The psychological traits that shape your political beliefs | Dannagal G. Young

翻译人员: Nina Stinehour 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

I'm a political and social psychologist.

我是一名政治和社会心理学家。

I study how people understand the world

我研究人们如何理解这个世界，

and what this means for society and for democracy ...

以及这对社会和民主 意味着什么——

which, as it turns out, is quite a lot.

而事实证明， 二者存在着极其重要的关联。

Some people see the world as safe and good,

有些人认为这个世界 是安全的、美好的，

and this allows them to be OK with uncertainty

让他们可以接受不确定，

and to take time to explore and play.

并尽情去探索和享受。

Others are acutely aware of threats in their environment,

其他人则对他们周围的威胁很敏锐，

so they prioritize order and predictability

所以他们把秩序和可预测性

over openness and experimentation.

放在开放性和实验前面。

In my academic research,

在我的学术研究里，

I study how these two approaches shape how we think and feel

我研究这两种方法如何塑造 我们对从艺术到政治的

about everything from art to politics.

一切事物的思考和感受。

I also explore how political elites

我也探索政治精英

and partisan media use these very differences

和党派媒体 是如何利用这一差别

to engender hatred and fear

去引发厌恶和恐惧，

and how the economics of our media system exploit these same divides.

以及我们媒体系统的经济体系 如何利用同样的分裂以牟利。

But after studying this,

但经过一番研究，

I have come away not with a sense that we are doomed to be divided

我并没有感觉到我们注定要分裂，

but that it's up to us to see both sets of traits

而是应该把这两套特征 都看成是必要的，

as necessary and even valuable.

甚至是有价值的。

Take for example two men who have been so influential in my own life.

用我生活中最有影响力的 两个男人举个例子。

First, my late husband, Mike.

首先，我已故的丈夫，迈克。

He was an artist who saw the world as safe and good.

他生前是个艺术家， 他眼中的世界就是安全和美好的。

He welcomed ambiguity and play in his life.

他对不确定性和享乐来者不拒。

In fact, we met through improv comedy

事实上，我们是通过 即兴喜剧认识的，

where he taught improvisers to listen and be open

他教授即兴演奏的人 如何倾听和敞开心扉，

and to be comfortable not knowing what was going to happen next.

面对未知的未来， 依然能感到从容自在。

After we got married and had our baby boy,

在我们结婚并有了儿子以后，

Mike was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

迈克被诊断出患有脑瘤。

And through months of hospitalizations and surgeries,

经过几个月的住院和手术，

I followed Mike's lead,

我跟随迈克的脚步，

trying to practice being open,

尝试练习让心态变得更开放，

trying to be OK not knowing what was going to happen next.

尝试接受未来的不确定性。

It was Mike's tolerance for ambiguity

正是迈克对不确定性的宽容，

that allowed me to survive those months of uncertainty,

让我得以撑过接下来的几个月，

and that helped me explore new ways to rebuild my life after he died.

并帮助了我在他去世后 去寻找重塑生活的新途径。

About a year and a half after Mike passed away,

在迈克去世的一年半后，

I met my current husband, PJ.

我遇到了我现在的丈夫，PJ.

PJ is a criminal prosecutor

PJ 是位刑事检察官，

who sees the world as potentially good

他认为如果威胁会被妥善处理，

provided that threats are properly managed.

这个世界就是美好的。

He also is someone who embraces order and predictability

他也更偏向秩序和可预测性，

in his daily routine,

这些都体现在 他的日常作息里，

in the foods that he eats,

他的食物里，

in his selection of wardrobe.

他的日常衣着选择里。

And PJ has a vicious wit,

PJ 有一种邪恶的智慧，

but he's also morally very serious

但他在道德上非常严肃，

with a strong sense of duty and purpose.

有着强烈的责任感和使命感。

And he values tradition, loyalty and family,

他重视传统、忠诚和家庭，

which is why at the age of 28

这也就是为什么 他在 28 岁的时候

he did not hesitate to marry a widow,

毫不犹豫地娶了一个寡妇，

adopt her baby boy

领养了她的小儿子，

and raise him as his son.

然后把他当作亲儿子养。

It was PJ's need for certainty and closure

正是 PJ 对确定性 和完整性的需求，

that brought stability to our lives.

给我们的生活带来了稳定。

I share these two stories of Mike and PJ

我分享关于迈克和 PJ 的故事，

not just because they're personal,

不仅是因为这些是我的个人经历，

but because they illustrate two things that I have found in my own research.

同时也因为它们说明了 我在我的研究中发现的两件事。

First, that our psychological traits shape how we engage with the world,

首先，我们的心理特征 塑造了我们与世界互动的方式，

and second,

其次，

that both of these approaches make all of our lives possible.

这两种方法都给予了 我们的生命更多可能。

Tragically though, political and economic incentives of our media environment

但不幸的是，我们周围 媒体环境中的政治和经济刺激

seek to exploit these differences

正试图利用这些差异

to get us angry,

来激怒我们，

to get our attention,

引起我们的注意力，

to get clicks

获得点击量，

and to turn us against one another.

并使我们互相反目。

And it works.

然而它的确很有效。

It works in part because these same sets of traits

其中的部分原因是， 这些相同的特质

are related to core political and cultural beliefs.

与核心的政治和文化信仰有关。

For years, political psychologists have studied

多年以来，政治心理学家研究了

how our psychological traits shape our political beliefs.

我们的心理特征 如何塑造了我们的政治信仰。

We've conducted experiments to understand

我们通过实验来了解

how our psychology and our politics shape how we respond to apolitical stimuli.

我们的心理和政策如何塑造了 我们如何应对非政治性的刺激。

And this research has shown

这项研究证明了，

that those people who are less concerned with threats,

那些不太在意威胁，

who are tolerant of ambiguity,

对不确定性比较包容的人，

these people tend to be more culturally and socially liberal

往往在像移民、犯罪 或性取向的问题上

on matters like immigration or crime or sexuality.

偏向更开放的文化和社会。

And because they're tolerant of ambiguity,

然而正因为他们 可以容忍不确定性，

they also tend to be OK with nuance

他们也通常可以接受细微的差异，

and they enjoy thinking for the sake of thinking,

喜欢刻意思考，

which helps explain why it is

这有助于解释

that there are distinct aesthetic preferences on the left and the right,

为什么左派和右派 有不同的审美偏好，

with liberals more likely than conservatives

自由派比保守派

to appreciate things like abstract art

更有可能欣赏抽象艺术，

or even stories that lack a clear ending.

甚至是没有明确结局的故事。

In my experimental work,

在我的实验结果里，

I've also found that these differences help explain

我还发现，这些不同解释了

why ironic, political satire is more likely to be appreciated

为什么自由派比保守派

and understood by liberals than conservatives.

更有可能会理解与欣赏政治讽刺。

On the other hand,

另一方面，

those people who are monitoring for threats,

这种能够感受到威胁，

who prefer certainty and closure,

喜好确定性和封闭性的人

those tend to be our political, cultural, social conservatives.

通常是我们的政治、 文化和社会的保守派。

Because they're on alert,

因为他们总是很警惕，

they also make decisions quickly and efficiently,

他们可以在直觉和情感的导引下，

guided by intuition and emotion.

迅速并有效的做出决定。

And we've found that these traits help explain

然后我们发现 这些特质解释了

why conservatives enjoy political opinion talk programming

为什么保守派喜欢能够 明确且有效的辨认威胁和敌人的

that clearly and efficiently identifies threats and enemies.

政论节目。

What is essential though

但最重要的是，

is that these propensities are not absolute --

这些倾向并不是绝对的——

they're not fixed.

不是一成不变的。

There are liberals who are monitoring for threats

也有些自由派对威胁比较敏感，

just as there are conservatives who are tolerant of ambiguity.

就像有些保守派同样能够 容忍不确定性一样。

In fact, PJ's political beliefs

事实上，PJ 的政治主张

are not that radically different from those that Mike held.

与迈克的主张并没有多么不同。

The link between psychology and politics is contingent on context:

心理学与政治的联系 是依情况而定的：

who we're with and what's going on around us.

也就是我们周围的人与事。

The problem is that right now,

问题是，现在，

our dominant context,

我们的主流语境，

our political and media context,

我们政治和媒体的语境

actually needs these differences to be absolute,

实际上需要这些差异 变得绝对，

to be reinforced

需要得到加强，

and even to be weaponized.

甚至变得武器化。

For reasons related to power and profit,

出于与权力和利益相关的原因，

some in politics and media want us to believe

有些政治和媒体人士 总是想让我们相信

that those people who approach the world differently from us --

用与我们不同的方法 来接触世界的人——

the Mikes or the PJs --

比如迈克或是 PJ ——

themselves are dangerous.

是危险的。

And social media platforms use algorithms and microtargeting

社交媒体平台 用算法和微定位，

to deliver divisive messages

利用我们喜好的信息审美

in our preferred messaging aesthetic.

来传递分裂性的，

Messages that relate to politics, culture and race.

政治、文化与种族方面的信息。

And we see the devastating effects of these messages every single day.

于是，我们每天都可以看到 这些信息带来的灾难性影响：

Americans who are angry and fearful of the other side.

美国人对立场不同的同胞 感到愤怒和恐惧；

Charges of the other side destroying America.

我们指控“另一边”的人 试图毁灭美国。

But stop and think for a moment.

但停下来思考一下。

What would happen if those differences had never been weaponized?

如果这些差异从来没有 被武器化会怎样？

It is liberal inclinations towards openness and flexibility

正是带有自由倾向的 开放性和灵活性

that allow us to cope with uncertainty

让我们能够应对不确定性，

and that allow us to explore new paths towards innovation, creativity --

去探索通向创新、创造——

scientific discovery.

科学发现的新道路。

Think of things like space travel or cures for diseases

不妨想象一下太空旅行、 疾病的治疗、

or art that imagines and reimagines a better world.

想象和重新构想 一个更美好世界的艺术。

And those conservative inclinations towards vigilance and security

而那些保守派倾向于 保持警惕、拥有安全感

and tradition.

和维系传统。

These are the things that motivate us

这些事情激励着我们

to do what must be done

为了我们的安全和稳定

for our own protection and stability.

而采取必要的行动。

Think of the safety that's offered by our armed forces

想想军队为我们提供的安全感，

or the security of our banking system.

或是银行的安保系统。

Or think about the stability

或者想想像陪审团义务

that's offered by such democratic institutions as jury duty,

这样的民主制度，

像独立日的烟花 这样的文化传统所带来的稳定。

or cultural traditions like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

What if the real threat posed to society and democracy

如果针对社会和民主的真正威胁

is not actually posed by the other side?

并不是来自“另一方”呢？

What if the real danger is posed by political and media elites

如果真正的危险是由 政治和媒体精英们造成的，

who try to get us to think

他们试图让我们认为

that we'd be better off without the other side

没有“另一方”，我们会过得更好，

and who use these divisions for their own personal,

他们只是在利用这些分歧为

financial, political benefit?

个人、经济和政治利益服务呢？

Mike and PJ engaged with the world very differently,

迈克和 PJ 对待 这个世界的方式截然不同，

but these distinct approaches continue to enrich my life every day.

但这些不同的方法 继续丰富着我的日常生活。

Instead of our political and media context

如果我们不让 政治和媒体语境

determining that the other side is the enemy

去把“另一方”定义成敌人，

and lulling us into believing that that's true,

哄骗我们相信那是真的，

what if we choose to create the context?

而是选择自己去创造这个语境呢？

Real people connecting with other real people,

真实的人与其他真实的人交流，

appreciating these two approaches for what they are:

并欣赏这两种方式的本质：

necessary gifts that can help us all survive and thrive together.

它们是能够帮助我们 共同生存和发展的必要天赋。

Thank you.

谢谢。