This is your brain on communication | Uri Hasson

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: 易帆 余

Imagine that you invented a device

想像你發明了一種設備

that can record my memories,

能記錄我的記憶、

my dreams, my ideas,

我的夢想、我的想法，

and transmit them to your brain.

並且傳到你的大腦。

That would be a game-changing technology, right?

那將是改變世界的新科技，對吧?

But in fact, we already possess this device,

但事實上，我們已擁有這樣的設備，

and it's called human communication system

它被稱為「人類溝通系統」

and effective storytelling.

和「有效率的說故事方式」。

To understand how this device works,

為瞭解這系統如何運作，

we have to look into our brains.

我們得先瞭解大腦，

And we have to formulate the question in a slightly different manner.

並且稍稍改變提問的方向。

Now we have to ask

我們改問：

how these neuron patterns in my brain

我大腦中跟記憶、 想法相關的神經元圖像，

that are associated with my memories and ideas

are transmitted into your brains.

是如何被傳輸到你的腦裡呢？

And we think there are two factors that enable us to communicate.

我們認為人能溝通須有兩大因素。

First, your brain is now physically coupled to the sound wave

首先，你的大腦必須在物理上 和我正在對你講話的聲波耦合。

that I'm transmitting to your brain.

And second, we developed a common neural protocol

其次，我們有共通的神經通訊協定

that enabled us to communicate.

使我們能夠溝通。

So how do we know that?

我們何以得知的呢?

In my lab in Princeton,

在普林斯頓的研究室裡

we bring people to the fMRI scanner and we scan their brains

我們對受測者進行 功能性核磁共振儀掃描，

while they are either telling or listening to real-life stories.

就在他們講述或聆聽真實故事時， 掃描他們的大腦。

And to give you a sense of the stimulus we are using,

為讓各位了解我們使用的刺激物，

let me play 20 seconds from a story that we used,

我從一段故事中 截取了20秒來播放，

told by a very talented storyteller,

由非常有才華的說故事人 吉姆·奧格雷迪來向我們講故事。

Jim O'Grady.

(Audio) Jim O'Grady: So I'm banging out my story and I know it's good,

(吉姆·奧格雷迪的聲音) 我要 大聲地說出我的故事，我知道很好笑

and then I start to make it better --

為了讓故事......更生動

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

by adding an element of embellishment.

我會加點油、添點醋，

Reporters call this "making shit up."

記者們稱之為「瞎掰」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And they recommend against crossing that line.

他們建議不要逾越那條線，

But I had just seen the line crossed between a high-powered dean

但我剛看見糕點飛過那條線， 砸在院長大人的臉上。

and assault with a pastry.

And I kinda liked it."

我還挺開心的。

Uri Hasson: OK, so now let's look into your brain

(烏里·哈森：) 好，我們接下來看看

and see what's happening when you listen to these kinds of stories.

當大腦聽到這類故事， 會怎樣反應。

And let's start simple -- let's start with one listener and one brain area:

先從簡單的開始，一位聆聽者

和他大腦的一塊區域：也就是 處理耳朵接收聲音的聽覺皮層區塊。

the auditory cortex that processes the sounds that come from the ear.

And as you can see, in this particular brain area,

如你所見，這特定區域的腦波 會隨著故事的進展而上下波動。

the responses are going up and down as the story is unfolding.

Now we can take these responses

接下來，我們拿此波形

and compare them to the responses in other listeners

與其他受測者同區的腦波做比較。

in the same brain area.

And we can ask:

我們會問：

How similar are the responses across all listeners?

所有受測聽眾的反應有多相似呢？

So here you can see five listeners.

各位可以看到這五位受測者的腦波。

And we start to scan their brains before the story starts,

故事開講前，我們已經 開始掃描他們的大腦，

when they're simply lying in the dark and waiting for the story to begin.

當時他們正坐在黑暗中， 等待故事開講。

As you can see,

如你所見，

the brain area is going up and down in each one of them,

此時五人的腦波上上下下，

but the responses are very different,

各不相同，毫不同步。

and not in sync.

However, immediately as the story is starting,

然而，就在故事開始後，

something amazing is happening.

奇妙的事情就發生了。

(Audio) JO: So I'm banging out my story and I know it's good,

(吉姆·奧格雷迪的聲音) 我 大聲說出我的故事，我知道很好笑，

and then I start to make it --

為了讓故事......

UH: Suddenly, you can see that the responses in all of the subjects

(烏里·哈森) 突然間，所有人的腦波回應

lock to the story,

都隨著故事的進展而上上下下，

and now they are going up and down in a very similar way

波型都很類似。

across all listeners.

And in fact, this is exactly what is happening now in your brains

事實上，各位聽我講話的時候

這種現象也正在你的大腦裏發生；

when you listen to my sound speaking.

We call this effect "neural entrainment."

我們把這種現象稱為 「神經震盪同步化」效應。

And to explain to you what is neural entrainment,

為了要解釋什麼是 神經震盪同步化，

let me first explain what is physical entrainment.

讓我先解釋什麼是 「物理震盪同步化」。

So, we'll look and see five metronomes.

我們來看看這五個節拍器，

Think of these five metronomes as five brains.

把這五個節拍器想像成五個大腦。

And similar to the listeners before the story starts,

如同故事開始前的五位聽者一樣，

these metronomes are going to click,

這五個節拍器會開始打拍子，

but they're going to click out of phase.

但並不同步。

(Clicking)

（滴答聲）

Now see what will happen when I connect them together

現在來看一下，

by placing them on these two cylinders.

當我把它們放在這兩個圓筒上， 會發生甚麼事，

(Clicking)

（滴答聲）

Now these two cylinders start to rotate.

兩個圓筒開始滾動了。

This rotation vibration is going through the wood

圓筒滾動的振動，透過木板，

and is going to couple all the metronomes together.

把所有節拍器同步在一起，

And now listen to the click.

聽聽看現在的滴答聲。

(Synchronized clicking)

（同步的滴答聲）

這就是物理震盪同步化。

This is what you call physical entrainment.

Now let's go back to the brain and ask:

現在讓我們回到大腦，問一個問題：

What's driving this neural entrainment?

是什麽在驅動神經震盪同步化呢？

Is it simply the sounds that the speaker is producing?

是講者發出的聲音？

Or maybe it's the words.

還是所說的字彙？

Or maybe it's the meaning that the speaker is trying to convey.

還是講者想要表達的意思呢？

So to test it, we did the following experiment.

我們用以下的實驗來測試。

First, we took the story and played it backwards.

我們先將故事倒過來播放，

And that preserved many of the original auditory features,

這保留了很多原有的聽覺特徵，

but removed the meaning.

但是故事不再具有意義。

And it sounds something like that.

聽起來像這樣：

(Audio) JO: (Unintelligible)

（吉姆·奧格雷迪不知所云的聲音）

And we flashed colors in the two brains

在兩個大腦裡，我們用閃現的顏色

to indicate brain areas that respond very similarly across people.

來顯示相似腦區塊的回應。

And as you can see,

如你所見，進入耳朵的聲音，

this incoming sound induced entrainment or alignment in all of the brains

誘使所有受測者大腦內 處理聲音的聽覺皮層，全都同步了；

in auditory cortices that process the sounds,

but it didn't spread deeper into the brain.

但同步的現象並未深入大腦。

Now we can take these sounds and build words out of it.

然後我們把字彙加到聲音上。

So if we take Jim O'Grady and scramble the words,

若拼湊重組吉姆·奧格雷迪的用字，

we'll get a list of words.

我們會得到一長串詞彙。

(Audio) JO: ... an animal ... assorted facts ...

（吉姆·奧格雷迪的聲音） ...動物...事實上...

and right on ... pie man ... potentially ... my stories

就在......餡餅人... 可能......我的故事

UH: And you can see that these words start to induce alignment

(烏里·哈森：) 大家看到這些字開始對準了，

in early language areas, but not more than that.

但只發生在前期的語言區， 別的區沒對準。

Now we can take the words and start to build sentences out of them.

我們把這些字彙排成句子。

(Audio) JO: And they recommend against crossing that line.

（吉姆·雷迪的聲音） 他們建議不要逾越那條線。

He says: "Dear Jim, Good story. Nice details.

他說，「親愛的吉姆， 好故事。很詳細。」

Didn't she only know about him through me?"

「你不知道她是經由我 才認識他的嗎？」

UH: Now you can see that the responses in all the language areas

（烏里·哈森）：如同你們看到的

所有的人、 所有接收語言處理區 的回應都一致，或者很相似。

that process the incoming language

become aligned or similar across all listeners.

However, only when we use the full, engaging, coherent story

然而，只有當我們使用完整、 引人入勝、連貫的故事時，

do the responses spread deeper into the brain

反應才會進入大腦的深層區域，

into higher-order areas,

which include the frontal cortex and the parietal cortex,

包括額葉皮層和部分頂葉皮層，

and make all of them respond very similarly.

從而令所有人 都出現非常相似的反應。

And we believe that these responses in higher-order areas are induced

我們認為，聽眾這些相似的 大腦高層次區塊反應

or become similar across listeners

because of the meaning conveyed by the speaker,

是由講者的語意所觸發，

and not by words or sound.

並非文字或聲音本身。

And if we are right, there's a strong prediction over here

倘若推論正確， 那麼我們相當有把握，

if I tell you the exact same ideas

若以兩種截然不同的語言 講述同樣的想法，

using two very different sets of words,

your brain responses will still be similar.

大腦的反應仍然會近似。

And to test it, we did the following experiment in my lab.

為了測試，我們在實驗室裏 做了以下實驗。

We took the English story

我們把這個英語故事 翻譯成俄語。

and translated it to Russian.

Now you have two different sounds and linguistic systems

現在有了兩組不同的聲音 和語言系統

that convey the exact same meaning.

傳達完全相同的意思。

And you play the English story to the English listeners

讓英語聽眾聽英語故事，

and the Russian story to the Russian listeners,

俄語聽眾聽俄語的，

and we can compare their responses across the groups.

比較兩組人的反應。

And when we did that, we didn't see responses that are similar

當這樣做的時候，我們並沒有在 語言的聽覺皮層看到相似的反應，

in auditory cortices in language,

because the language and sound are very different.

因為語言和聲音迥異。

However, you can see that the responses in high-order areas

但是，兩組的高階區域 的反應仍然相似。

were still similar across these two groups.

We believe this is because they understood the story in a very similar way,

我們認為，這是因為他們都以 相當類似的方式來明瞭故事內容。

as we confirmed, using a test after the story ended.

故事結束後的測驗 證實了這一推論。

And we think that this alignment is necessary for communication.

我們認為有效溝通 必須有這樣的校準。

For example, as you can tell,

舉個例子，你們都聽得出來

I am not a native English speaker.

英語並不是我的母語。

I grew up with another language,

我在另一種語言環境中長大，

and the same might be for many of you in the audience.

你們當中很多人可能也是如此。

And still, we can communicate.

儘管如此，我們依然可以溝通，

How come?

為什麼呢？

We think we can communicate because we have this common code

我們認為，能溝通是因為 我們有表達語意的共通代碼。

that presents meaning.

So far, I've only talked about what's happening in the listener's brain,

到目前為止，我只談到 聽者大腦裡發生的情況，

in your brain, when you're listening to talks.

以及你聆聽時大腦內的情況。

But what's happening in the speaker's brain, in my brain,

但，講者腦內的情況，

when I'm speaking to you?

在我對你們說話時， 我的腦內是什麼情況呢？

To look in the speaker's brain,

為了觀察講者的大腦，

we asked the speaker to go into the scanner,

我們請求講者 進入儀器接受掃描，

we scan his brain

and then compare his brain responses to the brain responses of the listeners

然後比較他的大腦 和聽者聽故事時的大腦反應。

listening to the story.

You have to remember that producing speech and comprehending speech

要記得，發言和理解話語 的過程是大不相同的。

are very different processes.

Here we're asking: How similar are they?

我們可能會問：它們有多相似呢？

To our surprise,

令我們驚訝的是，

we saw that all these complex patterns within the listeners

我們看到，聽者之間的 所有這些複雜波形，

actually came from the speaker brain.

實際上都源自演講者的大腦。

So production and comprehension rely on very similar processes.

所以，講話和理解 倚賴非常類似的過程。

And we also found

我們也發現

the stronger the similarity between the listener's brain

聽者和講者的大腦越是近似，

and the speaker's brain,

the better the communication.

他們的溝通就越順暢。

So I know that if you are completely confused now,

所以我知道，如果你們 現在完全聽不懂我的話，

and I do hope that this is not the case,

我希望不會出現這種情況，

your brain responses are very different than mine.

那麼，你們的大腦反應 就會與我的非常不同。

But I also know that if you really understand me now,

但我也知道，若你此刻 真正理解我所說的，

then your brain ... and your brain ... and your brain

那麼，你的腦、你的腦，和你的腦，

are really similar to mine.

就會與我的非常相似。

Now, let's take all this information together and ask:

現在，綜合以上所有資訊 我們要問一個問題：

How can we use it to transmit a memory that I have

我們該如何利用它， 把我大腦中的記憶

from my brain to your brains?

傳送到你們的大腦中呢？

So we did the following experiment.

我們做了下列實驗。

We let people watch, for the first time in their life,

我們在受測者首次觀看 英國國家廣播公司的

a TV episode from the BBC series "Sherlock," while we scanned their brains.

「新世紀福爾摩斯」電視節目時， 掃描他們的腦部。

And then we asked them to go back to the scanner

然後我們讓他們回到掃描儀前

and tell the story to another person that never watched the movie.

把故事講給另一個 從沒看過這部電影的人聽。

So let's be specific.

具體來說，

Think about this exact scene,

想象一下這個場景：

when Sherlock is entering the cab in London

福爾摩斯坐進了 倫敦的一輛計程車，

driven by the murderer he is looking for.

而司機正是他尋找的兇手。

With me, as a viewer,

對我而言，做為一個觀眾，

there is a specific brain pattern in my brain when I watch it.

當我觀看時，腦中有種特定的圖像。

Now, the exact same pattern, I can reactivate in my brain again

現在，透過講述下列幾個詞語， 我的腦中再度激發出同樣的圖像：

by telling the word: Sherlock, London, murderer.

福爾摩斯、倫敦、兇手。

And when I'm transmitting these words to your brains now,

當我把這些字彙傳至你的大腦時，

you have to reconstruct it in your mind.

你必須在你的大腦裡重建圖像。

In fact, we see that pattern emerging now in your brains.

事實上，我們看到那些圖像 正在你腦中湧現。

And we were really surprised to see

我們當時相當驚訝，

that the pattern you have now in your brains

在我描述的時候，你的腦波

when I'm describing to you these scenes

would be very similar to the pattern I had when I watched this movie

跟我幾個月前看那部片子時 被掃描機掃到的腦波非常相似。

a few months ago in the scanner.

This starts to tell you about the mechanism

這正是我們說故事 和傳遞資訊時的機制。

by which we can tell stories and transmit information.

Because, for example,

因為，舉個例子來說，

now you're listening really hard and trying to understand what I'm saying.

此刻，你們聽得很辛苦， 嘗試想要理解我所說的話，

And I know that it's not easy.

我知道，那並不容易。

But I hope that at one point in the talk we clicked, and you got me.

但我希望在某個頓悟點， 我們同步了，你理解我所說的話了。

And I think that in a few hours, a few days, a few months,

我認為，過幾個小時、 幾天，或幾個月後，

you're going to meet someone at a party,

你在派對中遇見某人，

and you're going to tell him about this lecture,

跟他說起這個演講，

and suddenly it will be as if he is standing now here with us.

突然間，你會覺得，彷彿就像 他和我們一起站在這裏一樣。

Now you can see how we can take this mechanism

現在你明白了， 我們如何用這個機制

and try to transmit memories and knowledge across people,

來傳達人與人之間的記憶、知識，

which is wonderful, right?

很棒，對吧？

But our ability to communicate relies on our ability

但我們之間的溝通 仰賴於我們之間的共通點。

to have common ground.

Because, for example,

因為，舉例來說，

if I'm going to use the British synonym

如果我用英國的同義詞

"hackney carriage" instead of "cab,"

「出租馬車」取代「計程車」，

I know that I'm going to be misaligned with most of you in the audience.

大部分的聽眾就會無法與我同步， 矇了、茫然了。

This alignment depends not only on our ability

溝通的同步不僅取決於 我們對基本概念的理解能力，

to understand the basic concept;

it also depends on our ability to develop common ground and understanding

也倚賴我們有建立 共通點和理解的能力，

and shared belief systems.

及相同的信仰體系。

Because we know that in many cases,

因為我們知道，在許多情況下，

people understand the exact same story in very different ways.

人們以非常不同的方式， 來解讀完全同樣的故事。

So to test it in the lab, we did the following experiment.

因此，我們在實驗室裡 做下列的測試。

We took a story by J.D. Salinger,

我們採用法學博士塞林格 的一個故事，

in which a husband lost track of his wife in the middle of a party,

故事中，一個丈夫 在派對中與妻子失聯，

and he's calling his best friend, asking, "Did you see my wife?"

他打電話給最要好的朋友，問： 「你見到我太太了嗎？」

For half of the subjects,

半數的受測者被告知：

we said that the wife was having an affair with the best friend.

那個人的妻子與好友有染；

For the other half,

而另外一半則被告知：

we said that the wife is loyal and the husband is very jealous.

妻子很忠誠， 是丈夫的忌妒心太重。

This one sentence before the story started

故事開始前的一句話 就足以決定大腦的反應，

was enough to make the brain responses

of all the people that believed the wife was having an affair

所有相信妻子不忠的人， 大腦高階區的反應非常相似，

be very similar in these high-order areas

and different than the other group.

但與另一組人不同。

And if one sentence is enough to make your brain similar

如果一個句子足以讓你的大腦 與持相同看法的人相似

to people that think like you

and very different than people that think differently than you,

與持不同看法的人相異，

think how this effect is going to be amplified in real life,

那麼想想看，在現實生活中 這種效應會被放大到甚麼樣的程度？

when we are all listening to the exact same news item

當我們日復一日聽著由不同媒體 所報導的相同新聞，

after being exposed day after day after day

to different media channels, like Fox News or The New York Times,

例如《福斯新聞》或《紐約時報》，

that give us very different perspectives on reality.

造成我們對事實的觀點 有截然不同的看法。

So let me summarize.

因此，讓我總結一下。

If everything worked as planned tonight,

如果今晚一切按計劃進行，

I used my ability to vocalize sound to be coupled to your brains.

我可以用我的聲音 與你的大腦產生共鳴。

And I used this coupling

然後利用這種共鳴，

to transmit my brain patterns associated with my memories and ideas

把我大腦裡的記憶、想法圖像 傳至你的大腦。

into your brains.

In this, I start to reveal the hidden neural mechanism

在此，我向各位揭露了 我們神經溝通機制的秘密，

by which we communicate.

And we know that in the future it will enable us to improve

我們知道它可以改善 我們的溝通方式。

and facilitate communication.

But these studies also reveal

這些研究也表明，溝通依賴共同點，

that communication relies on a common ground.

And we have to be really worried as a society

身為社會一分子的我們必須得擔心，

if we lose this common ground and our ability to speak with people

我們是否已失去了這種共同點， 是否失去了與他人溝通的能力，

that are slightly different than us

because we let a few very strong media channels

因為我們放任少數的強勢媒體 控制了麥克風，

take control of the mic,

and manipulate and control the way we all think.

操縱了我們的想法。

And I'm not sure how to fix it because I'm only a scientist.

我只是個科學家， 不知如何解決這個問題。

But maybe one way to do it

但或許有個可行的方法，

is to go back to the more natural way of communication,

就是回復到自然的溝通方式，

which is a dialogue,

也就是對話：

in which it's not only me speaking to you now,

在談話中不是只有我對你講話，

but a more natural way of talking,

而是更自然的談話方式，

in which I am speaking and I am listening,

當我在說的時候，我同時也在聆聽，

and together we are trying to come to a common ground and new ideas.

我們一起試著達成共識和新想法。

Because after all,

因為，畢竟，

the people we are coupled to define who we are.

能與我們產生共鳴的人 定義了我們是什麼樣的人。

And our desire to be coupled to another brain

我們對另一個大腦 產生共鳴的基本渴望

is something very basic that starts at a very early age.

在年齡很小的時候就已經開始了。

So let me finish with an example from my own private life

最後，我用自己生活中的 一個例子作為結束，

that I think is a good example of how coupling to other people

我覺得這是一個很好的例子

is really going to define who we are.

說明了「共鳴」定義了我們是誰。

This my son Jonathan at a very early age.

這是我兒子喬納森 非常年幼的時候。

See how he developed a vocal game together with my wife,

看他與內人一起玩聲音的遊戲，

only from the desire and pure joy of being coupled to another human being.

僅僅源自渴望與他人 產生共鳴的單純喜悅。

(Both vocalizing)

（兩個人發聲）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, think how the ability of my son

想想看，我的兒子與他生命中 其他人共鳴的能力，

to be coupled to us and other people in his life

is going to shape the man he is going to become.

將會如何形塑出他未來的人格。

And think how you change on a daily basis

也想想看，

你平日與生命中其他人的互動， 如何改變了你。

from the interaction and coupling to other people in your life.

So keep being coupled to other people.

所以持續跟其他人產生共鳴。

Keep spreading your ideas,

持續分享你的想法，

because the sum of all of us together, coupled,

因為我們共鳴起來的總力量，

is greater than our parts.

遠遠勝過我們分開的個別力量。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）