Nicholas Christakis: The hidden influence of social networks

翻译人员: Zachary Lin Zhao 校对人员: Tony Yet

For me, this story begins about 15 years ago,

对于我来说，这个故事是15年前开始的。

when I was a hospice doctor at the University of Chicago.

当时我是芝加哥大学安养院的医生，

And I was taking care of people who were dying and their families

在芝加哥的南边地区

in the South Side of Chicago.

照顾临终的病人和他们的亲属。

And I was observing what happened to people and their families

我借此来观察疾病晚期

over the course of their terminal illness.

病人和家属所经历的一切。

And in my lab, I was studying the widower effect,

而在我的实验室里，我当时正在研究“寡妇效应”，

which is a very old idea in the social sciences,

是社会科学中非常古老的一个观点，

going back 150 years,

可追述到150年前，

known as "dying of a broken heart."

当时被称为是“心碎之死”。

So, when I die, my wife's risk of death can double,

举个例子来说，如果我去世的话，

for instance, in the first year.

我妻子在我逝世之后一年的死亡率会加倍。

And I had gone to take care of one particular patient,

我当时照料的病人中，有一位

a woman who was dying of dementia.

是正死于痴呆症的女士。

And in this case, unlike this couple,

和夫妻的例子不同的是，

she was being cared for

当时照顾这位女士的

by her daughter.

是她的女儿。

And the daughter was exhausted from caring for her mother.

这个女儿因为照顾老母而筋疲力竭，

And the daughter's husband,

而女儿的丈夫

he also was sick

也因为妻子的疲劳

from his wife's exhaustion.

而患上疾病。

And I was driving home one day,

有一天我正开车回家，

and I get a phone call from the husband's friend,

收到一通来自这个丈夫的朋友的电话，

calling me because he was depressed

原因是因为他为他朋友所经历的一切

about what was happening to his friend.

感到忧郁。

So here I get this call from this random guy

我就这样神奇地接到一个陌生人的电话，

that's having an experience

全因为他的经历

that's being influenced by people

受到了一些

at some social distance.

和他有一定“社会距离”的人的影响。

And so I suddenly realized two very simple things:

我也因此突然意识到了两件很简单的事情。

First, the widowhood effect

首先，是“寡妇效应”

was not restricted to husbands and wives.

不仅仅局限于丈夫和妻子之间。

And second, it was not restricted to pairs of people.

其二，它也不仅仅局限于两个人之间。

And I started to see the world

我开始以全新的视角

in a whole new way,

观察这个世界，

like pairs of people connected to each other.

将世界看成是成双成对联系在一起的人们。

And then I realized that these individuals

我随后又意识到这些人，如果俩俩相配，

would be connected into foursomes with other pairs of people nearby.

便会变成四人小组。

And then, in fact, these people

事实上，这些人

were embedded in other sorts of relationships:

都身处在其他各种人际关系中──

marriage and spousal

婚姻、伴侣、

and friendship and other sorts of ties.

友情、等等。

And that, in fact, these connections were vast

事实上，这些关联是如此之广泛，

and that we were all embedded in this

我们所有人都身处在这个广博的网络中，

broad set of connections with each other.

与彼此相连。

So I started to see the world in a completely new way

所以我开始以全新的角度看待这个世界，

and I became obsessed with this.

并沉迷其中。

I became obsessed with how it might be

我为我们是如何陷入这些社会网络中而着迷

that we're embedded in these social networks,

也为这些网络是如何影响我们的生活

and how they affect our lives.

而着迷。

So, social networks are these intricate things of beauty,

这些社会网络是错综的艺术之作，

and they're so elaborate and so complex

它们是如此的精致、如此复杂、

and so ubiquitous, in fact,

如此无所不在，使得我们不得不询问

that one has to ask what purpose they serve.

它们存在的意义是什么。

Why are we embedded in social networks?

我们为什么会身陷这些社会网络中？

I mean, how do they form? How do they operate?

它们是如何成立的？是如何工作的？

And how do they effect us?

它们是如何影响我们的？

So my first topic with respect to this,

而我据此的第一个研究课题，

was not death, but obesity.

不是死亡，而是肥胖症。

It had become trendy

突然间，讨论肥胖症的流行

to speak about the "obesity epidemic."

变成了一个热门的话题。

And, along with my collaborator, James Fowler,

我与我的同事James Fowler

we began to wonder whether obesity really was epidemic

开始研讨肥胖症是否真的是一种流行病，

and could it spread from person to person

是否可以从一个人传染到另一个人身上，

like the four people I discussed earlier.

就如我之前讨论的那四个人一样。

So this is a slide of some of our initial results.

这里看到的是我们的初步研究结果。

It's 2,200 people in the year 2000.

这是2000年接受研究的2200人。

Every dot is a person. We make the dot size

每个圆点代表着一个人。圆点的大小

proportional to people's body size;

和人的身形正比。

so bigger dots are bigger people.

所以大的圆点代表身形大的人。

In addition, if your body size,

除此之外，如果你的体重指数

if your BMI, your body mass index, is above 30 --

超过30的话，

if you're clinically obese --

如果你被诊断有肥胖症，

we also colored the dots yellow.

我们便把圆点涂成黄色。

So, if you look at this image, right away you might be able to see

如果你这么大略地看看这张图的话，

that there are clusters of obese and

你也许可以看到肥胖的人和非肥胖的人

non-obese people in the image.

有聚集的显现。

But the visual complexity is still very high.

但是这个视觉复杂性还是很高的，

It's not obvious exactly what's going on.

很难确切地说清其中的关联。

In addition, some questions are immediately raised:

如此之外，很多问题也立即产生。

How much clustering is there?

到底有多少聚集？

Is there more clustering than would be due to chance alone?

所产生的聚集是不是要比单纯的巧合下所产生的聚集要多？

How big are the clusters? How far do they reach?

聚集的大小是怎样？可以触及到多远？

And, most importantly,

最重要的是，

what causes the clusters?

聚集的原因是什么？

So we did some mathematics to study the size of these clusters.

所以我们用数学的办法研究了一下这些聚集的大小。

This here shows, on the Y-axis,

在这里可以看到，纵轴上代表的是

the increase in the probability that a person is obese

如果一个人的社会联系人中有人患有肥胖症的话，

given that a social contact of theirs is obese

那么这个人患有肥胖症的几率会增加多少；

and, on the X-axis, the degrees of separation between the two people.

横轴上代表的是，这两个人之间的分离指数。

On the far left, you see the purple line.

在最左端，你看到那条紫色线。

It says that, if your friends are obese,

它显示如果你的朋友们有肥胖症，

your risk of obesity is 45 percent higher.

你肥胖的可能性就会高出45%。

And the next bar over, the [red] line,

接下来的那条红色线

says if your friend's friends are obese,

现实如果你的朋友的朋友们有肥胖症，

your risk of obesity is 25 percent higher.

你患肥胖症的可能性就会高出25%。

And then the next line over says

下一条线显示

if your friend's friend's friend, someone you probably don't even know, is obese,

如果你朋友的朋友的朋友──你可能都不认识这个人──患有肥胖症的话，

your risk of obesity is 10 percent higher.

你患肥胖症的可能性就会高出10%。

And it's only when you get to your friend's friend's friend's friends

一直追溯到你朋友的朋友的朋友的朋友的时候，

that there's no longer a relationship

这层关系才会消失，

between that person's body size and your own body size.

这个人的身形和你的身形才不再会有关联。

Well, what might be causing this clustering?

所以，造成这种聚集的原因有哪些呢？

There are at least three possibilities:

至少有三种可能。

One possibility is that, as I gain weight,

第一种就是当我体重增加时，

it causes you to gain weight.

也导致了你的体重增加，

A kind of induction, a kind of spread from person to person.

类似电磁感应，由一个人传到另一个人。

Another possibility, very obvious, is homophily,

另一种可能，很显然，就是同类的聚合效应，

or, birds of a feather flock together;

物以类聚、人以群分。

here, I form my tie to you

我之所以和你建立关系

because you and I share a similar body size.

正是因为我们俩身形相似。

And the last possibility is what is known as confounding,

而最后一种可能，叫做混杂因素，

because it confounds our ability to figure out what's going on.

因为它模糊我们找到真正原因的能力。

And here, the idea is not that my weight gain

这意味着我的增肥

is causing your weight gain,

并没有直接导致你体重增加，

nor that I preferentially form a tie with you

我也不是因为咱俩身形相似

because you and I share the same body size,

才和你建立关系，

but rather that we share a common exposure

而是因为我们俩都接触到了相同的经历，

to something, like a health club

比如说健康俱乐部，

that makes us both lose weight at the same time.

导致我们俩同时减肥。

When we studied these data, we found evidence for all of these things,

而当我们进一步研究这些数据的时候，我们发现了支持这三种可能的证据，

including for induction.

包括磁场感应。

And we found that if your friend becomes obese,

我们发现如果你的朋友患有肥胖症，

it increases your risk of obesity by about 57 percent

你在同一时期，患肥胖症的可能性

in the same given time period.

会增加57%。

There can be many mechanisms for this effect:

造成这一现象的机理可以有很多。

One possibility is that your friends say to you something like --

一种可能是你的朋友对你说──

you know, they adopt a behavior that spreads to you --

他们的行为传染了你，

like, they say, "Let's go have muffins and beer,"

比如他们会说：“咱俩一起去吃点糕点，喝瓶啤酒吧。”，

which is a terrible combination. (Laughter)

致命的搭配

But you adopt that combination,

但你还是接受了这个搭配，

and then you start gaining weight like them.

你也开始和你朋友一般开始增肥。

Another more subtle possibility

另一个潜在的可能性

is that they start gaining weight, and it changes your ideas

是当他们开始增肥的时候，你对合理身形的概念

of what an acceptable body size is.

也随之发生了改变。

Here, what's spreading from person to person

在这种情况下，从一个人传到另一个人身上的

is not a behavior, but rather a norm:

不再是行为，而是准则。

An idea is spreading.

一个想法在得以蔓延。

Now, headline writers

一些新闻头条记者

had a field day with our studies.

借机盗用我们的研究。

I think the headline in The New York Times was,

我记得当时《纽约时报》的头条是

"Are you packing it on?

“你越来越肥吗？

Blame your fat friends." (Laughter)

怪罪你的那些肥朋友吧。”

What was interesting to us is that the European headline writers

我们觉得很有趣的是，欧洲的头条记者们

had a different take: They said,

对此有不同的理解，他们的头条是：

"Are your friends gaining weight? Perhaps you are to blame."

“你的朋友增肥了吗？也许你要自责一下。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And we thought this was a very interesting comment on America,

我们觉得这是对美国的一种很有趣的评论，

and a kind of self-serving,

一种事不关己、高高挂起，

"not my responsibility" kind of phenomenon.

明哲保身的现象。

Now, I want to be very clear: We do not think our work

在这里我要澄清一下，我们并不认为

should or could justify prejudice

我们的研究支持

against people of one or another body size at all.

对某一种身材的歧视。

Our next questions was:

我们的下一个问题是：

Could we actually visualize this spread?

我们能否在视觉上直接观看这种传染现象？

Was weight gain in one person actually spreading

体重的增加真的是从一个人身上

to weight gain in another person?

传到另一个人身上吗？

And this was complicated because

这就变得很复杂了

we needed to take into account the fact that the network structure,

因为我们要考虑到这个网络的结构、

the architecture of the ties, was changing across time.

关系之间的建筑构造，是随时都在变的。

In addition, because obesity is not a unicentric epidemic,

更何况，肥胖症并不是只有单一的中心的流行病，

there's not a Patient Zero of the obesity epidemic --

没有肥胖流行病的“零号病人”──

if we find that guy, there was a spread of obesity out from him --

如果找到这个人，那么肥胖症就是从他那边传出来的。

it's a multicentric epidemic.

但相反，肥胖病的流行有多个中心，

Lots of people are doing things at the same time.

多个人都在同时做着同样的事情。

And I'm about to show you a 30 second video animation

我将向你们展示一段30秒钟的视频演示，

that took me and James five years of our lives to do.

是花了我和James五年的人生才做好的。

So, again, every dot is a person.

同样的，每个圆点都是一个人。

Every tie between them is a relationship.

每条连线都代表着某种人际关系。

We're going to put this into motion now,

我们先在就要让它动起来，

taking daily cuts through the network for about 30 years.

在30年间对这个网络进行每天的切割。

The dot sizes are going to grow,

圆点变得越来越大，

you're going to see a sea of yellow take over.

你将看到一整片黄色的侵略，

You're going to see people be born and die --

也会看到人的出生与死亡，

dots will appear and disappear --

圆点将会出现、又消逝。

ties will form and break, marriages and divorces,

人际关系成立又瓦解。婚姻与离异，

friendings and defriendings.

友情与断交，

A lot of complexity, a lot is happening

非常复杂，在短短30年间

just in this 30-year period

很多事情在发生，

that includes the obesity epidemic.

包括了肥胖的流行。

And, by the end, you're going to see clusters

在结尾处，你们将会看到

of obese and non-obese individuals

肥胖者和非肥胖者在这个网络中

within the network.

出现扎堆的现象。

Now, when looked at this,

通过这个演示，

it changed the way I see things,

我看待事物的方式得以改变，

because this thing, this network

因为这个网络，

that's changing across time,

这个随时间而变换的网络，

it has a memory, it moves,

是有记忆的，它移动着，

things flow within it,

其中的事物随其所动，

it has a kind of consistency --

它拥有着一种持久性；

people can die, but it doesn't die;

其中的人也许死去，但它去不会死去；

it still persists --

它仍旧持续着。

and it has a kind of resilience

它有着一种坚韧性，

that allows it to persist across time.

允许它恒久不变。

And so, I came to see these kinds of social networks

所以我开始将这些社会网络的所散发信号

as living things,

看作是活着的事物，

as living things that we could put under a kind of microscope

可以放到显微镜下来

to study and analyze and understand.

研究、分析、理解。

And we used a variety of techniques to do this.

我们用各种各样的技术来做到这一点。

And we started exploring all kinds of other phenomena.

我们开始研究其他的各种现象。

We looked at smoking and drinking behavior,

我们查看了吸烟和喝酒行为，

and voting behavior,

投票行为，

and divorce -- which can spread --

离婚──也是可以传染的，

and altruism.

还有自闭症。

And, eventually, we became interested in emotions.

最终，我们对情感产生了兴趣。

Now, when we have emotions,

当我们有情感的时候，

we show them.

我们会将它们呈现出来。

Why do we show our emotions?

我们为什么要展示我们的情感呢？

I mean, there would be an advantage to experiencing

内在地感受情感，比如快乐与愤怒，

our emotions inside, you know, anger or happiness.

当然是有其好处，

But we don't just experience them, we show them.

但我们不单单是感受它们，我们也展示它们。

And not only do we show them, but others can read them.

我们不仅仅展示它们，其他人也可以阅读它们。

And, not only can they read them, but they copy them.

其他人不仅仅可以阅读它们，他们也可以复制它们。

There's emotional contagion

在人类社群中，就有着

that takes place in human populations.

情感的传染。

And so this function of emotions

情感的这一功能

suggests that, in addition to any other purpose they serve,

就表示除了其他的作用之外，

they're a kind of primitive form of communication.

情感也是一种原始的表达方式。

And that, in fact, if we really want to understand human emotions,

事实上，如果我们想真正地了解人类的情感，

we need to think about them in this way.

就要以这种方式来思考它们。

Now, we're accustomed to thinking about emotions in this way,

我们已经习惯了在简单、简短的时间段内

in simple, sort of, brief periods of time.

来考虑情感。

So, for example,

打个比方来说，

I was giving this talk recently in New York City,

我最近在纽约市演讲，

and I said, "You know when you're on the subway

其中说到：“当你在地铁上，

and the other person across the subway car

车厢对面的人

smiles at you,

向你微笑时，

and you just instinctively smile back?"

你会下意识地回报以微笑。”

And they looked at me and said, "We don't do that in New York City." (Laughter)

他们看着我，说到：“我们纽约人才不会做那种事情。”

And I said, "Everywhere else in the world,

我说：“世界上其他地方的人都会做，

that's normal human behavior."

是人之常理。”

And so there's a very instinctive way

所以我们有一种很本能的方式

in which we briefly transmit emotions to each other.

在短时间内把情感传递给彼此。

And, in fact, emotional contagion can be broader still.

事实上，情感的传染可以更广阔一些，

Like we could have punctuated expressions of anger,

比如在暴乱中，我们会加强

as in riots.

愤怒的表情。

The question that we wanted to ask was:

我们想要问的问题是：

Could emotion spread,

情感的传递能否超越

in a more sustained way than riots, across time

地铁车厢上相互微笑的一小部分人，

and involve large numbers of people,

而是以比暴乱更持久的方式，长时间地

not just this pair of individuals smiling at each other in the subway car?

在更多人之间传播？

Maybe there's a kind of below the surface, quiet riot

也许我们平静的表面下都蕴藏着某种

that animates us all the time.

时刻激荡着我们的某种暴乱。

Maybe there are emotional stampedes

也许有某种情感蜂拥

that ripple through social networks.

在社会网络中溅起涟漪。

Maybe, in fact, emotions have a collective existence,

也许事实上，情感是有一种共有的存在性，

not just an individual existence.

不单单是个人的存在性。

And this is one of the first images we made to study this phenomenon.

这是我们用来研究这一现象所做出的早期图象之一。

Again, a social network,

同样是一个社会网络，

but now we color the people yellow if they're happy

不过这一次我们把快乐的人涂成了黄色，

and blue if they're sad and green in between.

难过的人涂成了蓝色，介于两者之间的人涂成了绿色。

And if you look at this image, you can right away see

如果你看看这幅图片，你立马就能看到

clusters of happy and unhappy people,

快乐的人和不快乐的人扎堆出现，

again, spreading to three degrees of separation.

同样地是传递到三层分离关系。

And you might form the intuition

你的直觉也许会告诉你

that the unhappy people

不快乐的人

occupy a different structural location within the network.

在这个网络中占据着一个不同的结构点。

There's a middle and an edge to this network,

这个网络有个中心部分、有个边缘地带，

and the unhappy people seem to be

而不快乐的人好像都集中在

located at the edges.

边缘地带。

So to invoke another metaphor,

再打个比方，

if you imagine social networks as a kind of

如果你把这些社区网络想象成是

vast fabric of humanity --

一大块人类的绸缎──

I'm connected to you and you to her, on out endlessly into the distance --

我与你相连，你和她相连，无止境地延伸──

this fabric is actually like

这块绸缎就好像是

an old-fashioned American quilt,

美国老实的被子一样，

and it has patches on it: happy and unhappy patches.

上面是一块块的补丁，有快乐的补丁，也有不快乐的。

And whether you become happy or not

而你快乐与否

depends in part on whether you occupy a happy patch.

就决定于你是否身处一块快乐补丁上。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So, this work with emotions,

所以像情感这种如此基础的东西

which are so fundamental,

都能按此来工作，

then got us to thinking about: Maybe

我们不得不猜想，

the fundamental causes of human social networks

也许社会网路的基本原因

are somehow encoded in our genes.

是写在我们的基因中的。

Because human social networks, whenever they are mapped,

因为人类的社会网络，每当构造起来的时候，

always kind of look like this:

总是会和这个网络的图片

the picture of the network.

很相似，

But they never look like this.

但它们却从来不会是这个样子的？

Why do they not look like this?

它们为什么不是这个样子的呢？

Why don't we form human social networks

为什么我们不组成一个个有规则的格子框架的

that look like a regular lattice?

社会网络呢？

Well, the striking patterns of human social networks,

人类社会网络惊人的样貌、

their ubiquity and their apparent purpose

其无所不在的特性和它们显而易见的功能，

beg questions about whether we evolved to have

让我们猜想社会网络是否是我们

human social networks in the first place,

进化的产物，

and whether we evolved to form networks

而我们又是否进化出具有某种特殊结构的

with a particular structure.

社会网络。

And notice first of all -- so, to understand this, though,

首先注意...要想搞懂这一切

we need to dissect network structure a little bit first --

我们必须先把这个网络结构分解一下，

and notice that every person in this network

注意到每个人在这个网络中的结构点

has exactly the same structural location as every other person.

和另外的每个人都是一样的。

But that's not the case with real networks.

但在真实的网络中，却不是这个样子的。

So, for example, here is a real network of college students

好比说，这是东北部一所顶尖大学内

at an elite northeastern university.

大学生之间的真实网络图。

And now I'm highlighting a few dots.

我这里着重挑选了几个圆点，

If you look here at the dots,

如果你仔细看看这些圆点，

compare node B in the upper left

把左上角的点B

to node D in the far right;

和最右边的点D做比较。

B has four friends coming out from him

B有四个朋友从他那里延伸出来，

and D has six friends coming out from him.

D则是有六个朋友。

And so, those two individuals have different numbers of friends.

所以这两个人的朋友数量有所不同──

That's very obvious, we all know that.

这是显而易见的，我们都知道。

But certain other aspects

但社会网络结构中的其他方面

of social network structure are not so obvious.

就没有这么明显了。

Compare node B in the upper left to node A in the lower left.

把左上角的点B和左下角的点A做比较。

Now, those people both have four friends,

他俩都有四个朋友，

but A's friends all know each other,

但是A的朋友们彼此相知，

and B's friends do not.

B的朋友们却不是。

So the friend of a friend of A's

所以A的一个朋友的朋友

is, back again, a friend of A's,

反过来还是A的朋友，

whereas the friend of a friend of B's is not a friend of B's,

而B的一个朋友的朋友倒不一定是B的朋友，

but is farther away in the network.

而是在网络中的更远处。

This is known as transitivity in networks.

这就是网络中的可传递性。

And, finally, compare nodes C and D:

最后再来比较点C和点D，

C and D both have six friends.

两者都有六个朋友，

If you talk to them, and you said, "What is your social life like?"

如果你问他们：“你的社交生活怎样？”

they would say, "I've got six friends.

他们会说：“我有六个朋友。

That's my social experience."

这就是我的社交经历。”

But now we, with a bird's eye view looking at this network,

但我们来鸟瞰这个网络，

can see that they occupy very different social worlds.

我们就会发现他们的社交圈是完全不同的。

And I can cultivate that intuition in you by just asking you:

接下来的这个问题就可以培养你这方面的直觉：

Who would you rather be

如果一种致命的病毒在这个网络里得以扩散，

if a deadly germ was spreading through the network?

你希望你是其中的哪一位？

Would you rather be C or D?

你是想当C还是想当D？

You'd rather be D, on the edge of the network.

你当然是想当D，处在网络的边缘。

And now who would you rather be

如果一条跟你无关的八卦新闻

if a juicy piece of gossip -- not about you --

在这个网络里散播，

was spreading through the network? (Laughter)

你又会想当谁呢？

Now, you would rather be C.

这次你会想当C。

So different structural locations

所以不同的结构点

have different implications for your life.

对你的人生有着不同的影响。

And, in fact, when we did some experiments looking at this,

事实上，我们的实验结果表明

what we found is that 46 percent of the variation

朋友数量的差异

in how many friends you have

有46%都是可以通过基因

is explained by your genes.

得以解释。

And this is not surprising. We know that some people are born shy

这并不奇怪。因为我们知道，有的人生来腼腆，

and some are born gregarious. That's obvious.

有的人生来合群。这是显而易见的。

But we also found some non-obvious things.

但我们也发现了一些不是那么明显的东西。

For instance, 47 percent in the variation

比如，你的朋友们是否认识彼此

in whether your friends know each other

其中47%的差异

is attributable to your genes.

都是和你的基因有关。

Whether your friends know each other

你的朋友们是否认识彼此

has not just to do with their genes, but with yours.

不仅仅和他们自己的基因有关，也和你的基因有关。

And we think the reason for this is that some people

我们认为其中的原因就在于有的人

like to introduce their friends to each other -- you know who you are --

喜欢把自己的朋友介绍给彼此──没错，说的就是你──

and others of you keep them apart and don't introduce your friends to each other.

而其他人喜欢把朋友们分开，不喜欢介绍给彼此。

And so some people knit together the networks around them,

所以有些人将他们身边的网络们编织在一起，

creating a kind of dense web of ties

构成了紧密相联的深层网络，

in which they're comfortably embedded.

而他们则是舒服地身处其中。

And finally, we even found that

最后，我们甚至发现

30 percent of the variation

人们是身处网络中心还是边缘

in whether or not people are in the middle or on the edge of the network

30%的差异

can also be attributed to their genes.

也是和他们的基因相关。

So whether you find yourself in the middle or on the edge

所以你是在中心还是边缘，

is also partially heritable.

有一部分是遗传的。

Now, what is the point of this?

说这一起的目的是什么呢？

How does this help us understand?

如何加深我们的理解？

How does this help us

如何帮助我们

figure out some of the problems that are affecting us these days?

解决现今与我们生活息息相关的各种问题呢？

Well, the argument I'd like to make is that networks have value.

我的论点是这些社会网络充满价值。

They are a kind of social capital.

他们好比一种社交资产。

New properties emerge

由于我们身陷其中，

because of our embeddedness in social networks,

新的网络属性会出现，

and these properties inhere

而这些属性是继承在

in the structure of the networks,

网络的结构之中，

not just in the individuals within them.

不仅仅是在网络中的个人身上。

So think about these two common objects.

所以想想这两个日常用品，

They're both made of carbon,

他们都是由碳做成的，

and yet one of them has carbon atoms in it

不过其中的一个是由碳原子以独特的方式

that are arranged in one particular way -- on the left --

组合而成的，形成了左手边的石墨，

and you get graphite, which is soft and dark.

柔软和漆黑。

But if you take the same carbon atoms

但如果你将相同的碳原子

and interconnect them a different way,

以不同的方式关联到一起，

you get diamond, which is clear and hard.

就会得到钻石，透彻而坚硬。

And those properties of softness and hardness and darkness and clearness

而这些柔软、坚硬、漆黑和透彻的属性

do not reside in the carbon atoms;

并不是存在于碳原子本身中。

they reside in the interconnections between the carbon atoms,

而是存在于碳原子之间的联系中，

or at least arise because of the

或者至少是由于这些联系

interconnections between the carbon atoms.

所造成的。

So, similarly, the pattern of connections among people

同样的，人与人之间的关联形态

confers upon the groups of people

也是赋予了各组群

different properties.

不同的属性。

It is the ties between people

正是人与人之间的关联

that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

使得这个世界要比单单各部分的总和伟大许多。

And so it is not just what's happening to these people --

所以不仅仅是这些人所经历的事情──

whether they're losing weight or gaining weight, or becoming rich or becoming poor,

他们在减肥还是在增肥，在变富还是在变穷，

or becoming happy or not becoming happy -- that affects us;

在快乐还是在不快乐──影响着我们；

it's also the actual architecture

同时影响我们的

of the ties around us.

还有我们彼此关系所组成的实质结构。

Our experience of the world

我们在这个世界的经历

depends on the actual structure

取决于我们所处网络的

of the networks in which we're residing

实质结构，

and on all the kinds of things that ripple and flow

以及激荡和流动于这个网络中的

through the network.

各种事物。

Now, the reason, I think, that this is the case

我认为，其原因就在于

is that human beings assemble themselves

人类可以组织在一起

and form a kind of superorganism.

组成一个“超级生物体”。

Now, a superorganism is a collection of individuals

这个“超级生物体”就好像是每个个体的集合，

which show or evince behaviors or phenomena

展示或标注某些无法在个体层面上研究的

that are not reducible to the study of individuals

行为和现象，

and that must be understood by reference to,

是只能通过对整体的探讨和研究

and by studying, the collective.

来获得了解，

Like, for example, a hive of bees

就好比一窝

that's finding a new nesting site,

寻找新的筑巢之地的蜜蜂；

or a flock of birds that's evading a predator,

又好比是一个躲避捕食者的鸟群；

or a flock of birds that's able to pool its wisdom

或是可以集中智慧、

and navigate and find a tiny speck

辨清方向、找到太平洋之中飘荡小岛的

of an island in the middle of the Pacific,

鸟群；

or a pack of wolves that's able

抑或是可以捕捉巨大猎物的

to bring down larger prey.

狼群。

Superorganisms have properties

超级生物体的特性

that cannot be understood just by studying the individuals.

是无法通过对个体的研究得以完全理解的。

I think understanding social networks

我认为通过对社会网络的理解，

and how they form and operate

研究它们是如何构成和运行的，

can help us understand not just health and emotions

能够帮助我们了解不仅仅是健康和情感，

but all kinds of other phenomena --

还有许多其他的各种现象

like crime, and warfare,

比如犯罪和福利

and economic phenomena like bank runs

以及经济现象比如银行挤兑

and market crashes

和市场崩盘，

and the adoption of innovation

再有就是新技术的引用

and the spread of product adoption.

以及产品使用的扩展。

Now, look at this.

看看这个。

I think we form social networks

我认为我们组建社会网络的原因

because the benefits of a connected life

是因为一个与人相连的生活模式

outweigh the costs.

要利大于弊。

If I was always violent towards you

如果我总是对你很暴力

or gave you misinformation

给你错误的信息

or made you sad or infected you with deadly germs,

或是使你难过，或是让你染上致命的疾病，

you would cut the ties to me,

你就会和我断交，

and the network would disintegrate.

这个网络也就会瓦解。

So the spread of good and valuable things

所以好的、有价值的事物的传播

is required to sustain and nourish social networks.

是维持、滋润社会网络的必要条件。

Similarly, social networks are required

同样的，社会网络也是传播这些好的、

for the spread of good and valuable things,

有价值的事物的必要条件，

like love and kindness

比如关爱与慈悲，

and happiness and altruism

快乐和博爱，

and ideas.

以及想法。

I think, in fact, that if we realized

我认为，事实上，如果我们可以意识到

how valuable social networks are,

社会网络的价值所在，

we'd spend a lot more time nourishing them and sustaining them,

我们将会花费更多的时间来滋养、维持它们，

because I think social networks

因为我认为社会网络在本质上

are fundamentally related to goodness.

是与美好相连的，

And what I think the world needs now

而我认为我们这个世界上所需要的

is more connections.

正是更多的关联。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）