Are Your Coping Mechanisms Healthy? | Andrew Miki | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

What do you think is the connection between a pigeon's ability to count

各位認為鴿子的數數能力 和人類的心理健康之間

and human mental health?

有什麼關聯？

The answer has to do with learned behaviors.

答案與習得的行為有關。

When I was on the path to becoming a clinical psychologist,

在成為臨床心理學家的過程中，

我的職涯轉向了 動物認知和神經科學。

my career veered in the direction of animal cognition and neuroscience.

I found myself teaching pigeons to count using a process called shaping.

我開始教鴿子數數，用的 是一種叫做「塑造」的過程，

You start by giving it some food every time it looks at a touchscreen.

一開始，每當鴿子看向 觸控螢幕，就給牠一些食物。

This creates connections in its brain that become stronger over time,

這會在牠的大腦中創造連結， 且隨時間這連結會變得更強，

even as rules become more complex.

即使規則變得更複雜也一樣。

So just like teaching a dog to stay,

這就像教導狗待在原地一樣，

I eventually trained the pigeon to peck at a red square

最後，我成功訓練鴿子在看到 兩次閃光時去啄紅色的方塊，

when it saw two flashes of light

and a green square when it saw three.

看到三次時則去啄綠色的方塊。

I now had a pigeon that could count.

我現在有一隻會數數的鴿子了。

(Cheers and laughter)

（歡呼和笑聲）

This process happens gradually,

這個過程是漸進式的，

day after day,

日復一日，

直到習得的行為變成習慣。

until that learned behavior becomes a habit.

I've worked in mental health over 25 years,

我在心理健康領域工作 超過二十五年，

我了解到，就像鴿子一樣，

and I've learned that just like the pigeon,

our brains reinforce certain habits

我們的大腦也會強化某些習慣

or coping mechanisms

或因應機制，

that help us feel better in the moment.

讓我們在當下感覺好一些。

I’ve seen thousands of educators, health care workers

我見過數以千計的教育者、

醫療照護工作者，

and first responders rely on coping mechanisms

和第一線急救人員依靠著因應機制，

like procrastination,

比如：拖延、

overusing their smartphones

過度使用智慧手機，

or working harder through a tough time.

或在艱難時期更加努力工作。

This can backfire and train them to become anxious and depressed.

這可能會造成反效果， 反而使他們變得焦慮又憂鬱。

舉例來說，各位是否會 不斷滑手機看社群媒體，

For example, do you scroll endlessly on social media

instead of getting to that task that fills you with anxiety or dread?

而不是去做那個讓你 滿心焦慮或恐懼的工作任務？

Or late at night,

或者，在深夜，

do you get a dopamine hit when you click on the next episode button?

按下「下一集」按鈕是否 會讓你獲得多巴胺的刺激？

Procrastination can feel good at the time,

拖延可能讓你當下感覺良好，

but oh, the next day is going to be a real grind.

但，隔天可就苦了啊。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

These coping mechanisms help us feel better in the moment,

這些因應機制讓我們 在當下感覺好一些，

so it is not crazy that we do them.

所以會想這樣做並不荒唐。

But if we kept repeating them

但，若我們不斷重複這麼做，

and wonder why we're still stressed or anxious or burnt out,

卻納悶為什麼我們仍然 很緊張、焦慮，或倦怠，

then what we're doing might be insane.

那我們的作為就可以說是瘋狂的了。

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again

瘋狂就是一遍又一遍 重複做同樣的事情，

卻期待得到不同的回應。

and expecting a different response.

Now we might not be aware of our own insane patterns,

我們可能不會意識到 自己的瘋狂模式，

but chances are we all have them, myself included.

但很可能，大家都有這類模式，

包括我自己在內。

The good news is that if we understand our unhelpful coping mechanisms,

好消息是，如果我們了解 這些因應機制對自己無益，

we can all unlearn them to improve our mental health.

我們就能擺脫這些習得行為， 改善心理健康。

Now I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned from being a father.

現在我想跟大家分享 我當父親，學到了什麼。

My awesome daughter Natalia is now a teenager,

我很優秀的女兒娜塔莉亞 現在已經是青少女了，

but luckily for her,

但她很幸運，

having a psychologist as a father

老爸是心理學家，

means that I've worked hard to shape the connections in her brain.

意味著我很努力 塑造她大腦中的連結。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So she understands that the '90s grunge music

所以她明白九○年代的油漬搖滾音樂

is the absolute peak of all music ever.

是有史以來音樂的絕對巔峰。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

My goal is for Natalia to be self-confident,

我的目標是讓娜塔莉亞有自信，

because I’ve never had a patient with clinical anxiety or depression

因為我從沒見過病人 患有焦慮或憂鬱症，

also have high self-confidence at the same time.

同時也擁有高度的自信。

Anxiety erodes confidence.

焦慮會腐蝕信心。

We tend to overestimate the amount of danger that we're in

我們往往會高估 我們所面臨的危險程度，

and underestimate our ability to cope.

並低估我們因應的能力。

With depression, we end up beating ourselves up

我們會很憂鬱，不斷自責， 最後覺得自己毫無價值

to the point that we feel worthless and hopeless.

且毫無希望。

但克服憂鬱和焦慮之後， 人的自信就會增長。

But as people overcome depression and anxiety,

their self-confidence grows.

They begin to talk to themselves like a coach

他們開始像教練而不是 批評者一樣，與自己對話，

instead of a critic

to see how threats can become opportunities.

討論要如何把危機變成轉機。

大約五年前，

About five years ago,

Natalia desperately wanted a smartphone,

娜塔莉亞非常想要一支智慧手機，

but I saw this as a threat to her self-confidence.

但我認為這會威脅到她的自信。

While she would plead her case over dinner,

當她在晚餐時間為自己辯護時，

我向她靠近，說：「嘿，

I'd lean over to her and say, "Hey,

do you generally feel pretty good about yourself?"

你的自我感覺通常還不錯吧？」

她說：「是啊。」

And she'd say, "Yeah."

"Are you anxious?"

「你焦慮嗎？」

"No, not compared to some of the people I know."

「不，和我認識的 一些人相比並沒有。」

"Well, all of the research shows that the more kids are on a smartphone,

「嗯，所有研究都顯示， 孩子越常使用智慧手機

the more anxious and depressed they become.

就會變得越焦慮和憂鬱。

So do you want to be less confident and more anxious?"

你想變得不那麼自信， 而且更焦慮嗎？」

Then I'd watch her face change from that youthful optimism

接著我看著她的表情變化，

從年輕的樂觀

to the cold reality that it just wasn't going to happen.

轉變為「這不可能發生」的冷酷現實。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Once Natalia finally got her smartphone,

當娜塔莉亞終於拿到她的智慧手機，

I could see how she was becoming like many of us,

我看到她和許多人一樣，

who use it as a coping mechanism to seek reassurance.

開始用它來作為因應機制，尋求慰藉。

For example,

比如，

imagine you’re meeting a friend for dinner at 7pm

想像你約了朋友 晚上七點碰面吃晚餐，

and they haven't arrived.

而朋友還沒到。

You start to worry.

你開始擔心。

Am I in the right place?

我來對地方了嗎？

Did they forget?

他們忘記了嗎？

Are they OK?

他們還好嗎？

As the uncertainty increases, you start to feel anxious.

隨著不確定性增加， 你開始感到焦慮。

You fidget, you feel butterflies,

你坐立不安，感到緊張，

maybe a little uncomfortable.

也許還有點不舒服。

Eventually, you pull out your phone to get reassurance

最終，你掏出手機，想消除疑慮，

by texting your friend "Where are you?"

發了「你在哪？」的訊息給朋友。

When they respond "Just parked,"

當他們回應「剛停好車」時，

your worry and anxiety is washed away and you feel better.

你的擔憂和焦慮就消失了， 你也感覺好多了。

Now if you sat with that discomfort

如果你忍受著那種 不舒服和不確定感，

and uncertainty,

you'd strengthen your resilience to anxiety.

你會強化你對焦慮的韌性。

There's a network in our brains that's like a muscle.

我們的大腦中 有個像肌肉一樣的網絡。

It gets a workout every time we sit

每當我們忍受著焦慮感和擔憂的 念頭時，就在鍛鍊這個網路。

with anxious sensations and worrisome thoughts.

But most of us don't sit with it.

但大多數人都不會忍受。

Instead, we look for reassurance and instant relief by texting.

我們會改用發訊息的方式 來尋求慰藉和立即的緩解。

So just like the pigeon that learned to count,

因此，就像學數數的鴿子一樣，

our smartphones can train us to become more anxious

每當我們使用智慧手機尋求慰藉時，

every time we use them to seek reassurance.

這可能使我們變得更焦慮。

The danger of our coping mechanisms

我們的因應機制有個危險之處， 就是當下會覺得它們很合理。

is that they make sense at the time,

but they go undetected until we hit a perfect storm,

但我們一直未察覺， 直到遇上完美的風暴，

這時候，似乎人生所有事都出錯，

a time in our lives when it seems like everything is going wrong

and the energy in our internal batteries becomes depleted.

而我們的內在能量也已經耗盡。

For example,

比如，

let's say over the past six months

假設過去六個月，

Natalia's friends have treated her horribly.

娜塔莉亞的朋友對她很糟。

She got cut from her soccer team,

她被足球隊除名，

and our family dog died.

我們家的狗死了。

This perfect storm depletes her internal battery to 40 percent,

這場完美的風暴讓她的 內在能量消耗到剩 40％，

and she no longer feels like herself.

且她不再感覺像自己了。

When she gets a bad report card,

當她拿到很糟糕的成績單，

Natalia will revert to another coping mechanism:

娜塔莉亞就會回復到 另一種因應機制：

to work harder through a tough time.

在艱難的時期加倍努力。

This has helped her succeed in the past,

這招在過去曾幫助她取得成功，

but with a depleted battery,

但由於能量已大量消耗，

she just can't get things back on track.

她就是無法讓一切回到正軌上。

This reinforces negative thoughts.

這會強化她負面的念頭。

"What's wrong with me?"

「我是怎麼搞的？」

"Oh, nothing is working."

「哎，什麼都行不通。」

"I'm such a loser."

「我真是個失敗者。」

Every time Natalia has these thoughts,

每當娜塔莉亞有這些念頭，

她大腦中的自我批評肌肉 就會變得更強大，

the self-critical muscles in her brain become stronger,

her self confidence crashes and her depression grows.

她的自信心隨之崩壞，

憂鬱增長。

If Natalia is like most of us,

假設納塔莉亞就像我們多數人，

what can we do to break these patterns and improve our self confidence?

那我們能做什麼，來打破這些模式，

提升自信？

Well, if it was physical fitness,

嗯，如果為了身體健康，

we'd all have to start moving more.

我們都得多動一動。

The mental fitness equivalent is to talk more.

換成心理健康，那就是多說說話。

The issue is that there's still a lot of stigma attached to mental health.

問題是，心理健康仍然 和許多汙名連在一起。

We tend to keep our struggles to ourselves

我們往往只會把自己的難處藏在心底，

because we're afraid that we'll be seen as weak

因為我們怕自己會被視為軟弱無能。

or incapable.

We need to change this narrative

要改變這種狀況，生活中 我們得更常談論這些議題。

by talking more about the issues in our lives.

By talking,

通過談論，我們可以發現 自己某些因應機制是無益的，

we uncover our unhelpful coping mechanisms,

and that awareness is the first step to unlearning them.

這個覺察就是擺脫它們的第一步。

Now here’s the sobering truth:

實際的現實是：

mental health is complicated and nuanced.

心理健康很複雜且細膩。

You are all unique,

大家都是獨一無二的，

and your behaviors have been shaped over a long time,

各位的行為都是長時間形塑出來的，

so I can't tell you what's best for you in your situation

所以若沒多了解你，我無法告訴你 在你的情況下怎樣對你最好。

without knowing more about you.

反之，我希望能鼓舞各位， 現在就花些時間

Instead, I hope to inspire you

to take the time right now to learn more about yourself.

進一步多了解自己。

And you can start by asking yourself these two questions.

首先，你可以先問自己這兩個問題。

First, what do you do when you feel stressed, anxious or sad?

第一：

當你感到緊張、焦慮， 或悲傷時，你會怎麼做？

And second, have these feelings gotten better or worse over time?

第二：

這些感覺是隨時間改善或惡化？

如果答案是惡化，

If the answer is worse,

then you're relying on an unhelpful coping mechanism.

那麼你所依靠的因應機制 就是沒有助益的。

Just like the pigeon that learned to count,

就像學會數數的鴿子一樣，

our brains have an amazing capacity to build new connections

我們的大腦有驚人的能力， 可以建立新連結，

and unlearn unhelpful habits by trying something new.

和擺脫無益的習慣， 做法就是嘗試新事物。

It could be learning new strategies, like sitting with your anxiety.

可以學習新策略，如忍受焦慮。

Breathe to take the edge off.

可以深呼吸，來緩解壓力。

Or my favorite,

或者，我最愛的，

balance your thoughts to become more self-confident.

平衡你的念頭，變得更自信。

It all starts with us talking more about our own patterns of insanity

一切的開始在於我們更常 談論自己的瘋狂模式，

and admitting that we all have them.

並承認我們都有這類模式。

Even as '90s grunge psychologists.

九○年代的油漬搖滾 心理學家也不例外。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）