Molly Crockett: Beware neuro-bunk

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: dahong zhang 校对人员: Cheng Sha

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

我是位神经学家，我研究决策制定

I do experiments to test how different chemicals

我做了一些试验，来测试大脑中不同的化学物质

in the brain influence the choices we make.

如何影响我们所作的选择

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

我在这里是要告诉你们制定成功决策的秘诀：

a cheese sandwich.

一个奶酪三明治

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

没错。据科学家所言，奶酪三明治

is the solution to all your tough decisions.

是解决一切艰难决定的良伴

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

我是怎么知道的呢？因为我就是做这个研究的科学家。

A few years ago, my colleagues and I were interested

几年前，我和我的同事们对此产生兴趣——

in how a brain chemical called serotonin

大脑中一种称为血清素的化学物质

would influence people's decisions in social situations.

如何影响人们在社会情境下所做的决定

Specifically, we wanted to know how serotonin would affect

具体来讲，我们想知道，血清素如何影响

the way people react when they're treated unfairly.

人们在遭到不公待遇时的反应

So we did an experiment.

所以我们做了一项试验

We manipulated people's serotonin levels by giving them

通过提供这种极其难喝的柠檬味饮料

this really disgusting-tasting artificial lemon-flavored drink

来操控人们的血清素水平

that works by taking away the raw ingredient for serotonin

其原理是带走大脑中制造血清素

in the brain.

的原料

This is the amino acid tryptophan.

也就是色氨酸

So what we found was, when tryptophan was low,

我们的发现是，当色氨酸（含量）低时，

people were more likely to take revenge

人们更倾向于采取报复（行为）

when they're treated unfairly.

来应对不公平待遇

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

这就是我们所做的实验。这里有一些新闻标题

that came out afterwards.

是后来报道的：

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

（“强有力的决策制定只需要一个奶酪三明治”）

("What a friend we have in cheeses")

（“奶酪，我们何等亲爱的朋友”）

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

（”吃奶酪和肉会增强自控“）这一点，你可以会疑惑：我遗漏了些什么吗？

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

（“官方消息！巧克力可以阻止坏脾气”） 奶酪？巧克力？这都是从哪来的？

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

当这些（新闻）报道后，我自己也有同样的想法

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

因为我们的试验与奶酪和巧克力无关

We gave people this horrible-tasting drink

我们给人们这种难喝的饮料

that affected their tryptophan levels.

它会影响他们的色氨酸水平

But it turns out that tryptophan also happens to be found

但我们发现，色氨酸也恰好存在于

in cheese and chocolate.

奶酪与巧克力中

And of course when science says cheese and chocolate

当然，《科学》杂志声称奶酪与巧克力

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

能帮助人做出更好的决定，这必然会吸引眼球

So there you have it:

所以你们现在明白了：

the evolution of a headline.

这是新闻标题的“演化“过程

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

当这些发生时，我会想，好吧

what's the big deal?

这有什么大不了的？

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

媒体过度简化了一些东西，但说到底

it's just a news story.

它只是一则新闻故事而已

And I think a lot of scientists have this attitude.

我想很多科学家都有这样的态度

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

但问题是，这样的事情总在发生

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

它们不仅会影响你所读到的新闻故事

but also the products you see on the shelves.

还会影响你在货架上所见的商品

When the headlines rolled, what happened was,

当这些新闻发布之后，(接下来)会发生的是

the marketers came calling.

营销人员打电话过来

Would I be willing to provide a scientific endorsement

问我愿不愿意提供一份科学认证

of a mood-boosting bottled water?

证明某种瓶装水具有改善情绪的功能

Or would I go on television to demonstrate,

或者问我是否愿意参加电视节目

in front of a live audience,

面对一群现场直播的观众

that comfort foods really do make you feel better?

证明安抚性的食品真的能够让你感觉更棒

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

我想这些人的出发点是好的，但是如果我接受了他们的邀请

I would have been going beyond the science,

我就是在逾越科学的界限

and good scientists are careful not to do this.

好的科学家会谨慎地避免这种做法

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

然而尽管如此，神经科学正在越来越多地出现在市场中

Here's one example: Neuro drinks,

例如：神经性饮料

a line of products, including Nuero Bliss here,

一系列产品，包括这种叫做”神经福佑“（Neuro Bliss）的饮料

which according to its label helps reduce stress,

它的标签上注明能够帮助减轻压力

enhances mood, provides focused concentration,

改善情绪，提高注意力

and promotes a positive outlook.

促进乐观态度

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

不得不说，这听起来很棒（笑声）

I could totally have used this 10 minutes ago.

十分钟前我要是喝上一瓶就好了

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

当这些产品出现在我家附近的商店时

curious about some of the research backing these claims.

我自然想弄清楚有哪些科学研究支持着这些说法

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

因此我浏览了这家公司的网站

some controlled trials of their products.

寻找他们产品的对照实验

But I didn't find any.

但我一个都没找到

Trial or no trial, these claims are front and center

不管有没有实验，这些宣传说法都非常抢眼醒目

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

写在标签上，围绕着一张画有大脑的图片

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

事实上，那些大脑的图片是有特殊功能的

A couple of researchers asked a few hundred people

一组科研人员请几百人

to read a scientific article.

读一篇科学论文

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

一半的人，所读文章配有一幅大脑图片，

and for the other half, it was the same article

另一半人，读同样的文章

but it didn't have a brain image.

但是没有配大脑图片

At the end — you see where this is going —

最终 — 您知道是要干什么 —

people were asked whether they agreed

参试人员被提问

with the conclusions of the article.

是否赞同文章的结论

So this is how much people agree with the conclusions

这是人们对文章结论的赞同程度

with no image.

这是没有图片的那个对照组

And this is how much they agree with the same article

这是人们对同样一篇文章结论的赞同程度

that did include a brain image.

是有图片的那个对照组

So the take-home message here is,

因此值得深思的结论就是

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

想要卖得好？那就放上一张大脑图片

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

这里我要暂停一下，来谈谈

neuroscience has advanced a lot in the last few decades,

神经科学在近几十年里取得的许多进步

and we're constantly discovering amazing things

我们不断地发现一些惊人的事实

about the brain.

有关大脑

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

比如：几周前，麻省理工学院的神经科学家

figured out how to break habits in rats

弄清了如何打破老鼠的生活习性

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

只需控制鼠脑中一个特定区域的神经活动就能实现

Really cool stuff.

这些都很酷

But the promise of neuroscience has led to some really

但神经科学给人的希望，也带来了一些

high expectations and some overblown, unproven claims.

过高的期望和一些夸大的，未经证实的说辞

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

所以我要展示的就是

a couple of classic moves, dead giveaways, really,

如何识别一些经典花招——是的我要彻底揭秘——

for what's variously been called neuro-bunk,

它们统称为“神经骗局”

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

“神经吹牛”，或我的最爱“神经瞎话”

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

第一个未经证明的说辞就是你可以通过扫描人脑

to read people's thoughts and emotions.

来读取人们的想法和情绪

Here's a study published by a team of researchers

这里是一队科研人员发表的研究

as an op-ed in The New York Times.

发表在纽约时报的专栏里

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

标题是？“你爱你的iPhone。真的。”

It quickly became the most emailed article on the site.

这篇文章很快成为该网站转发最多的文章

So how'd they figure this out?

那么他们是如何得出结论的呢？

They put 16 people inside a brain scanner

他们把16个人放入大脑扫描仪中

and showed them videos of ringing iPhones.

让他们看iPhone振铃的视频

The brain scans showed activation in a part of the brain

扫描仪显示了大脑中一个区域的活动

called the insula, a region they say

这个区域被称作脑岛

is linked to feelings of love and compassion.

他们认为这个区域与爱和同情的感受相关

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

因此他们得出结论，看到了脑岛的活动

this meant the subjects loved their iPhones.

就意味着受试者对他们的iPhone有爱意

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

这个推理过程只有一个问题——

and that's that the insula does a lot.

脑岛有很多活动

Sure, it is involved in positive emotions

确实，脑岛与正面情绪有关

like love and compassion,

比如爱和同情心

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

但脑岛也与很多其他事情相关

like memory, language, attention,

例如记忆，语言，注意力

even anger, disgust and pain.

甚至愤怒，厌恶和痛感

So based on the same logic, I could equally conclude

因此，基于同样的逻辑，我也可以推断说

you hate your iPhone.

你恨你的iPhone

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

重点是，当您看到脑岛中的活动时

you can't just pick and choose your favorite explanation

您不能只挑感受列表上您喜欢的解释

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

这个列表实在有很多选项

My colleagues Tal Yarkoni and Russ Poldrack

我的同事Tal Yarkoni和Russ Poldrack

have shown that the insula pops up in almost a third

已经证明，几乎三分之一已发表的的脑成像研究

of all brain imaging studies that have ever been published.

都与脑岛有关

So chances are really, really good

很有可能

that your insula is going off right now,

你们的脑岛现在正在活动

but I won't kid myself

不过，我不会骗自己说

to think this means you love me.

这意味着你们爱我

So speaking of love and the brain,

所以说到爱与大脑

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

有个研究者，被某些人成为“爱博士”(Dr. Love)

who claims that scientists have found the glue

他声称科学家已经找到一种粘合剂

that holds society together,

能够将社会融为一体

the source of love and prosperity.

是爱与繁荣之源

This time it's not a cheese sandwich.

这次，不再是奶酪三明治

No, it's a hormone called oxytocin.

是的，这次是一种叫做催产素的激素。

You've probably heard of it.

您可能听说过

So, Dr. Love bases his argument on studies showing

Dr. Love论证是基于如下研究

that when you boost people's oxytocin,

当人体内催产素水平得到提升后

this increases their trust, empathy and cooperation.

人们的互信，共感，和合作也会增强

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

所以他称催产素为“道德分子”

Now these studies are scientifically valid,

现在这些研究是科学有效的

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

而且已经得到推广，但这并不是故事的全部

Other studies have shown that boosting oxytocin

其他研究已经表明，增加催产素

increases envy. It increases gloating.

也会增加嫉妒心，增加幸灾乐祸感

Oxytocin can bias people to favor their own group

催产素会导致人们为了自身群体的利益

at the expense of other groups.

损害其他群体的利益

And in some cases, oxytocin can even decrease cooperation.

在某些情况下，催产素甚至会导致合作减少

So based on these studies, I could say oxytocin

所以基于这些研究，我可以说催产素

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

是“不道德分子”，并叫我自为“奇爱博士"（电影Dr. Strangelove）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

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

所以我们看到新闻标题里充斥着“神经胡说”

We see it in supermarkets, on book covers.

我们可以在超市，图书封面看到这些

What about the clinic?

那诊所呢？

SPECT imaging is a brain-scanning technology

SPECT成像，是一种脑扫描技术

that uses a radioactive tracer

用放射性示踪剂

to track blood flow in the brain.

跟踪脑部血液流动

For the bargain price of a few thousand dollars,

由于价格是几千美元

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

在美国有些诊所

one of these SPECT scans and use the image

给您做SPECT扫描，利用成像结果

to help diagnose your problems.

帮助诊断您的问题

These scans, the clinics say, can help

诊所声称这些扫描能够帮助

prevent Alzheimer's disease,

防止老年痴呆症

solve weight and addiction issues,

解决体重和上瘾问题

overcome marital conflicts,

解决婚姻冲突

and treat, of course, a variety of mental illnesses

还能治疗各类精神问题

ranging from depression to anxiety to ADHD.

从抑郁到焦虑到多动症

This sounds great. A lot of people agree.

听起来很棒，很多人同意

Some of these clinics are pulling in tens of millions

这些诊所每年吸金

of dollars a year in business.

数千万美元

There's just one problem.

但有个问题

The broad consensus in neuroscience

在神经科学中的广泛共识是

is that we can't yet diagnose mental illness

我们还不能从单独的脑扫描中

from a single brain scan.

诊断精神疾病

But these clinics have treated

但是到目前为止这些诊所已经治疗了

tens of thousands of patients to date,

数万病人

many of them children,

很多还是儿童

and SPECT imaging involves a radioactive injection,

SPECT成像是将放射性物质注射到体内

so exposing people to radiation, potentially harmful.

把人们暴露在放射性物质之下，会有潜在危害

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

作为一名神经科学家，我对此更为兴奋

about the potential for neuroscience to treat mental illness

神经科学治疗精神疾病具有很大潜力

and even maybe to make us better and smarter.

甚至可能把我们变得更好更聪明。

And if one day we can say that cheese and chocolate

如果某一天，我们可以说奶酪和巧克力

help us make better decisions, count me in.

能够帮助我们更好地决策，我也会这么说

But we're not there yet.

但我们目前还未能取得这样的成果

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

对于商品，从脑扫描我们还没有找到“购买”按钮

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

对于爱情，从脑扫描我们还不能区分爱与不爱

just by looking at their brain scans,

还不能单单从脑扫描作出判断

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

也不能通过激素让罪人变成圣人

Maybe someday we will, but until then,

也许，将来有可能，但在此之前

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

我们必须要小心，不能让夸大吹牛

detract resources and attention away from the real science

减损对真正的科学的资源和注意力

that's playing a much longer game.

只有科学能够经久不衰

So here's where you come in.

所以这是你们需要做的

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

如果有人兜售有大脑图案的东西时

don't just take them at their word.

不要只听他们说的

Ask the tough questions. Ask to see the evidence.

问些难以回答的问题，问有何证据

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

问出事情隐藏的细节

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

这个答案并不会简单，因为大脑本身就不简单

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

但不管怎样，这并未阻止我们对它的探索

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）