Richard Wilkinson: The link between inequality and anxiety | TED

Transcriber:

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Yi-Ping Cho (Marssi)

I'm sure you've noticed the difference between posed photographs

我相信各位看得出這兩者的區別：

擺姿勢的照片

and pictures taken of people who are unaware of the camera.

以及被拍攝者不知道 有相機在時拍下的照片。

The pictures where people are unaware --

被拍攝者不知情的照片——

they often look like this.

通常會像這樣。

This picture was taken in central London.

這張照片攝於倫敦市中心。

People in the prime of life,

都是壯年人，

and yet everyone there looks haggard, depressed, anxious.

但每個人看起來卻都很憔悴、

沮喪、焦慮。

Some of them look quite angry. Not a smile to be seen.

有些人看起來頗生氣。

看不到任何微笑。

And yet, if you look at pictures of people posed,

但如果去看刻意擺姿勢拍攝的照片，

they put their arms around each other,

大家會把手臂搭在彼此身上，

as in this picture.

就像這張照片。

They smile.

他們會笑。

That's, I think, how we'd like to be seen,

我想，那是我們希望 別人看見的樣子，

how we think we should be together.

我們認為我們在一起應該要這樣。

不幸的是，資料呈現的卻不同。

Unfortunately, the data tells a different story.

In the UK, surveys have shown that 74 percent of adults

調查指出，英國有 74% 的成人

have felt so stressed or overwhelmed and unable to cope,

感到非常有壓力 或無法招架且無能為力，

32 percent have had suicidal thoughts,

32% 有過自殺的念頭，

16 percent have actually self-harmed.

16% 真的傷害過自己。

In the USA, the picture's very similar:

美國的狀況也差不多：

79 percent felt stressed every day,

79% 的人每天都覺得壓力很大，

and almost 60 percent have felt paralyzed by stress.

近 60%

覺得被壓力壓到動彈不得。

When there are new figures that come out in the media

當媒體報導出新數據，

showing levels of stress, depression, self-harm,

呈現出壓力、憂鬱、自我傷害、

drug abuse, eating disorders,

藥物濫用、飲食失調的狀況，

what's the response?

得到的回應是什麼？

就只是要求更多的服務、

It's simply to demand more services,

more psychotherapists, more psychologists, more psychiatrists.

更多心理諮商師、更多心理學家、

更多精神科醫師。

It's as if a large majority of the population

就好像是人口當中有很大一部分

were being seriously injured

都受了重傷，

and instead of finding out what’s going wrong,

我們卻沒有去了解出了什麼問題，

we simply want more surgeons to stitch them up.

而是只想要更多外科醫師 來幫他們縫合。

The crucial question we must ask is: Why is this happening?

我們必須要問這個重要的問題：

為什麼會發生這種現象？

Why even in rich countries?

為什麼連富裕的國家也有這種現象？

I'm an epidemiologist,

我是流行病學家， 意思就是，我的職涯都在

which means I've spent my career doing research

on the causes of health and illness in populations.

研究是什麼使人民健康和生病。

And I want to show you that inequality is a really powerful cause

我想要跟各位說明， 不平等是個非常強大的因素，

of higher levels of anxiety and mental distress,

會導致高度焦慮和精神痛苦、

unhappiness, depression.

不開心、憂鬱。

I'd like you to cast your minds back

我想請大家回想一下過去

to when you've felt anxious, embarrassed, nervous in front of other people,

你在別人面前感到焦慮、

尷尬、緊張的經驗，

the social exposure,

在社交互動中，

maybe when you're making a speech

也許是你在演說時，

or going to a party where you don't know anyone.

或者去參加一場派對 卻不認識那裡的任何人。

But all sorts of situations where we face the threat of being seen negatively

但，在各式各樣的情境中，

只要我們會面臨

被負面看待的威脅，

cause these sorts of emotions.

就會引起這些情緒。

This graph is a summary of hundreds of studies

這張圖整合了數百項研究，

of exposing people to different kinds of stress

這些研究是在測量 人遇到不同類型的壓力時，

壓力荷爾蒙會有什麼改變，

while measuring what happens to their stress hormones,

principally cortisol, a central stress hormone.

主要是可體松， 很關鍵的壓力荷爾蒙。

And what it shows is that what most pushes up our levels of stress hormones

這張圖顯示，會讓 壓力荷爾蒙上升的因素

are what is called "social evaluative threat" --

是所謂的「社會評價威脅」——

threats to self-esteem or social status,

對自尊或社會地位的威脅，

where others can negatively judge your performance.

別人可能會對你的表現 有負面的評斷。

So although these social stresses are widely recognized

雖然這些社會壓力已被廣為承認，

and we're all familiar with them,

且我們都很熟悉它們，

people fail to see how inequality makes them worse for all of us.

大家卻看不出來不平等會讓我們 所有人得面臨更嚴重的社會壓力。

In this slide,

在這張投影片中，

along the bottom, you've got different income groups,

底部呈現不同的收入階層，

from the poorest tenth of the population on the left

最左邊是人口中最貧窮的 10%， 最富裕的在最右邊。

to the richest on the right.

And up the side,

側邊這一排

you've got a measure of status anxiety,

是對身分焦慮做的測量，

how worried people are about how they're seen and judged by others.

即，大家有多擔心 別人怎麼看待、評斷自己。

The top line shows levels of status anxiety across all income groups

最上面的線

是各收入層級的身分焦慮程度，

in the more unequal societies.

且是在比較不平等的社會中。

And the bottom line shows the much lower levels of status anxiety

最下面的線顯示， 在比較平等的社會中，

in the more equal societies.

身分焦慮的程度低很多。

I think what we're dealing with is whether we live in societies

我想，我們要處理的是，

我們所居住的社會是否 有這麼陡的社會階層，

with a very steep social hierarchy like that,

or a much shallower one like that.

或者是像這樣平緩許多？

If you like: bigger material differences between us

也可以說：

我們之間的物質差距越大，

increase the social distances

社會距離也會越大，

and those feelings of superiority and inferiority,

優越感和自卑感也會增加，

and that makes a big difference to social relationships within society.

那就會大大影響到

社會當中的社會關係。

身分和階級變得更重要。

Status and class become more important.

We're less likely to marry people with a different class background.

我們比較不會和不同 階級背景的人結婚。

Community life, as I've said, drops away, and violence also goes up,

如我先前所言，共同體生活會消失，

暴力會增加，

because violence is triggered by people feeling looked down on.

因為施加暴力的人通常是感到

自己是被看扁的人， 覺得沒面子、不被尊重、

Loss of face, disrespected, humiliated --

被羞辱——

those are the triggers of violence.

這些因素會觸發暴力。

And of course, for people who are more sensitive to status issues,

當然，對於身分議題特別敏感的人，

violence is triggered more often.

又更容易動粗。

Consumerism also goes up,

消費主義也會提升，

because we're all trying to enhance our self-presentation.

因為大家都要試著強化自我呈現。

All sorts of measures of social interaction

各種關於社交互動的測量指標

show the whole social structure becoming more ossified with inequality.

都指出整個社會結構的 不平等變得更僵化。

Social mobility goes down,

社會流動性下降，

and with that, we're even further away from the equal opportunities

因此，我們更遠離了我們號稱要努力

which we claim to be trying to provide for children.

提供給孩子的平等機會。

So inequality isn't just about unfairness or poverty.

所以，不平等不僅僅是指 不公平或貧困而已。

It puts us in social relationships,

不平等還會把我們放入社會關係中，

relationships of superiority and inferiority.

優越感和自卑感的關係中。

It ranks us from better to worse.

不平等會將我們排名，從優到劣。

It's a really invidious process,

這真的是個會讓人反感的過程，

且會讓人有位在底層的自卑感。

and it creates those feelings of inferiority at the bottom.

It makes us judge each other more by social status, and with that,

會讓我們更用社會地位來評斷彼此，

隨之而來的，

we become more worried about how we are seen and judged by others.

就是我們更擔心別人 怎麼看待、評斷我們。

There are two common responses

當我們擔心別人怎麼看待、

to feeling so worried about how we're seen and judged.

評斷我們時，常見的反應有兩種。

One is that you almost accept your inferiority,

一種是你會幾乎接受你不如人，

low self-esteem, lack of confidence.

低自尊、缺乏信心。

You withdraw from social life because you find it all too difficult,

你會從社交生活退縮回來， 因為你覺得太困難了，

and you become more vulnerable to depression.

你會更容易感到憂鬱。

And indeed, rates of depression are higher in more unequal societies.

的確，在比較不平等的社會中， 憂鬱的比例也比較高。

The other common response is almost exactly the opposite.

另一種常見反應

幾乎是完全相反的反應。

If you're worried about what people think of you, you talk yourself up.

如果你擔心別人怎麼看你，

你會吹捧你自己。

You big yourself up. You flaunt your abilities and achievements.

你會放大自己。 你會炫耀你的能力和成就。

You become narcissistic instead of modest.

你會變得自我感覺良好而不是謙虛。

We see that, too, in more unequal societies.

也會在比較不平等的社會中 看到這種現象。

This next graph is from a study of what psychologists call self-enhancement.

下一張圖出自一項研究， 主題是心理學家所謂的自我膨脹。

People in different countries are asked

研究詢問不同國家的人，

how they think they compare to the average on different characteristics.

在不同的特質上，他們認為

自己和平均相比如何。

And what it shows is, in more unequal societies, people big themselves up,

結果顯示，在比較不平等的社會中，

人民會放大自己，

They think they're better at things;

他們高估自己的擅長程度。 他們用誇大的方式呈現自己。

they present themselves in an exaggerated way.

They become narcissistic.

他們變得自我感覺良好。

It's like everyone thinking they're better drivers than average.

就好像每個人都認為 自己的開車能力在平均之上。

That tendency is greater in more unequal societies.

在比較不平等的社會中， 這種傾向會比較強。

Mental illness is also worse in more unequal countries,

在比較不平等的國家中， 心理疾病也比較嚴重，

because mental illness is often triggered or exacerbated

因為心理疾病的觸發或加劇，

by issues to do with dominance and subordination,

通常和主導及順從、

優越與自卑的議題有關。

superiority and inferiority.

There was a recent study of the 36 OECD countries

最近有一項研究

調查了經濟合作與發展組織的 三十六個國家，

showing a tight correlation between levels of inequality in those societies

發現那些社會中的不平等程度

and the 10 most common mental disorders.

和十種最常見的心理疾病有密切關係。

I think the saddest part of this is that studies of happiness and well-being,

我想，最讓人感傷的

就是關於快樂和幸福的研究，

以及關於健康的研究，

studies of health, too,

show that one of the most important determinants

都發現最重要的決定因素之一

is the quality of our social relationships,

就是我們社會關係的品質、

our social environment,

社會環境的品質、

our friendships.

友誼的品質。

And that is where inequality does its greatest damage.

那正是不平等最能造成傷害之處。

To address this heavy burden of depression, anxiety,

若要處理這個重擔，

包括憂鬱、焦慮、心理疾病、

mental illness, self-harm,

自我傷害，

what we have to do is reduce the levels of inequality in society

我們需要做的是減少

社會上不平等的程度，

that divide us from each other.

避免讓我們被分裂。

Inequality is, in a sense, the enemy between us.

在某種層面上，不平等 是我們之間的敵人。