Eric Mead: The magic of the placebo

翻译人员: Limin Wang 校对人员: Xiaoqiao Xie

For some time I have been interested in

在相当一段时间我感兴趣于

the placebo effect,

安慰剂的效力,

which might seem like an odd thing

通常一个魔术师是不会

for a magician to be interested in,

对安慰剂感兴趣的。

unless you think of it in the terms that I do,

但是如果你从我职业的角度考虑,

which is, "Something fake

那就是使一些假的事物

is believed in enough by somebody

真实得使人们相信

that it becomes something real."

这样它们就变成了事实。

In other words, sugar pills

换句话说， 糖片

have a measurable effect in certain kinds of studies,

在一些研究中有可以测量到的效应，

the placebo effect,

所谓的安慰剂的效果

just because the person thinks

正是因为人们认为

that what's happening to them is a pharmaceutical

他们身上发生的是一种药物作用

or some sort of a --

或者再给一个例子

for pain management, for example,

为了镇痛

if they believe it enough there is a measurable effect in the body

如果病人相信（他们服的是镇痛药物），药在他们身上就会有明显的效果。

called the placebo effect.

这叫做安慰剂效应。

Something fake becomes

假的东西变成了

something real

真的东西

because of someone's perception of it.

因为人们对它的认知。

In order for us to understand each other,

为了我们能够理解对方，

I want to start by showing you a rudimentary,

我想开始向你们展示一个初级的，

very simple magic trick.

很简单的魔术。

And I'm going to show you how it works. This is a trick

我也会告诉你我是怎么变得。 这是一个

that's been in every children's magic book since at least the 1950s.

从50年代开始就在每个孩子的 魔术书里出现的简单魔术。

I learned it myself from Cub Scout Magic in the 1970s.

我在70年代的时候从童子军魔法中学会它

I'll do it for you, and then I'll explain it.

我先做给你们看， 然后再解释。

And then I'll explain why I explained it.

最后我会解释我为什么要解释。

So, here's what happens.

看，这是怎么变这么魔术

The knife, which you can examine; my hand, which you could examine.

这把刀， 你们可以检查； 我的手， 你们也可以检查

I'm just going to hold the knife in my fist like this.

我就这样把刀握在我的拳头里。

I'll get my sleeve back.

然后我把袖子挽起来。

And to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve

同时确保没有任何东西可以在我袖子里上下活动

I'm just going to squeeze my wrist right here.

我就这样在这压住我的手腕。

That way you can see that at no time

那样你们可以看到没有时间让

can anything travel, as long as I'm squeezing there

任何事物活动。只要我压住这里

nothing can go up or down my sleeve.

没有东西可以通过我的袖子。

And the object of this is quite simple.

这样做目的很简单。

I'm going to open my hand,

我将打开我的手掌

and hopefully, if all is well,

希望， 如果所有事情顺利的话，

my pure animal magnetism will hold the knife.

我的生理磁性会粘得住这把刀。

In fact it's held so tightly in place

实际上，它粘得如此紧

that I can shake it,

我甚至可以甩

and the knife does not come off.

这把刀（它）也不会掉。

Nothing goes up or down my sleeve,

没有任何东西在我袖子里，

no trickery. And you can examine everything.

没有把戏。 你们可以查看所有东西。

Ta-da!

好了！

(Applause)

鼓掌

So, this is a trick that I often teach to young children

恩， 这是一个我经常教给

that are interested in magic, because you can learn

那些对魔术感兴趣的孩子的魔术， 因为你能学到

a great deal about deception by studying

很多关于欺骗的技巧通过学习

this very -- even though it's a very simple trick methodologically.

这个魔术－－尽管它是个方法上非常简单的魔术。

Probably many of you in the room know this trick.

很可能现场很多人都知道这个魔术。

What happens is this.

它是这样发生的。

I hold the knife in my hand.

我手里握着这把刀。

I say I'm going to grab hold of my wrist

我说我要握住我的手腕

to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve,

来确保没有东西通过我的袖子，

that is a lie.

这是个谎言。

The reason I'm holding onto my wrist

我握住我手腕的原因

is because that's actually the secret

正是这个幻术的

of the illusion.

秘密。

In a moment when my hand moves from facing you

在我手从面向你们移到

to being away from you,

背向你们的时候，

this finger right here, my index finger is just going to shift

这个手指， 我的食指就将移位

from where it is, to a position

从这儿，到这个位置

pointing out like this.

指向外侧。

Nice one.

好的。

Someone who didn't have a childhood is out there.

（看来）那边坐的人很多没有过童年。

(Laughter)

笑声

So, it goes like this, from here, right.

我的手指就是这样移的，从这里，对。

And as I move around my finger shifts.

在我转动我的手时，我的手指也在移动。

And we could talk about why this is deceptive,

我们可以谈谈为什么这个具有欺骗性，

why you don't notice there are only three fingers down here,

为什么你们没有注意到只有三个手指在这下面，

because the mind, and the way it processes information,

因为你的意识，和我们处理意识的方式，

it doesn't count, one, two, three. It groups them.

它不计算一，二，三。 它组合它们。

But that's not really what this is about. Right? And then I open my hand up.

但这不是我们今天要讨论的。对吗？那我再打开我的手掌。

Obviously it's clinging there, not by animal magnetism,

很显然它被按在那，不是通过什么生理磁性，

but by chicanery,

而是通过骗局，

my index finger being there.

我的食指在那里。

And then when I close my finger, same thing,

我再合上我的手指，一样的，

as I move back, this motion

在我后转时，这个动作

kind of covers the moving back of my finger.

一定程度上掩饰了我手指的后转。

I take this hand away. You give the knife out.

我拿开这只手。你拿出这把刀。

There is a trick you can do for your friends and neighbors. Thanks.

这个戏法你可以向你的朋友和邻居做。谢谢。

Now, (Laughter)

现在，（笑声）

what does that have to do with the placebo effect?

这和安慰剂效力有什么关系？

I read a study a year or so ago

我一年前左右读过一个研究，

that really blew my mind wide open.

这很开阔了我的认知。

I'm not a doctor or a researcher, so this, to me,

我不是医生或研究人员，所以，这对我而言，

was an astonishing thing.

是一件很让人吃惊的事。

It turns out that if you administer

它显示如果你给病人

a placebo in the form of a white pill,

一个安慰剂以白色药片的形式，

that's like aspirin shaped --

像阿司匹林的样子，

it's just a round white pill -- it has some certain measurable effect.

如果就是一个圆的白色药片，它有一定的可测量的安慰剂效应。

But if you change the form that you give the placebo in,

但如果你改变你给的安慰剂的形状，

like you make a smaller pill,

比如你把它作成小一点的药片，

and color it blue, and stamp a letter into it,

并且涂成蓝色，刻一个字母上去，

it is actually measurably more effective.

它居然会有更明显的可测量的效果。

Even though neither one of these things

即使两个里面没有一个

has any pharmaceutical -- they're sugar pills.

有任何真正的药效 －－它们都是糖片。

But a white pill is not as good as a blue pill.

但是白色药片就是没有蓝色的效果好

What? (Laughter) That really flipped me out.

什么？（笑声） 这真的让我很迷惑。

Turns out though, that that's not even where it stops.

但事实上，那还不是终结。

If you have capsules,

如果你用胶囊，

they're more effective than tablets in any form.

它们比任何形式的药片更有效果。

A colored capsule, that's yellow on one end and red on the other

有颜色的胶囊，一端黄色，另一端红色的

is better than a white capsule.

比白色的胶囊更有效。

Dosage has something to do with this.

剂量起到一定的作用。

One pill twice a day

一天两次，一次一片

is not as good at three pills --

没有三片效果好。

I don't remember the statistic now. Sorry.

我现在记不清统计数据。对不起。

But the point is ...

但重点是。。。

(Laughter) ... these dosages have something to do with it.

（笑声）剂量和药效有关。

And the form has something to do with it.

药剂形态和药效有关。

And if you want the ultimate in placebo,

如果你想要极限程度的安慰剂

you've go to the needle.

你需要注射针剂。

Right? A syringe with some inert --

对吗？一个注射器含有

a couple CCs of some inert something,

一两毫升的没有作用的东西，

and you inject this into a patient ...

你把这个注射到一个病人身上。。

Well this is such a powerful image in their mind,

在他们脑海里，这是一个如此强大的想像，

it's so much stronger than the white pill.

它应该比白色药片要强很多很多。

It's a really, this graph, well I'll show it to you

这真是一个很强的想象，等我有幻灯片的时候

some other time when we have slides.

我可以展示给你们统计数据图。

The point is

重点是，

the white pill is not as good as the blue pill

白色药片没有蓝色药片好

is not as good as the capsule is not as good as the needle.

没有胶囊好，没有针好。

And none of it has any real pharmaceutical quality,

它们都没有真的药效。

it's only your belief that makes it real

这仅仅是你的信念使它成真

in your body and makes a stronger effect.

在你身体上，也造成更强的效果。

I wanted to see if I could take that idea

我想看看我是否可以拿这个想法

and apply it to a magic trick.

把它应用到魔法技巧上。

And take something that is obviously a fake trick

采用一些明显是假的戏法

and make it seem real.

使它看起来是真的。

And we know from that study

我们从研究中知道

that when you want reality, you go to the needle.

如果你想要实际效果，你采用注射针。

This is a seven-inch hatpin. It's very, very sharp,

这是一个七寸的帽别针。它非常尖。

and I'm going to just sterilize it a tiny bit.

我将把它消一下毒。

This is really my flesh. This is not

这真是我的肌肉。这不是

Damian's special-grown flesh.

戴米安的特买肉。

That's my skin right there. This is not a Hollywood special effect.

这就是我的皮肤。这不是好莱坞特效。

I'm going to pierce my skin

我将会刺入我的皮肤

and run this needle through to the other side.

把这个针头穿过到另一边。

If you're queasy -- (Laughs)

如果你容易紧张反胃－－（笑声）

if you faint easily -- I was doing this for some friends

如果你容易晕－－我向一些朋友表演过

in the hotel room last night, and some people that I didn't know,

昨天在宾馆里，有些人我不认识，

and one woman almost passed out.

有个女人差点晕倒。

So, I suggest if you get queasy easy

所以，我建议如果你容易紧张不安，

that you look away for about the next 30 --

你最好在下面30秒里看别处，

in fact, you know what, I'll do the first bad part behind it.

实际上，你知道吗，我会在它后面做一开始的坏的部分。

You'll get to see, you can look away too if you'd like to.

你将会看到，你可以看别处如果你想的话。

So, here is what happens, right here,

恩，这就是发生的，就在这里

the beginning of my flesh

我皮肉的起点处

at the lower part of my arm I just make

我手臂的下部， 我就造成

a little pierce.

一个小穿孔。

I'm sorry, man. Am I freaking you out?

对不起。我吓倒你们了吗？

OK, and then just through my skin a tiny bit,

就穿过我的皮肤一点点

and then out the other side like this.

在另一端这样出来。

Now, essentially we're in the same position we were in

现在， 我们基本上和刀的戏法

with the knife trick.

在同一个位置上。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sort of.

（差不多）

But you can't count my fingers right now can you?

但你现在不能数我的手指了，对不？

So, let me show them to you. That's one, two

所以，让我来把它们展示给你们。一，二

three, four, five.

三，四，五。

Yes, well...

是的，哦，

I know what people think when they see this.

我知道人们想什么当他们看到这个的时候。

They go, "Well, he's certainly not dumb enough

他们说，“哦，他一定不会蠢到

to stab himself through the skin to entertain us for a few minutes.

刺穿他自己的皮肤来娱乐我们几分钟。”

So, let me give you a little peek.

所以，让我给你们偷看一下。

How's that look out there? Pretty good.

那看起来怎么样？很好。

(Laughs)

（笑声）

Yeah, I know. (Laughs)

对，我知道（笑声）

And the people in the back go, "OK, I didn't really see that."

在后面的这些人说，“好。我并没有真的看到那个。“

People in the satellite room are starting to move in now.

在远程屋里的人现在 可以移近。

Let me give you good close look at this.

让我给你们仔细看看这个。

That really is my skin. That is not a Hollywood special effect.

这真的是我的皮肤。这个不是好莱坞特效。

That's my flesh, and I can twist that around.

那是我的肉，我还可以转动它。

I'm sorry. If you're getting queasy, look away,

对不起。如果你感到恶心的话，看别处，

don't look at the thing.

别看这个。

People in the back or people on video years from now watching this

在后面的人或是几年后从录像上看到这个的

will go, "Well yeah, that looks kind of neat

会说，“喔，那个看起来有点缺少

in some sort of effect there, but if it were real he would be --

一些效果，但是如果这是真的他会

see there's a hole there and a hole there, if it were real he would be bleeding.

看到这有个洞，这也有个洞，如果这是真的他会流血。

Well let me work up some blood for you.

让我流点血给你们。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Yes, there it is.

对，这就是。

(Applause)

（掌声）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Normally now, I would take the needle out.

平常这时我会将针头取出。

I would clean off my arm, and I would show you that there are no wounds.

我会洗干净我的手臂，向你们展示我没有伤，

But I think in this context

但我认为在这种情况下

and with the idea of taking something fake

以这种理念，使假的事物

and making it into something real,

变成真的事物，

I'm just going to leave it there,

我就将停在这里，

and walk off the stage.

走下讲台。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I will be seeing you several times over the next few days.

我将在以后几天内再见到你们。

I hope you're looking forward to that. Thank you very much.

我希望你们对此期待。非常感谢。

(Laughter)

笑声

(Applause)

（掌声）