How frustration can make us more creative | Tim Harford

翻译人员: Huazhe Xie 校对人员: Zhiting Chen

Late in January 1975,

1975年的一月下旬，

a 17-year-old German girl called Vera Brandes

一个叫维拉·布兰德斯的17岁的德国女孩

walked out onto the stage of the Cologne Opera House.

从幕后走上了 科隆歌剧院的舞台。

The auditorium was empty.

观众席上空无一人。

It was lit only by the dim, green glow of the emergency exit sign.

全场仅仅被一个绿色安全出口标志 的昏暗的光微微照亮。

This was the most exciting day of Vera's life.

这一天是维拉生命中 最最激动的一天。

She was the youngest concert promoter in Germany,

她在当时是德国 最年轻的演奏会经纪人，

and she had persuaded the Cologne Opera House

她说服了科隆歌剧院

to host a late-night concert of jazz

举办美国音乐家——基思·杰瑞特的

from the American musician, Keith Jarrett.

一个爵士深夜场音乐会。

1,400 people were coming.

1400位观众即将到场。

And in just a few hours,

再过几个小时，

Jarrett would walk out on the same stage,

杰瑞特就会走上那个舞台，

he'd sit down at the piano

坐在钢琴旁，

and without rehearsal or sheet music,

不经过排练，没有乐谱，

he would begin to play.

就开始他的演奏。

But right now,

但那时候，

Vera was introducing Keith to the piano in question,

维拉向基思展示的 钢琴出了些问题，

and it wasn't going well.

而且情况不是太好。

Jarrett looked to the instrument a little warily,

杰瑞特仔细地看了看那个钢琴，

played a few notes,

弹了几个音，

walked around it,

绕着钢琴走了一圈之后，

played a few more notes,

又弹了几个音，

muttered something to his producer.

跟他的制作人嘟囔了几句。

Then the producer came over to Vera and said ...

然后制作人过去跟维拉说——

"If you don't get a new piano, Keith can't play."

“如果你们弄不来一台新的钢琴， 基思今天就弹不成了。”

There'd been a mistake.

其实当时是出错了。

The opera house had provided the wrong instrument.

歌剧院没准备好乐器。

This one had this harsh, tinny upper register,

那台钢琴的高音部听起来 又尖又刺耳，

because all the felt had worn away.

因为其中的所有毛毡都磨损坏了。

The black notes were sticking,

黑键听起来感觉拖拖拉拉，

the white notes were out of tune,

白键走调了，

the pedals didn't work

脚踏板也坏了，

and the piano itself was just too small.

而且那台钢琴也特别小。

It wouldn't create the volume

那钢琴根本弹不出足够大的声音

that would fill a large space such as the Cologne Opera House.

来让像科隆歌剧院 这么大空间里的观众都听到。

So Keith Jarrett left.

所以基思·杰瑞特就走了。

He went and sat outside in his car,

他走出去坐在他的车里，

leaving Vera Brandes

留下了维拉·布兰德斯在那里

to get on the phone to try to find a replacement piano.

打电话试着弄来一台能用的钢琴。

Now she got a piano tuner,

她找到了个钢琴调音师，

but she couldn't get a new piano.

但她弄不到新钢琴。

And so she went outside

然后她也出去了，

and she stood there in the rain,

站在雨中，

talking to Keith Jarrett,

开始跟基思·杰瑞特交谈，

begging him not to cancel the concert.

求他不要取消那场音乐会。

And he looked out of his car

他看向车外

at this bedraggled, rain-drenched German teenager,

那个全身被雨浇透的 德国年轻人，

took pity on her,

心中升起了同情，

and said,

说道，

"Never forget ... only for you."

“别忘了啊——我只为你这样做。”

And so a few hours later,

然后几个小时之后，

Jarrett did indeed step out onto the stage of the opera house,

杰瑞特真的走到了歌剧院的舞台上，

he sat down at the unplayable piano

他坐到那个弹不了的钢琴旁边

and began.

开始了演奏。

(Music)

（音乐）

Within moments it became clear that something magical was happening.

当音乐逐渐响起的时候， 神奇的事情发生了。

Jarrett was avoiding those upper registers,

杰瑞特避开了那些高音部分，

he was sticking to the middle tones of the keyboard,

他一直用键盘上的中音区部分演奏，

which gave the piece a soothing, ambient quality.

这使得音乐非常舒缓， 还有环绕音的效果了。

But also, because the piano was so quiet,

而且，因为那台钢琴的声音太小了，

he had to set up these rumbling, repetitive riffs in the bass.

他要在低音区制造一些 有轰隆隆声的即兴重复片段。

And he stood up twisting, pounding down on the keys,

他还站起来转身 用力敲击琴键，

desperately trying to create enough volume to reach the people in the back row.

极力地想要弹出大一些的音量 好让后排的观众们都能听见。

It's an electrifying performance.

那次表演很令人兴奋。

It somehow has this peaceful quality,

既有安静的质感，

and at the same time it's full of energy,

同时又充满力量，

it's dynamic.

非常有活力。

And the audience loved it.

观众们很喜欢这次演出。

Audiences continue to love it

而观众们在演出之后继续保持了对它的热爱，

because the recording of the Köln Concert

因为那场科隆音乐会的录音

is the best-selling piano album in history

是有史以来最畅销的钢琴曲专辑

and the best-selling solo jazz album in history.

和有史以来最畅销的 爵士独奏专辑。

Keith Jarrett had been handed a mess.

基思·杰瑞特遇到了个麻烦。

He had embraced that mess, and it soared.

他容忍了那个麻烦， 并想出了解决的创意。

But let's think for a moment about Jarrett's initial instinct.

但让我们想一想 杰瑞特的直觉。

He didn't want to play.

他其实一开始并不想演奏。

Of course,

当然，

I think any of us, in any remotely similar situation,

我想我们每一个人， 当遇到类似的情况时，

would feel the same way, we'd have the same instinct.

可能都会有同样的感觉， 我们可能会有同样的直觉。

We don't want to be asked to do good work with bad tools.

我们不想被要求用糟糕的工具 干出好活。

We don't want to have to overcome unnecessary hurdles.

我们也不愿意 克服不必要的麻烦。

But Jarrett's instinct was wrong,

但是杰瑞特的直觉是错的，

and thank goodness he changed his mind.

不过感谢老天他改了主意。

And I think our instinct is also wrong.

我觉得我们的直觉也是错的。

I think we need to gain a bit more appreciation

我觉得我们需要对那些 因为必须解决一些小麻烦

for the unexpected advantages of having to cope with a little mess.

而获得的出人意料的优势 而心怀感激。

So let me give you some examples

我来给大家举一些例子，

from cognitive psychology,

从认知心理学，

from complexity science,

复杂性科学，

from social psychology,

社会心理学，

and of course, rock 'n' roll.

当然还有摇滚乐的角度来看一看。

So cognitive psychology first.

那么首先是认知心理学。

We've actually known for a while

我们都已经很明白了

that certain kinds of difficulty,

一些特定的困难，

certain kinds of obstacle,

和一些特定的障碍的存在

can actually improve our performance.

实际上可以提升我们的表现。

For example,

举例来说，

the psychologist Daniel Oppenheimer,

心理学家丹尼尔·奥本海默

a few years ago,

几年前

teamed up with high school teachers.

和一些高中老师进行了一次合作。

And he asked them to reformat the handouts

他要求老师们重新规定

that they were giving to some of their classes.

他们的一些课堂教课 所用讲义的格式。

So the regular handout would be formatted in something straightforward,

普通讲义的格式 都是很直截了当的，

such as Helvetica or Times New Roman.

比如Helvetica或Times New Roam字体。

But half these classes were getting handouts that were formatted

但其中一半的课堂将会得到 重新规定格式的讲义，

in something sort of intense, like Haettenschweiler,

比如用Haettenschweiler 这种棱角分明的字体，

or something with a zesty bounce, like Comic Sans italicized.

或者是斜体Comic Sans 这种看起来有跳跃性的漫画字体。

Now, these are really ugly fonts,

这些字体是很丑的，

and they're difficult fonts to read.

并且不易读。

But at the end of the semester,

但在那个学期的期末，

students were given exams,

学生们考试的时候，

and the students who'd been asked to read the more difficult fonts,

那些被要求读了一个学期 复杂字体的学生们，

had actually done better on their exams,

最后很多学科的成绩

in a variety of subjects.

反而更好。

And the reason is,

原因就是，

the difficult font had slowed them down,

读更复杂的字体让他们塌下心来，

forced them to work a bit harder,

逼着他们付出更多的努力，

to think a bit more about what they were reading,

对他们正在读的东西 就会多一些思考，

to interpret it ...

可以更好地理解······

and so they learned more.

所以他们学到的就更多。

Another example.

再看另一个例子。

The psychologist Shelley Carson has been testing Harvard undergraduates

心理学家谢利·卡尔森 给哈佛大学的毕业生做测试

for the quality of their attentional filters.

来研究他们注意力的过滤能力。

What do I mean by that?

知道我说的是什么意思吗？

What I mean is, imagine you're in a restaurant,

我的意思就是， 想象你在一个餐厅中，

you're having a conversation,

正在和人交谈，

there are all kinds of other conversations going on in the restaurant,

而餐厅中有很多 各种各样的交谈正在进行着，

you want to filter them out,

你想要从中过滤出信息，

you want to focus on what's important to you.

你想要专注于 对你有用的信息。

Can you do that?

你能做到吗？

If you can, you have good, strong attentional filters.

如果你可以的话，你就有 很好、很强的注意力过滤能力。

But some people really struggle with that.

但是有些人确实不容易做到。

Some of Carson's undergraduate subjects struggled with that.

一些卡尔森实验的毕业生 也或多或少地缺乏这种能力。

They had weak filters, they had porous filters --

他们的过滤能力不强， 容易把很多关键信息漏掉——

let a lot of external information in.

但却会引入很多外部信息。

And so what that meant is they were constantly being interrupted

意思就是说他们会不断地

by the sights and the sounds of the world around them.

被他们周围世界中的声色所干扰。

If there was a television on while they were doing their essays,

如果当他们写作的时候 旁边有一台开着的电视，

they couldn't screen it out.

他们排除不了电视的干扰。

Now, you would think that that was a disadvantage ...

现在，你可能会觉得 这是个缺点······

but no.

但并不是。

When Carson looked at what these students had achieved,

当卡尔森观察这些学生的表现时，

the ones with the weak filters

那些过滤能力较弱的学生

were vastly more likely

极有可能

to have some real creative milestone in their lives,

在他们的一生中 建立真正的创造性的里程碑，

to have published their first novel,

更可能出版他们的第一部小说，

to have released their first album.

或者发行第一张唱片。

These distractions were actually grists to their creative mill.

这些外部的干扰实际上 激发了他们的创意机能。

They were able to think outside the box because their box was full of holes.

他们可以跳出固有的思维模式， 因为他们的思维模式中全是“小孔”。

Let's talk about complexity science.

让我们聊一聊复杂性科学。

So how do you solve a really complex --

那么你们是怎么解决一个真正复杂的——

the world's full of complicated problems --

这个世界充满了 复杂的问题——

how do you solve a really complicated problem?

你们是怎么解决一个 确实复杂的问题的呢？

For example, you try to make a jet engine.

比如，你试着去制造 一台喷气式发动机。

There are lots and lots of different variables,

这工作存在着 很多不同的可变因素，

the operating temperature, the materials,

工作温度、材料、

all the different dimensions, the shape.

所有不同的维度、形状。

You can't solve that kind of problem all in one go,

你不能一次性解决 全部这些问题，

it's too hard.

那太难了。

So what do you do?

那你会怎么做呢？

Well, one thing you can do is try to solve it step-by-step.

你所能做的就是 试着一步一步地解决。

So you have some kind of prototype

你做出了几种原型出来，

and you tweak it, you test it, you improve it.

然后你会做出一些改变， 做一下测试之后再改进。

You tweak it, you test it, you improve it.

再做出一些改变， 做一下测试之后再改进。

Now, this idea of marginal gains will eventually get you a good jet engine.

这种边际增益的理念最终可以让你 做出一个很好的喷气式发动机。

And it's been quite widely implemented in the world.

这种方法在全世界 都广泛应用。

So you'll hear about it, for example, in high performance cycling,

你可能会听说， 比如在高性能循环领域，

web designers will talk about trying to optimize their web pages,

网页设计师会讨论 试图优化他们的网站，

they're looking for these step-by-step gains.

他们会寻找 这些逐步收益。

That's a good way to solve a complicated problem.

这是一个解决 复杂困难问题的好方法。

But you know what would make it a better way?

但你知道更好的方法 是什么吗？

A dash of mess.

针对一系列的麻烦。

You add randomness,

你可以随意一点，

early on in the process,

在工作的初期阶段，

you make crazy moves,

你可以做一些疯狂的事，

you try stupid things that shouldn't work,

你可以试着做一些并不管用的傻事情，

and that will tend to make the problem-solving work better.

而这可能会使解决问题的效果更好。

And the reason for that is

原因就是

the trouble with the step-by-step process,

一步一步地解决问题，

the marginal gains,

所谓的边际增益，

is they can walk you gradually down a dead end.

会逐渐带你走进死胡同。

And if you start with the randomness, that becomes less likely,

但如果你一开始就随意一些， 那结果就会不太一样了，

and your problem-solving becomes more robust.

你解决问题会变得更加高效。

Let's talk about social psychology.

我们来谈一谈社会心理学。

So the psychologist Katherine Phillips, with some colleagues,

心理学家凯瑟琳·菲利普斯 和几个同事

recently gave murder mystery problems to some students,

最近把神秘谋杀案 交给了一些学生解决，

and these students were collected in groups of four

这些学生编为四人一组，

and they were given dossiers with information about a crime --

他们每组都得到了 含有一个案件信息的卷宗——

alibis and evidence, witness statements and three suspects.

包括不在场证明和证据， 证人证言和三个嫌疑犯。

And the groups of four students were asked to figure out who did it,

编成四人一组的这些学生们 被要求要找出真凶，

who committed the crime.

找出到底是谁犯了罪。

And there were two treatments in this experiment.

这个实验中有两种分组。

In some cases these were four friends,

一部分分组中，组中的四个人都是好朋友，

they all knew each other well.

他们互相之间非常了解。

In other cases,

另一种分组，

three friends and a stranger.

组内有三个好朋友，一个陌生人。

And you can see where I'm going with this.

你可能知道了我要说什么。

Obviously I'm going to say

很显然我会说

that the groups with the stranger solved the problem more effectively,

那种有个陌生人的组 解决问题更加高效，

which is true, they did.

这是真的，他们确实做到了。

Actually, they solved the problem quite a lot more effectively.

实际上，他们解决问题的效率 非常高。

So the groups of four friends,

那种四人都是好朋友的组，

they only had a 50-50 chance of getting the answer right.

他们只有一半的几率找出了真凶。

Which is actually not that great --

这可真不怎么样——

in multiple choice, for three answers? 50-50's not good.

只有三个备选答案的单选题， 只有一半几率答对了可不怎么样。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

The three friends and the stranger,

那种三个好朋友一个陌生人的组，

even though the stranger didn't have any extra information,

即使那个陌生人 没有得到任何额外信息，

even though it was just a case

即使他们组员之间

of how that changed the conversation to accommodate that awkwardness,

需要不断改变交谈的方式 来缓解尴尬。

the three friends and the stranger,

但三个好朋友和一个陌生人的组

they had a 75 percent chance of finding the right answer.

仍然有75%的几率 找出真凶。

That's quite a big leap in performance.

这两种表现实在差距很大。

But I think what's really interesting

但我觉得真正有趣的

is not just that the three friends and the stranger did a better job,

不仅仅是三个好朋友和 一个陌生人的组做得更好，

but how they felt about it.

而是他们参加这次实验的感受。

So when Katherine Phillips interviewed the groups of four friends,

当凯瑟琳·菲利普斯 采访四个好朋友的组时，

they had a nice time,

他们说感觉很开心，

they also thought they'd done a good job.

他们同样也觉得自己做得很好。

They were complacent.

他们很满足。

When she spoke to the three friends and the stranger,

当她采访三个好朋友 和一个陌生人的组时，

they had not had a nice time --

他们说他们相处的不是很好——

it's actually rather difficult, it's rather awkward ...

他们相处得比较困难， 互相之间还很尴尬······

and they were full of doubt.

工作之中充满了疑惑。

They didn't think they'd done a good job even though they had.

即使他们已经做得很好了， 然而他们还是觉得不太好。

And I think that really exemplifies

而我觉得这可以很好地例证

the challenge that we're dealing with here.

我们今天讨论的问题。

Because, yeah --

因为，其实——

the ugly font,

难看的字体，

the awkward stranger,

尴尬的陌生人，

the random move ...

随意的工作方法······

these disruptions help us solve problems,

这些阻碍使我们更好地解决问题，

they help us become more creative.

它们使我们更加迸发创意。

But we don't feel that they're helping us.

但我们却并不觉得这些帮助了我们。

We feel that they're getting in the way ...

我们觉得它们阻碍了我们······

and so we resist.

我们就跟它们对抗。

And that's why the last example is really important.

这就是为什么这最后一个例子 特别重要的原因。

So I want to talk about somebody

我来给你们介绍

from the background of the world of rock 'n' roll.

来自摇滚世界的一个人。

And you may know him, he's actually a TED-ster.

你们可能认识他， 他是个实实在在的TED迷。

His name is Brian Eno.

他叫布莱恩·伊诺。

He is an ambient composer -- rather brilliant.

他是个环境音乐作曲家—— 非常优秀。

He's also a kind of catalyst

他也是过去40年中

behind some of the great rock 'n' roll albums of the last 40 years.

很多摇滚乐巨作诞生的催化剂。

He's worked with David Bowie on "Heroes,"

他和大卫·鲍伊合作过歌曲《Heroes》，

he worked with U2 on "Achtung Baby" and "The Joshua Tree,"

他和U2合作过歌曲《Achtung Baby》 《The Joshua Tree》。

he's worked with DEVO,

他和退化乐队（DEVO）合作过，

he's worked with Coldplay, he's worked with everybody.

他和酷玩乐队（Coldplay）合作过， 他和很多人都合作过。

And what does he do to make these great rock bands better?

那么他为了使这些摇滚乐队 变得更好做了些什么呢？

Well, he makes a mess.

他制造麻烦。

He disrupts their creative processes.

他阻碍他们的创作过程。

It's his role to be the awkward stranger.

他的角色就是做那个“尴尬的陌生人”。

It's his role to tell them

他的任务就是告诉他们

that they have to play the unplayable piano.

一定要弹一下 那台坏了的钢琴。

And one of the ways in which he creates this disruption

他其中一个创造阻碍的方式

is through this remarkable deck of cards --

就是用这一叠卡片——

I have my signed copy here -- thank you, Brian.

我手中的这叠是份签名版—— 布莱恩，谢谢你。

They're called The Oblique Strategies,

这叫“倾斜策略”，

he developed them with a friend of his.

是他是和一个朋友一块儿发明的。

And when they're stuck in the studio,

当他们在工作室创意枯竭的时候，

Brian Eno will reach for one of the cards.

布莱恩·伊诺就会拿出其中一张卡片。

He'll draw one at random,

他会随意取出一张，

and he'll make the band follow the instructions on the card.

然后让乐队根据 卡片上的指示去做。

So this one ...

看看这一张——

"Change instrument roles."

“改变演奏乐器”。

Yeah, everyone swap instruments -- Drummer on the piano --

是的，每个人都交换一下乐器—— 比如鼓手去弹钢琴——

Brilliant, brilliant idea.

真是非常非常棒的主意。

"Look closely at the most embarrassing details. Amplify them."

“仔细看看最尴尬的细节。 然后把它们放大。”

"Make a sudden, destructive, unpredictable action. Incorporate."

“做出既突然、同时又具有破坏性 且无法预料的行动。”

These cards are disruptive.

这些卡片都有阻碍作用。

Now, they've proved their worth in album after album.

现在，这些卡片已经 通过一张张的唱片证明了它的价值。

The musicians hate them.

音乐家们恨透了它们。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So Phil Collins was playing drums on an early Brian Eno album.

菲尔·柯林斯曾经在 布莱恩-伊诺的一张唱片里打过鼓。

He got so frustrated he started throwing beer cans across the studio.

有一次把他气得把啤酒罐 从工作室的一头扔到了另一头。

Carlos Alomar, great rock guitarist,

卡洛斯·阿洛玛，非常优秀的摇滚吉他手，

working with Eno on David Bowie's "Lodger" album,

和伊诺一起参与过 大卫·鲍伊专辑《Lodger》的制作。

and at one point he turns to Brian and says,

有一回，他跟布莱恩说，

"Brian, this experiment is stupid."

“布莱恩，这个实验蠢透了。”

But the thing is it was a pretty good album,

但事实证明那是一张非常棒的专辑，

but also,

而且，

Carlos Alomar, 35 years later, now uses The Oblique Strategies.

卡洛斯·阿洛玛在35年后， 也就是现在正在使用“倾斜策略”。

And he tells his students to use The Oblique Strategies

他还介绍给他的学生们 使用“倾斜策略”，

because he's realized something.

因为他懂了一个道理。

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't helping you.

那就是你不喜欢它 并不代表它对你没用。

The strategies actually weren't a deck of cards originally,

这种策略实际上 原本并不是那一叠卡片，

they were just a list --

而是一个列表——

list on the recording studio wall.

列在录音工作室的墙上。

A checklist of things you might try if you got stuck.

列表上写着当你创意枯竭的时候 你可以尝试做的事。

The list didn't work.

而这个列表并不管用。

Know why?

知道为什么吗？

Not messy enough.

因为还不够麻烦。

Your eye would go down the list

你的眼睛会浏览一遍列表，

and it would settle on whatever was the least disruptive,

然后你就会选择那个 最不混乱的，

the least troublesome,

最不麻烦的那条，

which of course misses the point entirely.

这样当然就完全违背初衷了。

And what Brian Eno came to realize was,

然后布莱恩·伊诺就意识到，

yes, we need to run the stupid experiments,

是的，我们需要进行这样愚蠢的实验，

we need to deal with the awkward strangers,

我们需要有尴尬的陌生人加入，

we need to try to read the ugly fonts.

我们需要试着去读一读难看的字体。

These things help us.

这些都会帮助我们。

They help us solve problems,

它们可以帮我们解决问题，

they help us be more creative.

它们可以让我们变得更有创造力。

But also ...

但是同样······

we really need some persuasion if we're going to accept this.

我们需要一些“外部因素” 来让我们接受这样做。

So however we do it ...

所以不管我们怎样做······

whether it's sheer willpower,

不管是靠纯粹的意志力，

whether it's the flip of a card

还是靠抽出的那张卡片，

or whether it's a guilt trip from a German teenager,

还是碰见了一个德国青年 内疚的经历，

all of us, from time to time,

我们所有人，有时，

need to sit down and try and play the unplayable piano.

都需要坐下来， 试着弹弹那台弹不了的钢琴。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）