The biology of our best and worst selves | Robert Sapolsky

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Chris Anderson: So Robert spent the last few years

克里斯安德森：過去幾年，羅勃

think about how weird human behavior is,

都在思考人類的行為有多怪異，

and how inadequate most of our language trying to explain it is.

以及我們試圖解釋這些行為 所用的語言有多麼不妥。

And it's very exciting to hear him explain some of the thinking behind it

能聽到他初次公開說明 這背後的一些想法，

in public for the first time.

是很讓人非常興奮的。

Over to you now, Robert Sapolsky.

接下來就交給羅勃薩波斯基。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Robert Sapolsky: Thank you.

羅勃薩波斯基：謝謝。

The fantasy always runs something like this.

幻想總是像這樣的：

I've overpowered his elite guard,

我擊敗了他的精英守衛，

burst into his secret bunker

闖入了他的秘密地下碉堡，

with my machine gun ready.

手持隨時待發的機關槍。

He lunges for his Luger.

他衝向他的盧格手槍，

I knock it out of his hand.

我把槍從他的手中擊落。

He lunges for his cyanide pill.

他衝向他的自殺藥丸，

I knock that out of his hand.

我把藥丸從他的手中擊落。

He snarls,

他咆哮起來，

comes at me with otherworldly strength.

以無比的力量衝向我。

We grapple, we fight,

我們扭打起來，

I manage to pin him down

我將他壓倒在地，

and put on handcuffs.

給他上了手銬。

"Adolf Hitler," I say,

我說：「阿道夫希特勒，

"I arrest you for crimes against humanity."

我以違反人性的罪名逮捕你。」

Here's where the Medal of Honor version of the fantasy ends

榮譽勳章版本的幻想於此結束，

and the imagery darkens.

影像漸漸暗去。

What would I do if I had Hitler?

如果我抓到希特勒，我會怎麼做？

It's not hard to imagine once I allow myself.

這並不難想像， 只要我允許我自己想像就可以。

Sever his spine at the neck.

把他的脊椎從頸部切斷、

Take out his eyes with a blunt instrument.

用鈍器挖出他的眼睛、

Puncture his eardrums. Cut out his tongue.

刺穿他的耳膜、 切掉他的舌頭、

Leave him alive on a respirator,

讓他靠著呼吸器活著，

tube-fed, not able to speak or move or see or hear, just to feel,

用鼻胃管餵食，不能說話、不能活動、 看不見、聽不到，只是有感覺，

and then inject him with something cancerous

然後對他注射致癌物質，

that's going to fester and pustulate

讓他身上潰爛和長膿皰，

until every cell in his body is screaming in agony,

直到他身上的每一個細胞 都在痛苦地哀號，

until every second feels like an eternity in hell.

直到每一秒都感覺像 在地獄裡的永恆。

That's what I would do to Hitler.

我會對希特勒如此做。

I've had this fantasy since I was a kid,

我從小就有這個幻想，

still do sometimes,

到現在仍然有時還會有。

and when I do, my heart speeds up --

在幻想時，我的心跳加快－－

all these plans for the most evil, wicked soul in history.

這些對史上最邪惡、惡毒的靈魂 所做的計畫。

But there's a problem,

但是有個問題，

which is I don't actually believe in souls or evil,

就是我其實不相信靈魂或邪惡，

and I think wicked belongs in a musical.

且我認為惡毒屬於音樂劇。 （註：Wicked 是一齣音樂劇的名字）

But there's some people I would like to see killed,

我樂見某些人死掉，

but I'm against the death penalty.

但是我反對死刑。

But I like schlocky violent movies,

我喜歡低成本的暴力電影，

but I'm for strict gun control.

但是我贊成嚴格管制槍械。

But then there was a time I was at a laser tag place,

但是有一次， 我在一個玩鐳射對戰的地方，

and I had such a good time hiding in a corner shooting at people.

我很享受躲在角落裡射擊人。

In other words, I'm your basic confused human when it comes to violence.

換句話說，談到暴力時， 基本上我是個很困惑的人。

Now, as a species, we obviously have problems with violence.

從整個物種的層面來看， 我們這物種顯然有暴力問題。

We use shower heads to deliver poison gas,

我們使用淋浴頭來噴毒氣，

letters with anthrax, airplanes as weapons,

用信件傳播炭疽桿菌，用飛機當武器， （註：2001 年美國有炭疽攻擊事件）

mass rape as a military strategy.

以大量強暴作為軍事戰略。

We're a miserably violent species.

我們是可悲暴力的物種。

But there's a complication,

但是有個複雜的枝節，

which is we don't hate violence,

那就是我們並不憎恨暴力，

we hate the wrong kind.

我們憎恨錯誤的暴力。

And when it's the right kind,

如果暴力是正確的，

we cheer it on, we hand out medals,

我們為它喝采，我們頒予勳章，

we vote for, we mate with our champions of it.

我們投票給他們， 我們想和當中最出類拔萃者交往。

When it's the right kind of violence,

如果暴力是正確的，

we love it.

我們喜愛它。

And there's another complication,

還有另一個枝節，

which is, in addition to us being this miserably violent species,

那就是，除了我們是非常暴力的物種，

we're also this extraordinarily altruistic, compassionate one.

我們也是極度利他、 有同理心的物種。

So how do you make sense of the biology of our best behaviors,

對於我們最好的行為、最不好的行為、

our worst ones and all of those ambiguously in between?

在兩者之間的模糊地帶的行為， 背後的生物學理論是什麼？

Now, for starters,

首先，

what's totally boring is understanding the motoric aspects of the behavior.

去了解行為的肌肉運動面向 是非常無聊的。

Your brain tells your spine, tells your muscles

你的大腦告訴你的脊椎， 告訴你的肌肉，

to do something or other,

去做某事或其他事，

and hooray, you've behaved.

然後，好哇～你就做出行為了。

What's hard is understanding the meaning of the behavior,

困難的是了解行為的意義，

because in some settings, pulling a trigger is an appalling act;

因為在某些狀況下， 扣下扳機是個駭人的行為；

in others, it's heroically self-sacrificial.

但在其他情況下， 那又是英勇自我犧牲的行為。

In some settings, putting your hand one someone else's

在某些狀況下， 將你的手放在別人的手上，

is deeply compassionate.

是表示深切的同情。

In others, it's a deep betrayal.

但在其他情況下， 那則是很嚴重的背叛。

The challenge is to understand

我們的挑戰是要了解

the biology of the context of our behaviors,

我們的行為情境背後的生物學，

and that's real tough.

而那是很難的。

One thing that's clear, though, is you're not going to get anywhere

但有一點很清楚，如果你認為會有

if you think there's going to be the brain region or the hormone

確切的大腦區域、激素、

or the gene or the childhood experience

基因、童年經驗

or the evolutionary mechanism that explains everything.

或進化機制能解釋一切， 那你是不會有進展的。

Instead, every bit of behavior has multiple levels of causality.

反之，每個行為背後都有多重原因。

Let's look at an example.

我們來看一個例子。

You have a gun.

你有一支槍。

There's a crisis going on:

有一個危機正在發生：

rioting, violence, people running around.

有群眾暴動，有人使用暴力， 人們跑來跑去。

A stranger is running at you in an agitated state --

一位陌生人很激動地跑向你——

you can't quite tell if the expression is frightened, threatening, angry --

你無法明確判斷他的表情是 害怕、威脅或生氣——

holding something that kind of looks like a handgun.

他手上拿著的東西 看起來像是一把槍。

You're not sure.

你不確定。

The stranger comes running at you

那個陌生人衝向你，

and you pull the trigger.

而你扣下扳機了。

And it turns out that thing in this person's hand

結果，這個人的手裡的東西

was a cell phone.

是一支手機。

So we asked this biological question:

所以我們問這個生物學問題：

what was going on that caused this behavior?

是什麼導致了這種行為？

What caused this behavior?

什麼導致了這種行為？

And this is a multitude of questions.

這是大哉問。

We start.

我們開始。

What was going on in your brain one second before you pulled that trigger?

你在扣下扳機前的一秒前， 你的腦子裡在想什麼？

And this brings us into the realm of a brain region called the amygdala.

這就將我們帶到大腦中 被稱為杏仁核的那一區了。

The amygdala, which is central to violence, central to fear,

杏仁核是暴力和恐懼的中心，

initiates volleys of cascades

它會啟動一連串的反應，

that produce pulling of a trigger.

造成你去扣扳機。

What was the level of activity in your amygdala one second before?

在前一秒鐘你的杏仁核的 活動度有多高？

But to understand that, we have to step back a little bit.

但要了解這點，我們必須後退一步。

What was going on in the environment seconds to minutes before

在幾秒鐘、幾分鐘前， 周遭的環境中發生了哪些

that impacted the amygdala?

會影響到杏仁核的事？

Now, obviously, the sights, the sounds of the rioting,

很顯然，是暴動的影象和聲音，

that was pertinent.

那是相關的。

But in addition,

但，此外，

you're more likely to mistake a cell phone for a handgun

如果那位陌生人是高大 且不同種族的男性，

if that stranger was male

你比較有可能

and large and of a different race.

將手機誤認為手槍。

Furthermore, if you're in pain,

再者，如果你正遭受痛苦，

if you're hungry, if you're exhausted,

如果你很飢餓，或是如果你累壞了，

your frontal cortex is not going to work as well,

你的前額葉皮質就不會運作得很好，

part of the brain whose job it is to get to the amygdala in time

是腦的那一部分負責 要及時聯絡杏仁核，

saying, "Are you really sure that's a gun there?"

並說：「你確定那是一把槍嗎？」

But we need to step further back.

但我們必須再退到更早以前。

Now we have to look at hours to days before,

我們必須看看幾小時、幾天前，

and with this, we have entered the realm of hormones.

這就帶我們進入了激素的領域了。

For example, testosterone,

例如，睪丸激素，

where regardless of your sex,

不管你的性別為何，

if you have elevated testosterone levels in your blood,

如果你血液中的睾丸激素升高了，

you're more likely to think a face with a neutral expression

你更有可能把表情中性的臉孔

is instead looking threatening.

當作具有威脅性。

Elevated testosterone levels, elevated levels of stress hormones,

睾丸激素升高，應激激素升高，

and your amygdala is going to be more active

會讓你的杏仁核更活躍，

and your frontal cortex will be more sluggish.

你的前額葉皮質會更遲鈍。

Pushing back further, weeks to months before,

再進一步推到幾週、幾個月前，

where's the relevance there?

這時的相關性是什麼？

This is the realm of neural plasticity,

有個叫神經可塑性的領域，

the fact that your brain can change in response to experience,

也就是你的大腦可以 根據經驗而改變。

and if your previous months have been filled with stress and trauma,

如果你前幾個月的生活 充滿壓力和創傷，

your amygdala will have enlarged.

你的杏仁核會擴大。

The neurons will have become more excitable,

神經元會變得比較容易興奮，

your frontal cortex would have atrophied,

前額葉皮質會萎縮，

all relevant to what happens in that one second.

這些都與扣扳機的那一秒有關聯。

But we push back even more, back years,

但我們再向前追溯到幾年前，

back, for example, to your adolescence.

比如，回到你的青春期。

Now, the central fact of the adolescent brain

青春期大腦的重要特色是，

is all of it is going full blast

除了前額葉皮質以外的部份，

except the frontal cortex,

都是馬力全開的狀態，

which is still half-baked.

前額葉皮質尚未成熟，

It doesn't fully mature until you're around 25.

要到大約 25 歲時它才會完全成熟。

And thus, adolescence and early adulthood

因此，青春期和成年前期

are the years where environment and experience sculpt your frontal cortex

是環境與經驗塑造 你的前額葉皮質的時期，

into the version you're going to have as an adult in that critical moment.

形成你在成年後 那一關鍵時刻的前額葉皮質。

But pushing back even further,

但再向前追溯，

even further back to childhood and fetal life

回到童年和胎兒期，

and all the different versions that that could come in.

以及可能形成的各式版本。

Now, obviously, that's the time that your brain is being constructed,

很顯然，這個時期 你的大腦正在被建造中，

and that's important,

那很重要，

but in addition, experience during those times

但除此之外，那些時期的經驗

produce what are called epigenetic changes,

會產生所謂的表觀遺傳變化，

permanent, in some cases,

在某些情況下，這些改變是永久性的，

permanently activating certain genes, turning off others.

會永久性地啟動某些基因、 關閉其他基因。

And as an example of this,

有一個例子可以說明。

if as a fetus you were exposed to a lot of stress hormones through your mother,

如果在胎兒時期，你接觸到 很多來自母親的應激激素，

epigenetics is going to produce your amygdala in adulthood

表觀遺傳學會造成 你在成年期的前額葉皮質，

as a more excitable form,

成為比較會激動的形式，

and you're going to have elevated stress hormone levels.

而你也將會有較高的應激激素。

But pushing even further back,

再向前追溯，

back to when you were just a fetus,

回到你只是胎兒時，

back to when all you were was a collection of genes.

回到你只是一堆基因時。

Now, genes are really important to all of this,

基因對這一切而言都很重要，

but critically, genes don't determine anything,

但關鍵是，基因不決定什麼，

because genes work differently in different environments.

因為在不同的環境中， 基因的運作會有所不同。

Key example here:

這裡有個重要的例子：

there's a variant of a gene called MAO-A,

有一種基因變體叫做 MAO-A（單胺氧化酶 A），

and if you have that variant,

如果你有那種基因，

you are far more likely to commit antisocial violence

你就非常有可能會做出 反社會的暴力行為，

if, and only if, you were abused as a child.

但前提是，你在孩提時被虐待過。

Genes and environment interact,

基因和環境會交互作用，

and what's happening in that one second before you pull that trigger

在你扣下扳機前一秒所發生的事，

reflects your lifetime of those gene-environment interactions.

反應出的是你一生中的 基因和環境的交互作用。

Now, remarkably enough, we've got to push even further back now,

現在，我們還要再向前追溯，

back centuries.

回到幾世紀前。

What were your ancestors up to.

你的祖先在做什麼？

And if, for example, they were nomadic pastoralists,

比如，他們是遊牧的放牧者，

they were pastoralists,

他們是放牧者，

people living in deserts or grasslands

住在沙漠或草原的人，

with their herds of camels, cows, goats,

帶著他們成群的駱駝、牛隻、山羊，

odds are they would have invented what's called a culture of honor

有可能他們發明了所謂的榮譽文化，

filled with warrior classes,

這種文化充滿了勇士階級、

retributive violence, clan vendettas,

懲罰式的暴力、家族世仇。

and amazingly, centuries later,

驚人的是，幾世紀之後，

that would still be influencing the values with which you were raised.

那仍然會影響到養育你的價值觀。

But we've got to push even further back,

但我們還要再向回追溯，

back millions of years,

再向前數百萬年，

because if we're talking about genes,

因為如果我們要談論基因，

implicitly we're now talking about the evolution of genes.

背後其實就是在談基因的演化。

And what you see is, for example,

比如，你所看見的這個，

patterns across different primate species.

是跨不同靈長數物種的模式。

Some of them have evolved for extremely low levels of aggression,

有些在演化之後的 侵略程度是極低的，

others have evolved in the opposite direction,

其他的演化方向則恰恰相反，

and floating there in between by every measure are humans,

而落在兩者之間的，就是人類，

once again this confused, barely defined species

這個困惑且幾乎不明確的物種，

that has all these potentials to go one way or the other.

會朝哪個方向偏移都是有可能的。

So what has this gotten us to?

所以這代表什麼？

Basically, what we're seeing here is,

基本上，我們在這裡所看到的是，

if you want to understand a behavior,

如果你想要了解一個行為，

whether it's an appalling one, a wondrous one,

不論是駭人的行為、 令人驚奇的行為，

or confusedly in between,

或在當中模糊地帶的行為，

if you want to understand that,

如果你想了解它，

you've got take into account what happened a second before

你需要考量的 是從一秒前發生了什麼，

to a million years before,

一直到數百萬年前發生了什麼，

everything in between.

中間的一切都要考量。

So what can we conclude at this point?

所以，在這個時點， 我們能下什麼結論？

Officially, it's complicated.

正式宣佈，這極為複雜。

Wow, that's really helpful.

哇，這實在太有幫助。

It's complicated,

這極為複雜，

and you'd better be real careful, real cautious

你最好要非常小心、非常謹慎，

before you conclude you know what causes a behavior,

不要輕易認定 你知道一個行為的成因，

especially if it's a behavior you're judging harshly.

特別是針對你在嚴厲評斷的行為。

Now, to me, the single most important point about all of this

對我來說，這一切當中 最重要的一點

is one having to do with change.

和改變有關。

Every bit of biology I have mentioned here can change in different circumstances.

我在這裡所提到的所有生物學

都有可能在不同的情況下有所改變。

For example, ecosystems change.

比如，生態系統會改變。

Thousands of years ago, the Sahara was a lush grassland.

數千年前，薩哈拉沙漠是蒼翠的草原。

Cultures change.

文化會改變。

In the 17th century, the most terrifying people in Europe were the Swedes,

十七世紀最可怕的歐洲人是瑞典人，

rampaging all over the place.

狂暴的行為遍及各處。

This is what the Swedish military does now.

現在，瑞典軍隊做的是這種事。

They haven't had a war in 200 years.

他們已經有兩百年沒有過戰爭了。

Most importantly,

最重要的是，

brains change.

大腦會改變。

Neurons grow new processes.

神經元會長出新的進程，

Circuits disconnect.

有些迴路會斷開，

Everything in the brain changes,

大腦中的一切都會改變，

and out of this come extraordinary examples of human change.

這就造成了人類改變的非凡例子。

First one:

第一個例子：

this is a man named John Newton,

這個人名叫約翰牛頓，

a British theologian

是位英國神學家，

who played a central role in the abolition of slavery from the British Empire

在 1800 年代前期大英帝國 廢除奴隸事件中

in the early 1800s.

扮演中心角色。

And amazingly, this man spent decades as a younger man

驚人的是，這個人年輕時

當了數十年的奴隸船船長，

as the captain of a slave ship,

and then as an investor in slavery,

接著又去當奴隸制度的投資者，

growing rich from this.

透過奴隸制度致富。

And then something changed.

接著，某樣東西改變了。

Something changed in him,

他內在的某樣東西改變了，

something that Newton himself celebrated in the thing that he's most famous for,

是牛頓自己頌讚的，他最著名的，

a hymn that he wrote:

是他所寫的聖歌：

"Amazing Grace."

《奇異恩典》。

This is a man named Zenji Abe on the morning of December 6, 1941,

1941 年 12 月 6 日早上， 這位名叫安倍普三的人，

about to lead a squadron of Japanese bombers to attack Pearl Harbor.

準備要帶領一個日本 轟炸機小隊去攻擊珍珠港。

And this is the same man 50 years later to the day

這是同一個人在五十年後，

hugging a man who survived the attack on the ground.

擁抱當年地面上被轟炸的倖存者。

And as an old man,

安倍到了這麼年邁時，

Zenji Abe came to a collection of Pearl Harbor survivors

他在珍珠港辦的一個儀式中，

at a ceremony there

向許多當年的生還者，

and in halting English apologized for what he had done as a young man.

用結結巴巴的英語， 針對他年輕時所做的道歉。

Now, it doesn't always require decades.

不見得總要幾十年的時間，

Sometimes, extraordinary change could happen in just hours.

有時非凡的改變 可能在幾小時內就會發生。

Consider the World War I Christmas truce of 1914.

試想 1914 年第一次世界大戰的 聖誕節休戰，

The powers that be had negotiated a brief truce

通過談判達成短暫的休戰，

so that soldiers could go out,

士兵可以出去，

collect bodies from no-man's-land in between the trench lines.

在兩戰壕間的無人之地撿回屍體。

And soon British and German soldiers

很快地，英國和德國士兵

were doing that,

就這麼做了，

and then helping each other carry bodies,

他們還協助彼此搬運屍體，

and then helping each other dig graves in the frozen ground,

協助彼此在冰凍之地挖墓地，

and then praying together,

然後一起禱告，

and then having Christmas together and exchanging gifts,

一起過聖誕節，交換禮物，

and by the next day, they were playing soccer together

等到隔天，他們已經 在一起踢足球了，

and exchanging addresses so they could meet after the war.

交換地址，這樣在戰後才能再見面。

That truce kept going until the officers had to arrive

這段休戰一直持續著， 直到軍官抵達，

and said, "We will shoot you

說：「你們要繼續回去跟對方廝殺，

unless you go back to trying to kill each other."

不然我們就會射殺你。」

And all it took here was hours

在這個事件中只花了幾小時，

for these men to develop a completely new category of "us,"

這些人就發展出了 全新的「我們」定義，

all of us in the trenches here

是所有在戰壕中的我們，

on both sides, dying for no damn reason,

不論哪一方，沒有原因就送死的人；

and who is a "them," those faceless powers behind the lines

也重新定義了「他們」， 那些躲在戰線後的掌權者，

who were using them as pawns.

用這些士兵當棋子的人。

And sometimes, change can occur in seconds.

有時，改變會在幾秒間就發生。

Probably the most horrifying event in the Vietnam War

在越戰中最可怕的事件應該就是

was the My Lai Massacre.

美萊村屠殺。

A brigade of American soldiers

美軍的一個軍旅

went into an undefended village full of civilians

進入一個沒有防禦的村子， 村中都是平民，

and killed between 350 and 500 of them,

他們屠殺了 350 到 500 人，

mass-raped women and children,

大量強暴了女人和孩童，

mutilated bodies.

破壞屍體。

It was appalling.

這事件十分駭人聽聞。

It was appalling because it occurred, because the government denied it,

這事件十分駭人聽聞，因為 它發生了，因為政府否認了，

because the US government eventually did nothing more than a slap on the wrist,

因為美國政府最後的處理等同於 在自己的手腕上打一下那麼輕微，

and appalling because it almost certainly was not a singular event.

這事件十分駭人聽聞，因為幾乎 可肯定它不是單一事件。

This man, Hugh Thompson, this is the man who stopped the My Lai Massacre.

這個人，休湯普森， 阻止了美萊村屠殺。

He was piloting a helicopter gunship,

他駕駛一架武裝直升機，

landed there, got out

降落在當地，下了直升機，

and saw American soldiers shooting babies,

看見美國士兵在射殺幼兒，

shooting old women,

射殺老女人，

figured out what was going on,

他明白發生了什麼事，

and he then took his helicopter

然後他駕著直升機，

and did something that undid his lifetime of conditioning

做了一件事，這事推翻了他這一生

對於誰是「我們」 誰是「他們」的判定。

as to who is an "us" and who is a "them."

He landed his helicopter

他把他的直升機降落在

in between some surviving villagers and American soldiers

存活居民和美國士兵中間，

and he trained his machine guns on his fellow Americans,

他把他的重機槍對準了 他的美國同伴，

and said, "If you don't stop the killing, I will mow you down."

說：「如果你們不停止殺戮， 我會把你們全消滅。」

Now, these people are no more special than any of us.

這些人並沒有比我們任何人還特別，

Same neurons, same neurochemicals,

同樣的神經元、同樣的神經化學物質、

same biology.

同樣的生物學。

What we're left with here is this inevitable cliche:

最後我們剩下這無可避免的老調：

"Those who don't study history are destined to repeat it."

「不研讀歷史的人 注定會重蹈覆轍。」

What we have here is the opposite of it.

我們這裡的狀況卻完全相反。

Those who don't study the history of extraordinary human change,

那些不研讀非凡人類變化歷史的人，

those who don't study the biology of what can transform us

那些不研讀生物學——

什麼能把最糟作為轉化為 最佳作為的生物學——的人，

from our worst to our best behaviors,

those who don't do this are destined not to be able

那些不這麼做的人，注定不能夠

to repeat these incandescent, magnificent moments.

重覆這些燦爛偉大的時刻。

So thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

CA: Talks that really give you a new mental model about something,

克里斯安德森：有些演說真的能帶給 我們對某些事物的新心理模型，

those are some of my favorite TED Talks,

我最喜歡這類的 TED 演說，

and we just got one.

這場就是其中之一。

Robert, thank you so much for that. Good luck with the book.

羅勃，非常謝謝你。 祝你的新書順利。

That was amazing,

這演說太棒了，

and we're going to try and get you to come here in person one year.

將來我們一定要找一年 邀請你親自到這裡來演說。

Thank you so much.

非常謝謝你。

RS: Thank you. Thank you all.

羅勃薩波斯基：謝謝你，謝謝大家。