments to test how different chemicals

Vršim eksperimente da bih testirala kako različite hemijske supstance

in the brain influence the choices we make.

u mozgu utiču na odluke koje donosimo.

I'm here to tell you the secret to successful decision-making:

Tu sam da vam otkrijem tajnu uspešnog donošenja odluka:

a cheese sandwich.

sendvič sa sirom.

That's right. According to scientists, a cheese sandwich

Tako je. Po naučnicima, sendvič sa sirom

is the solution to all your tough decisions.

je rešenje za sve vaše teške odluke.

How do I know? I'm the scientist who did the study.

Kako znam? Ja sam naučnik koji je izvršio istraživanje.

A few years ago, my colleagues and I were interested

Pre nekoliko godina, moje kolege i ja smo bili zainteresovani

in how a brain chemical called serotonin

za to kako serotonin u ljudskom mozgu

would influence people's decisions in social situations.

može da utiče na odluke ljudi u društvenim situacijama.

Specifically, we wanted to know how serotonin would affect

Naročito, hteli smo da znamo kako serotonin utiče

the way people react when they're treated unfairly.

na reakciju ljudi kad se nepravedno ophode prema njima.

So we did an experiment.

Uradili smo eksperiment.

We manipulated people's serotonin levels by giving them

Manipulisali smo sa nivoom serotonina, tako što smo ljudima davali

this really disgusting-tasting artificial lemon-flavored drink

ovo izuzetno odvratno piće, sa veštačkim ukusom limuna

that works by taking away the raw ingredient for serotonin

koje deluje tako što oduzima sirovi sastojak serotonina

in the brain.

u mozgu.

This is the amino acid tryptophan.

To je aminokiselina triptofan.

So what we found was, when tryptophan was low,

Ono što smo otkrili je, da kad je nivo triptofana bio nizak,

people were more likely to take revenge

ljudi su bili mnogo skloniji osveti

when they're treated unfairly.

kad bi se nepravedno ophodili prema njima.

That's the study we did, and here are some of the headlines

Ovo je istraživanje koje smo uradili i evo nekoliko naslova

that came out afterwards.

koji su potom objavljeni.

("A cheese sandwich is all you need for strong decision-making")

("Sendvič sa sirom je sve što vam je potrebno za čvrsto odlučivanje")

("What a friend we have in cheeses")

("Sir je naš prijatelj")

("Eating Cheese and Meat May Boost Self-Control") At this point, you might be wondering, did I miss something?

("Konzumiranje sira i mesa može da potpomogne samokontrolu") Sad se možda pitate, da li sam nešto izostavila?

("Official! Chocolate stops you being grumpy") Cheese? Chocolate? Where did that come from?

("Zvanično! Čokolada sprečava da budete mrzovoljni") Sir? Čokolada? Odakle ovo dolazi?

And I thought the same thing myself when these came out,

I ja sam pomislila isto kad su se pojavili ovi naslovi,

because our study had nothing to do with cheese or chocolate.

jer naše istraživanje nije imalo nikakve veze sa sirom ili čokoladom.

We gave people this horrible-tasting drink

Dali smo ljudima ovo piće užasnog ukusa

that affected their tryptophan levels.

koje je uticalo na njihove nivoe triptofana.

But it turns out that tryptophan also happens to be found

Ali ispostavlja se da je triptofan moguće pronaći

in cheese and chocolate.

u siru i čokoladi.

And of course when science says cheese and chocolate

I naravno kad nauka kaže da vam sir i čokolada

help you make better decisions, well, that's sure to grab people's attention.

pomažu da donesete bolje odluke, pa, to sigurno privlači pažnju ljudi.

So there you have it:

Znači pred vama je:

the evolution of a headline.

evolucija naslova.

When this happened, a part of me thought, well,

Kad se ovo dogodilo, jedan deo mene je pomislio, pa,

what's the big deal?

zbog čega tolika pometnja?

So the media oversimplified a few things, but in the end,

Mediji su previše pojednostavili nekoliko stvari, ali na kraju,

it's just a news story.

to je samo priča za vesti.

And I think a lot of scientists have this attitude.

I mislim da mnogi naučnici imaju isti stav.

But the problem is that this kind of thing happens all the time,

Ali problem je što se ovakve stvari stalno dešavaju

and it affects not just the stories you read in the news

i to ne utiče samo na priče koje pročitate u vestima

but also the products you see on the shelves.

nego i na proizvode koje vidite na policama.

When the headlines rolled, what happened was,

Kad su se naslovi pojavili, ono što se desilo je da

the marketers came calling.

su marketari počeli zvati.

Would I be willing to provide a scientific endorsement

Da li bih bila voljna da dam naučnu potvrdu

of a mood-boosting bottled water?

o flaširanoj vodi koja podiže raspoloženje?

Or would I go on television to demonstrate,

Ili da li bih na televiziji demonstrirala,

in front of a live audience,

pred pravom publikom,

that comfort foods really do make you feel better?

da tradicionalna jela zaista čine da se osećate bolje?

I think these folks meant well, but had I taken them up on their offers,

Mislim da su ovi ljudi mislili dobro, ali da sam tad prihvatila njihovu ponudu,

I would have been going beyond the science,

izašla bih van granica nauke,

and good scientists are careful not to do this.

a dobri naučnici su obazrivi da ne rade tako nešto.

But nevertheless, neuroscience is turning up more and more in marketing.

Ali ipak, nauka o nervnom sistemu se pojavljuje sve više i više u marketingu.

Here's one example: Neuro drinks,

Evo jednog primera: neuro napici,

a line of products, including Nuero Bliss here,

linija proizvoda, ukljućujući ovaj Neuro Bliss ovde,

which according to its label helps reduce stress,

koji sudeći po etiketi pomaže pri savladavanju stresa,

enhances mood, provides focused concentration,

podiže raspoloženje, pruža viši nivo koncentracije

and promotes a positive outlook.

i potpomaže pozitivno gledište.

I have to say, this sounds awesome. (Laughter)

Moram da priznam, ovo zvuči super. (Smeh)

I could totally have used this 10 minutes ago.

Dobro bi mi došlo pre 10 minuta.

So when this came up in my local shop, naturally I was

Kad se ovo pojavilo u obližnjoj prodavnici, naravno bila sam

curious about some of the research backing these claims.

znatiželjna povodom istraživanja koja su stajala iza ovih tvrdnji.

So I went to the company's website looking to find

Otišla sam na veb stranicu kompanije da pronađem

some controlled trials of their products.

neka kontrolisana ispitivanja njihovih proizvoda.

But I didn't find any.

Ali nisam našla ništa.

Trial or no trial, these claims are front and center

Postojala ta ispitivanja ili ne, ove tvrdnje čine frontalni i centralni deo

on their label right next to a picture of a brain.

na njihovoj etiketi tik pored slike mozga.

And it turns out that pictures of brains have special properties.

I ispostavlja se da slike mozga imaju posebna svojstva.

A couple of researchers asked a few hundred people

Nekolicina naučnika je zamolila nekoliko stotina ljudi

to read a scientific article.

da pročitaju jedan naučni članak.

For half the people, the article included a brain image,

Za jednu polovinu ispitanika, članak je sadržao sliku mozga,

and for the other half, it was the same article

a za drugu polovinu, članak je bio isti

but it didn't have a brain image.

ali bez slike mozga.

At the end — you see where this is going —

Na kraju - vidite kuda vodi ovo -

people were asked whether they agreed

upitali su ispitanike da li se slažu

with the conclusions of the article.

sa zaključkom članka.

So this is how much people agree with the conclusions

Ovo predstavlja koliko ljudi se složilo sa zaključkom

with no image.

bez slike.

And this is how much they agree with the same article

A ovo koliko ljudi se složilo sa istim člankom

that did include a brain image.

koji nije sadržao sliku mozga.

So the take-home message here is,

Poruka za zapamtiti je:

do you want to sell it? Put a brain on it.

želite da prodate? Stavite mozak na to.

Now let me pause here and take a moment to say that

Dozvolite mi da napravim pauzu i iskoritim trenutak da kažem da je

neuroscience has advanced a lot in the last few decades,

nauka nervnog sistema zadnjih nekoliko decenija mnogo napredovala

and we're constantly discovering amazing things

i neprestano otkrivamo zapanjujuće stvari

about the brain.

o mozgu.

Like, just a couple of weeks ago, neuroscientists at MIT

Pre nekoliko nedelja, naučnici u MIT-u

figured out how to break habits in rats

zaključili su kako da se promene navike kod pacova

just by controlling neural activity in a specific part of their brain.

kontrolišući nervne aktivnosti u određenim delovima njihovog mozga.

Really cool stuff.

Stvarno kul stvar.

But the promise of neuroscience has led to some really

Ali zavet nauke o nervnom sistemu odveo nas je do nekih zaista

high expectations and some overblown, unproven claims.

visokih očekivanja i prenaduvanih, nedokazanih tvrdnji.

So what I'm going to do is show you how to spot

Ono što želim da uradim je da pokažem kako da uočite

a couple of classic moves, dead giveaways, really,

nekoliko klasičnih caka, lažnih otkrića,

for what's variously been called neuro-bunk,

pojave koje se nazivaju neuro-gluposti,

neuro-bollocks, or, my personal favorite, neuro-flapdoodle.

neuro-lupetanje ili moj omiljeni naziv - neuro-zamlaćivanje.

So the first unproven claim is that you can use brain scans

Prva nedokazana tvrdnja je da skeniranjem mozga možete

to read people's thoughts and emotions.

čitati misli i osećanja ljudi.

Here's a study published by a team of researchers

Ovo je studija koju je objavila jedna istraživačka grupa

as an op-ed in The New York Times.

kao uvodni članak u Njujork Tajmsu.

The headline? "You Love Your iPhone. Literally."

Naslov? "Vi volite svoj iPhone. Bukvalno."

It quickly became the most emailed article on the site.

Ubrzo je postao najpopularniji članak na stranici.

So how'd they figure this out?

Kako su ovo zaključili?

They put 16 people inside a brain scanner

Stavili su 16 ljudi u skener mozga

and showed them videos of ringing iPhones.

i pokazali im snimke iPhona koji zvone.

The brain scans showed activation in a part of the brain

Skener mozga je utvrdio aktivnost u delu mozga

called the insula, a region they say

koji se zove insula, u regiji koja kažu da

is linked to feelings of love and compassion.

je povezana sa osećanjima ljubavi i samilosti.

So they concluded that because they saw activation in the insula,

Došli su do ovog zaključka jer su videli aktivnost u insuli,

this meant the subjects loved their iPhones.

što znači da su subjekti voleli svoje iPhone.

Now there's just one problem with this line of reasoning,

Postoji samo jedan problem sa ovakvim rezonovanjem,

and that's that the insula does a lot.

a to je da insula čini mnogo toga.

Sure, it is involved in positive emotions

Istina, povezana je sa pozitivnim osećanjima

like love and compassion,

kao što su ljubav i samilost,

but it's also involved in tons of other processes,

ali isto tako i sa mnogo drugih procesa,

like memory, language, attention,

kao što je pamćenje, jezik, pažnja,

even anger, disgust and pain.

čak i bes, gađenje i bol.

So based on the same logic, I could equally conclude

Bazirano na istoj logici, mogla bih jednako zaključiti

you hate your iPhone.

da mrzite svoj iPhone.

The point here is, when you see activation in the insula,

Poenta je, kad vidite aktivnost u insuli,

you can't just pick and choose your favorite explanation

ne možete samo tako izabrati vaše omiljeno objašnjenje

from off this list, and it's a really long list.

sa liste, a lista je zaista dugačka.

My colleagues Tal Yarkoni and Russ Poldrack

Moje kolege Tal Jarkoni i Ras Poldrak

have shown that the insula pops up in almost a third

su dokazali da se insula pojavljuje u skoro trećini

of all brain imaging studies that have ever been published.

svih do sad objavljenih studija o oslikavanju mozga.

So chances are really, really good

Znači da su šanse zaista, zaista dobre

that your insula is going off right now,

da vaša insula deluje upravo sada,

but I won't kid myself

ali neću zavaravati sebe

to think this means you love me.

misleći da me volite.

So speaking of love and the brain,

Pričajući o ljubavi i mozgu,

there's a researcher, known to some as Dr. Love,

postoji jedan istraživač, nekima poznat kao Dr Ljubav,

who claims that scientists have found the glue

koji tvrdi da su naučnici pronašli lepak

that holds society together,

koji društvo drži zajedno,

the source of love and prosperity.

izvor ljubavi i prosperiteta.

This time it's not a cheese sandwich.

Ovaj put nije reč o sendviču sa sirom.

No, it's a hormone called oxytocin.

Ne, to je hormon po imenu oksitocin.

You've probably heard of it.

Verovatno ste čuli za njega.

So, Dr. Love bases his argument on studies showing

Znači, Dr Ljubav svoj argument bazira na studiji pokazujući

that when you boost people's oxytocin,

da kad vi podignete nivo oksitocina kod ljudi,

this increases their trust, empathy and cooperation.

ovo rezultuje rastom njihovog poverenja, empatije i sklonosti ka saradnji.

So he's calling oxytocin "the moral molecule."

On oksitocin naziva i "molekulom morala."

Now these studies are scientifically valid,

E sad, ove studije su naučno ispravne

and they've been replicated, but they're not the whole story.

i bile su ponovljene, ali ne predstavljaju kompletnu priču.

Other studies have shown that boosting oxytocin

Druge studije su pokazale da podizanje nivoa oksitocina

increases envy. It increases gloating.

povećava nivo zavisti. To povećeva likovanje.

Oxytocin can bias people to favor their own group

Oksitocin može nagnati ljude da favorizuju svoju grupu

at the expense of other groups.

na račun drugih grupa.

And in some cases, oxytocin can even decrease cooperation.

I u nekim slučajevima, oksitocin čak može da smanji sklonost ka saradnji.

So based on these studies, I could say oxytocin

Znači, na osnovu ovih studija, mogu reći da je oksitocin

is an immoral molecule, and call myself Dr. Strangelove.

jedan nemoralan molekul, i nazvati sebe Dr Čudnaljubav.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So we've seen neuro-flapdoodle all over the headlines.

Videli smo po raznim naslovima neuro-lupetanje.

We see it in supermarkets, on book covers.

Vidimo ga u supermarketima, na koricama knjige.

What about the clinic?

Šta je sa klinikama?

SPECT imaging is a brain-scanning technology

SPECT oslikavanje je tehnika za skeniranje mozga

that uses a radioactive tracer

koja koristi radioaktivni tragač

to track blood flow in the brain.

u cilju praćenja toka krvi u mozgu.

For the bargain price of a few thousand dollars,

Po bagatelnoj ceni od nekoliko stotina dolara,

there are clinics in the U.S. that will give you

imate klinike u Americi koje će vam uraditi

one of these SPECT scans and use the image

jedan od ovih SPECT skeniranja i koristeći sliku

to help diagnose your problems.

pomoći će vam u uspostavljanju dijagnoze vašeg problema.

These scans, the clinics say, can help

Ovi snimci, bolnice tvrde, vam mogu pomoći

prevent Alzheimer's disease,

u prevenciji Alchajmerove bolesti,

solve weight and addiction issues,

pomoći da smršate i rešite razne probleme zavisnosti,

overcome marital conflicts,

da prebrodite bračne konflikte

and treat, of course, a variety of mental illnesses

i lečite, naravno, niz mentalnih oboljenja

ranging from depression to anxiety to ADHD.

koja variraju od depresije preko uznemirenosti do ADHD.

This sounds great. A lot of people agree.

Ovo zvuči super. Mnogi ljudi se slažu.

Some of these clinics are pulling in tens of millions

Neke od ovih klinika izvlače po desetine miliona

of dollars a year in business.

dolara godišnje kroz biznis.

There's just one problem.

Postoji samo jedan problem.

The broad consensus in neuroscience

Jasan konsenzus u nauci o nervnom sistemu

is that we can't yet diagnose mental illness

je da mi ne možemo još uspostaviti dijagnozu mentalnih oboljenja

from a single brain scan.

samo na osnovu jednog skeniranja mozga.

But these clinics have treated

Međutim ove bolnice su lečile

tens of thousands of patients to date,

nekoliko desetina hiljada pacijenata do danas,

many of them children,

mnogi od njih su bila deca,

and SPECT imaging involves a radioactive injection,

a SPECT oslikavanje uključuje radioaktivne injekcije,

so exposing people to radiation, potentially harmful.

znači izlaganje ljudi radijaciji, potencijalno štetnoj.

I am more excited than most people, as a neuroscientist,

Kao neuronaučnik, uzbuđenija sam od većine ljudi,

about the potential for neuroscience to treat mental illness

u vezi sa mogućnošću nauke da leči mentalna oboljenja

and even maybe to make us better and smarter.

i možda čak da nas učini boljim i pametnijim.

And if one day we can say that cheese and chocolate

I ako bismo jednog dana mogli tvrditi da nam sir i čokolada

help us make better decisions, count me in.

mogu pomoći da donosimo bolje odluke, računajte na mene.

But we're not there yet.

Ali još nismo tamo.

We haven't found a "buy" button inside the brain,

Nismo pronašli dugme za "kupovinu" unutar mozga,

we can't tell whether someone is lying or in love

ne možemo reći kad neko laže ili je zaljubljen

just by looking at their brain scans,

isljučivo gledajući snimak njihovog mozga

and we can't turn sinners into saints with hormones.

i ne možemo pretvoriti grešnike u svece pomoću hormona.

Maybe someday we will, but until then,

Možda ćemo jednog dana uspeti, ali do tada,

we have to be careful that we don't let overblown claims

moramo biti oprezni i ne smemo dozvoliti da prenaduvane tvrdnje

detract resources and attention away from the real science

skrenu resurse i pažnju sa prave nauke

that's playing a much longer game.

koja igra mnogo dužu igru.

So here's where you come in.

Tu nastupate vi.

If someone tries to sell you something with a brain on it,

Ako neko pokuša da vam proda nešto sa slikom mozga na istom,

don't just take them at their word.

ne verujte im samo na reč.

Ask the tough questions. Ask to see the evidence.

Postavite im ozbiljna pitanja. Tražite da vidite dokaze.

Ask for the part of the story that's not being told.

Pitajte ih za onaj deo priče koji nije ispričan.

The answers shouldn't be simple, because the brain isn't simple.

Odgovori ne treba da budu jednostavni, jer sam mozak nije jednostavan.

But that's not stopping us from trying to figure it out anyway.

Ali to nas ne sprečava da pokušamo da ga shvatimo.

Thank you. (Applause)

Hvala vam. (Aplauz)