The secret to living longer may be your social life | Susan Pinker

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Miriam Chiu

Here's an intriguing fact.

告訴你們一個有趣的事實。

In the developed world,

在已開發國家，

everywhere, women live an average of six to eight years longer than men do.

不論在哪，女性的平均壽命 都比男性高出六到八年。

Six to eight years longer.

高出六到八年。

That's, like, a huge gap.

那是個很大的落差。

In 2015, the "Lancet" published an article

在 2015 年，「刺胳針」 刊出了一篇文章，

showing that men in rich countries

在富有的國家中，比起女人，

are twice as likely to die as women are

男人的死亡可能性是兩倍高，

at any age.

不論任何年齡。

But there is one place in the world

但世界上有一個地方，

where men live as long as women.

那兒的男人跟女人一樣長壽。

It's a remote, mountainous zone,

它是個遍遠、多山的地區，

a blue zone,

一個藍色慢活區，

where super longevity

對兩種性別來說，

is common to both sexes.

超長壽都很常見。

This is the blue zone in Sardinia,

這個藍色慢活區位在薩丁尼亞，

an Italian island in the Mediterranean,

地中海的一個義大利島嶼，

between Corsica and Tunisia,

在科西嘉島與突尼西亞之間，

where there are six times as many centenarians

在那兒的百歲人瑞數量，

as on the Italian mainland,

是義大利本土的六倍之多。

less than 200 miles away.

距離只差不到 200 英哩。

There are 10 times as many centenarians

那兒的人瑞數量是

as there are in North America.

北美的十倍。

It's the only place where men live as long as women.

只有在那裡， 男人才與女人一樣長壽。

But why?

但，為什麼？

My curiosity was piqued.

我十分好奇。

I decided to research the science and the habits of the place,

我決定研究那個地方的 科學以及習慣，

and I started with the genetic profile.

我從基因資料開始研究。

I discovered soon enough

我很快就發現，

that genes account for just 25 percent of their longevity.

他們的長壽原因只有 25% 是基因。

The other 75 percent is lifestyle.

另外 75% 是生活方式。

So what does it take to live to 100 or beyond?

所以，要做什麼才能活到百歲以上？

What are they doing right?

他們做對了什麼？

What you're looking at is an aerial view of Villagrande.

這張照片是從鳥瞰視角 看到的維拉格蘭德。

It's a village at the epicenter of the blue zone

它是藍色慢活區中心的村子，

where I went to investigate this,

我到這個村子來做調查此事，

and as you can see, architectural beauty is not its main virtue,

你們可以看到，建築之美 並非它的主要強項，

density is:

密度才是：

tightly spaced houses,

緊密分佈的房子、

interwoven alleys and streets.

交織的巷弄和街道。

It means that the villagers' lives constantly intersect.

這意味著村民的生活經常有交集。

And as I walked through the village,

我走過村子時，

I could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes watching me

我可以感受到 有數百雙眼睛正在看我，

from behind doorways and curtains,

他們躲在門後、窗簾後、

from behind shutters.

百葉窗後。

Because like all ancient villages,

因為和所有古老的村子一樣，

Villagrande couldn't have survived

維拉格蘭德若沒有這個結構、

without this structure, without its walls, without its cathedral,

它的牆壁、它的大教堂、 它的村子廣場，

without its village square,

就不可能存活下來的，

because defense and social cohesion defined its design.

因為防禦以及社會凝聚 定義了它的設計。

Urban priorities changed as we moved towards the industrial revolution

隨著我們走向工業革命， 都市的優先順序改變了，

because infectious disease became the risk of the day.

因為感染性疾病變成了日常風險。

But what about now?

但現在呢？

Now, social isolation is the public health risk of our time.

現在，我們時代面對的 公共健康風險是社交隔離。

Now, a third of the population says

現在，有三分之一的人口說，

they have two or fewer people to lean on.

他們能依靠的人只有兩個以下。

But let's go to Villagrande now as a contrast

我們去看看維拉格蘭德 這個對比的例子，

to meet some centenarians.

來見見一些百歲人瑞。

Meet Giuseppe Murinu. He's 102, a supercentenarian

見見吉賽皮莫里諾， 102 歲，是個超級人瑞，

and a lifelong resident of the village of Villagrande.

一生都住在維拉格蘭德村裡。

He was a gregarious man.

他很愛交際，

He loved to recount stories

他很愛詳細敘述故事，

such as how he lived like a bird

比如，在不只一次世界大戰，

from what he could find on the forest floor

而是在兩次世界大戰中，他如何能

during not one but two world wars,

用他在森林地上找到的東西， 像鳥兒般地生活，

how he and his wife, who also lived past 100,

他和同樣也活過百歲的太太，

raised six children in a small, homey kitchen

如何在一個小型家庭廚房中 養大六個孩子，

where I interviewed him.

也就是我訪問他的地方。

Here he is with his sons Angelo and Domenico,

這是他和他的兒子： 安吉羅與多明尼柯，

both in their 70s and looking after their father,

他們都七十多歲了， 並照顧著他們的父親，

and who were quite frankly very suspicious of me and my daughter

他們其實非常懷疑我以及

who came along with me on this research trip,

在這趟研究之旅中陪同我的女兒，

because the flip side of social cohesion

因為社會凝聚的另一面，

is a wariness of strangers and outsiders.

就是對陌生人、外來者都小心翼翼。

But Giuseppe, he wasn't suspicious at all.

但吉賽皮完全不懷疑。

He was a happy-go-lucky guy,

他是隨遇而安的人，

very outgoing with a positive outlook.

非常外向，看法都很正面。

And I wondered: so is that what it takes to live to be 100 or beyond,

我很好奇：這是活過百歲的原因？

thinking positively?

因為正面思考？

Actually, no.

事實上，不是。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Meet Giovanni Corrias. He's 101,

見見吉瓦尼柯里亞斯，101 歲，

the grumpiest person I have ever met.

我遇過最性情乖戾的人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And he put a lie to the notion

如果說一定要正面才能長壽，

that you have to be positive to live a long life.

他就是個反例。

And there is evidence for this.

這是有證據的。

When I asked him why he lived so long,

當我問他為什麼他如此長壽，

he kind of looked at me under hooded eyelids and he growled,

他用有點被眼皮蓋住的眼睛 看著我，然後低吼：

"Nobody has to know my secrets."

「沒有人能知道我的秘密。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But despite being a sourpuss,

儘管他是個令人掃興的人，

the niece who lived with him and looked after him

與他同住並照料他的姪女

called him "Il Tesoro," "my treasure."

稱他是「我的寶藏」。

And she respected him and loved him,

她尊敬他，愛他，

and she told me, when I questioned this obvious loss of her freedom,

當我質疑她明顯失去了 她的自由時，她告訴我：

"You just don't understand, do you?

「你就是搞不懂，對吧？

Looking after this man is a pleasure.

照顧這個人是種樂趣。

It's a huge privilege for me.

對我來說是個榮幸。

This is my heritage."

這是我的家庭。」

And indeed, wherever I went to interview these centenarians,

的確，不論我去哪兒 訪問這些百歲人瑞，

I found a kitchen party.

我都會找到一個廚房派對。

Here's Giovanni with his two nieces,

這是吉瓦尼和他的兩個姪女，

Maria above him

上面是瑪莉亞，

and beside him his great-niece Sara,

旁邊是姪孫女莎拉，

who came when I was there to bring fresh fruits and vegetables.

當時我遇到莎拉帶著 新鮮水果和蔬菜過去。

And I quickly discovered by being there

身處那兒，我很快就發現，

that in the blue zone, as people age,

在藍色慢活區內，隨著人們長大，

and indeed across their lifespans,

的確在他們的一生中，

they're always surrounded by extended family, by friends,

他們身邊總是圍繞著 許多家人、友人、

by neighbors, the priest, the barkeeper, the grocer.

鄰居、牧師、酒保、雜貨老闆。

People are always there or dropping by.

人們總是會在那裡，或是路過拜訪。

They are never left to live solitary lives.

他們從來不用過獨居生活。

This is unlike the rest of the developed world,

這點和已開發世界很不一樣，

where as George Burns quipped,

喬治伯恩斯嘲弄它：

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring family in another city."

「幸福就是有個慈愛、關懷的 大家庭，但它在另一個城市裡。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, so far we've only met men,

目前我們只說到男人，

long-living men, but I met women too,

長壽的男人，但我也有見到女人，

and here you see Zia Teresa.

這位是吉雅泰莉莎。

She, at over 100, taught me how to make the local specialty,

她超過一百歲，還能教我 如何做當地的特色菜，

which is called culurgiones,

稱為「culurgiones」，

which are these large pasta pockets

是種大型的義大利麵袋餅，

like ravioli about this size,

就像餃子，但有這麼大，

this size,

這麼大，

and they're filled with high-fat ricotta and mint

裡面裝滿高脂的軟酪及薄荷，

and drenched in tomato sauce.

且泡在蕃茄醬裡。

And she showed me how to make just the right crimp

她教我如何做到最剛好的皺褶，

so they wouldn't open,

讓它不會破開，

and she makes them with her daughters every Sunday

每個星期日她都會 與女兒們做這道菜，

and distributes them by the dozens to neighbors and friends.

再分給許多鄰居及友人。

And that's when I discovered a low-fat, gluten-free diet

那時我才發現，低脂無麩質飲食

is not what it takes to live to 100 in the blue zone.

並非讓人在藍色慢活區 活過百歲的原因。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now, these centenarians' stories along with the science that underpins them

這些百歲人瑞的故事、 以及其背後的科學，

prompted me to ask myself some questions too,

使我也開始問我自己一些問題，

such as, when am I going to die and how can I put that day off?

比如，當我快要死了， 我要如何延後死期？

And as you will see, the answer is not what we expect.

你們將會看到， 答案和我們預期的不一樣。

Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a researcher at Brigham Young University

茱莉安霍特朗斯戴 是楊百翰大學的研究者，

and she addressed this very question

她為了說明這個問題，

in a series of studies

做了一系列的研究，

of tens of thousands of middle aged people

對象是數萬名中年人，

much like this audience here.

很像在座各位。

And she looked at every aspect of their lifestyle:

她研究了他們 生活方式中的每個面向：

their diet, their exercise,

他們的飲食、運動、

their marital status,

婚姻狀況、

how often they went to the doctor,

多常去看醫生、

whether they smoked or drank, etc.

是否抽煙或喝酒等等。

She recorded all of this

她把這些全都記錄下來，

and then she and her colleagues sat tight and waited for seven years

她和同事耐心等待了七年，

to see who would still be breathing.

再去看誰還活著。

And of the people left standing,

還活著的人當中，

what reduced their chances of dying the most?

降低他們死亡的機率的主因是什麼？

That was her question.

那是她想研究的問題。

So let's now look at her data in summary,

我們現在來看看她的資料的總整，

going from the least powerful predictor to the strongest.

從最弱到最強的預測變數。

OK?

好嗎？

So clean air, which is great,

乾淨的空氣，這很棒，

it doesn't predict how long you will live.

但不能預測你能活多久。

Whether you have your hypertension treated

你有沒有去治療你的高血壓，

is good.

很好。

Still not a strong predictor.

但仍然不是強力的預測變數。

Whether you're lean or overweight, you can stop feeling guilty about this,

你是胖還是瘦，你們可以 不用再為此有罪惡感了，

because it's only in third place.

因為這只排第三。

How much exercise you get is next,

下一位是你做了多少運動，

still only a moderate predictor.

只是中等的預測變數。

Whether you've had a cardiac event and you're in rehab and exercising,

你是否曾有心臟病發作 及你是否在做復健及運動，

getting higher now.

預測力越來越高了。

Whether you've had a flu vaccine.

你是否接種過流感疫苗。

Did anybody here know

這裡有人知道

that having a flu vaccine protects you more than doing exercise?

流感疫苗比做運動更能保護你嗎？

Whether you were drinking and quit,

你曾喝酒但戒了、

or whether you're a moderate drinker,

或你是中度飲酒者，

whether you don't smoke, or if you did, whether you quit,

你不抽煙或曾抽煙是否已戒掉，

and getting towards the top predictors

接著是最強的預測變數

are two features of your social life.

是社交生活中的兩項特徵。

First, your close relationships.

第一，你的親密關係。

These are the people that you can call on for a loan

這些人是如果你突然需要錢時，

if you need money suddenly,

可以打電話去借的對象，

who will call the doctor if you're not feeling well

如果你覺得不舒服，會叫醫生

or who will take you to the hospital,

或帶你去醫院的人，

or who will sit with you if you're having an existential crisis,

或是如果你有危機、 如果你很絕望時，

if you're in despair.

會陪在你身邊的人。

Those people, that little clutch of people

那些人，那一小群人，

are a strong predictor, if you have them, of how long you'll live.

如果你有這些人，這因素是 你能活多久的強度預測變數。

And then something that surprised me,

接著，出乎我意料的是，

something that's called social integration.

所謂的社會整合。

This means how much you interact with people

這是指你每一天和他人有多少互動。

as you move through your day.

How many people do you talk to?

你會跟幾個人說話？

And these mean both your weak and your strong bonds,

這包括你的弱連結及強連結，

so not just the people you're really close to,

不單單是指你很親近的人、

who mean a lot to you,

對你很重要的人，

but, like, do you talk to the guy who every day makes you your coffee?

但也包括，你是否會和每天 幫你做咖啡的那個人說話？

Do you talk to the postman?

你會和郵差說話嗎？

Do you talk to the woman who walks by your house every day with her dog?

你會和每天遛狗 經過你家的女人說話嗎？

Do you play bridge or poker, have a book club?

你會玩橋牌或撲克牌、 參加讀書俱樂部嗎？

Those interactions are one of the strongest predictors

那些互動就是用來預測你能活多久的

of how long you'll live.

重要變數之一。

Now, this leads me to the next question:

這就帶出了我的下一個問題：

if we now spend more time online than on any other activity,

如果現在我們花更多時間 在上網而非其他活動，

including sleeping,

包括睡覺，

we're now up to 11 hours a day,

我們現在達到一天 11 小時之多，

one hour more than last year, by the way,

順便一提，比去年成長了 1 小時，

does it make a difference?

這樣會有差別嗎？

Why distinguish between interacting in person

為什麼要區別當面互動

and interacting via social media?

與透過社交媒體互動？

Is it the same thing as being there

比如，如果你常常透過傳訊息

if you're in contact constantly with your kids through text, for example?

來和你的孩子聯絡， 這和親自在他們身邊一樣嗎？

Well, the short answer to the question is no,

簡短答案是：不一樣。

it's not the same thing.

兩者是不同的。

Face-to-face contact releases a whole cascade of neurotransmitters,

面對面接觸會釋放很多 神經傳遞介質，

and like a vaccine, they protect you now in the present

就像疫苗，它能在當前保護你，

and well into the future.

也能在未來保護你。

So simply making eye contact with somebody,

所以單單和一個人對到眼、

shaking hands, giving somebody a high-five

握個手、擊個掌，

is enough to release oxytocin,

就足以釋放這些催產素，

which increases your level of trust

它能增加你的信賴度，

and it lowers your cortisol levels.

降低你的皮質醇。

So it lowers your stress.

所以它能降低你的壓力。

And dopamine is generated, which gives us a little high

也會產生多巴胺，能讓 我們情緒稍微高漲，

and it kills pain.

且能除去痛苦。

It's like a naturally produced morphine.

它就像是天然嗎啡。

Now, all of this passes under our conscious radar,

這個都不是我們的 意識雷達能偵測到的，

which is why we conflate online activity with the real thing.

這就是為什麼我們會把 線上活動和真實活動混淆。

But we do have evidence now, fresh evidence,

但我們現在確實有新的證據了，

that there is a difference.

能證明兩者有差別。

So let's look at some of the neuroscience.

我們來看一些神經科學。

Elizabeth Redcay, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland,

伊麗莎白瑞德凱是 馬里蘭大學的神經科學家，

tried to map the difference

她試圖描繪出

between what goes on in our brains when we interact in person

當我們當面與人互動時、 及當觀看靜態目標時，

versus when we're watching something that's static.

腦中的反應有什麼差別。

And what she did was she compared the brain function

她的做法是比較大腦功能差異，

of two groups of people,

她用了這兩組人：

those interacting live with her

在動態的對話中，一組是

or with one of her research associates

和她或是她其中一名同事

in a dynamic conversation,

進行互動的人，

and she compared that to the brain activity of people

然後把這組人的大腦活動

who were watching her talk about the same subject

跟另一群只是從預錄影片， 如 YouTube 影片，

but in a canned video, like on YouTube.

觀看她談論同主題的人做比較。

And by the way, if you want to know

順道一提，如果你們想知道

how she fit two people in an MRI scanner at the same time,

她如何同時把兩個人 放進 MRI 掃瞄機，

talk to me later.

晚點再來找我。

So what's the difference?

所以，差異是什麼？

This is your brain on real social interaction.

在真實社交互動時， 你的大腦是這樣的。

What you're seeing is the difference in brain activity

你所看到的是大腦活動的差異，

between interacting in person and taking in static content.

在與人當面互動跟 接收靜態內容時的差異。

In orange, you see the brain areas that are associated with attention,

橘色的大腦區域在掌管注意力、

social intelligence --

社交智慧──

that means anticipating what somebody else is thinking

也就是預測其他人在想什麼、

and feeling and planning --

感受如何、有何計畫──

and emotional reward.

及情緒報酬。

And these areas become much more engaged

當我們與真實伙伴互動時，

when we're interacting with a live partner.

這些區域就會被大量使用。

Now, these richer brain signatures

這些較豐富的大腦特徵，

might be why recruiters from Fortune 500 companies

可能就是為什麼財富 500 強公司中

evaluating candidates

負責評估新員工候選人的招聘人員，

thought that the candidates were smarter

對同一個候選人， 在能聽到他的聲音時，

when they heard their voices

判定他的聰明程度，

compared to when they just read their pitches in a text, for example,

會高於只看他寫的簡介、 電子郵件、信件時，

or an email or a letter.

所判定的聰明度。

Now, our voices and body language convey a rich signal.

我們的聲音和肢體語言 能傳遞很豐富的訊息，

It shows that we're thinking, feeling,

展現出我們是會思考、有感覺、

sentient human beings

有感情的人類，

who are much more than an algorithm.

絕對不只是一個演算法。

Now, this research by Nicholas Epley

芝加哥大學商學院的

at the University of Chicago Business School

尼可拉斯艾普利做了一項研究，

is quite amazing because it tells us a simple thing.

很驚人的是這研究 告訴我們的事很簡單：

If somebody hears your voice,

如果有人聽到你的聲音，

they think you're smarter.

他們就會覺得你比較聰明。

I mean, that's quite a simple thing.

那是很簡單的一件事。

Now, to return to the beginning,

現在，回到最開頭，

why do women live longer than men?

為什麼女性的壽命比男性長？

And one major reason is that women are more likely

一個主要原因是，女人比較有可能

to prioritize and groom their face-to-face relationships

在她們的人生中 把面對面的關係排為優先，

over their lifespans.

並好好照料這些關係。

Fresh evidence shows

新的證據顯示，

that these in-person friendships

這些親自參與的友誼，

create a biological force field against disease and decline.

能創造出生物力場， 來對抗疾病和衰退。

And it's not just true of humans

不只對人類是如此，

but their primate relations, our primate relations as well.

靈長類的關係都是如此。

Anthropologist Joan Silk's work shows that female baboons

人類學家瓊安西爾克的研究指出，

有一群雌性朋友的母狒狒，

who have a core of female friends

show lower levels of stress via their cortisol levels,

從皮質醇量可以顯示 牠們的壓力比較低，

they live longer and they have more surviving offspring.

牠們壽命較長， 且孩子比較有機會存活。

At least three stable relationships.

至少要有三個穩定的關係，

That was the magic number.

這就是魔術數字。

Think about it.

好好想想。

I hope you guys have three.

我希望你們有三個。

The power of such face-to-face contact

這種面對面接觸的力量，

is really why there are the lowest rates of dementia

就是為什麼社交參與度高的人

among people who are socially engaged.

會痴呆的比例比較低。

It's why women who have breast cancer

它也是為何有乳癌的女人

are four times more likely to survive their disease than loners are.

存活率還比獨來獨往者高四倍。

Why men who've had a stroke who meet regularly to play poker

也就是為什麼曾中風過的男人， 如果常與人見面玩牌、

or to have coffee

或喝咖啡、

or to play old-timer's hockey --

或打老人曲棍──

I'm Canadian, after all --

畢竟我是加拿大人──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

are better protected by that social contact

他們受到社交接觸的保護，

than they are by medication.

高於受到藥物的保護。

Why men who've had a stroke who meet regularly --

也是為什麼曾中風過的男人，

如果常見面──

this is something very powerful they can do.

這是他們能做的一件非常強大的事。

This face-to-face contact provides stunning benefits,

這種面對面接觸提供了驚人的益處，

yet now almost a quarter of the population says they have no one to talk to.

但幾乎有四分之一的人口， 說他們沒有人可以談話。

We can do something about this.

對此，我們可以做點什麼，

Like Sardinian villagers,

像薩丁尼亞的村民，

it's a biological imperative to know we belong,

知道我們屬於團體， 是一種生物需求，

and not just the women among us.

不只是我們當中的女性獨有。

Building in-person interaction into our cities, into our workplaces,

將當面的互動建立到我們的 城市中、我們的工作地點中、

into our agendas

我們的議程中，

bolsters the immune system,

能強化免疫系統，

sends feel-good hormones surging through the bloodstream and brain

透過血液和大腦來傳送 感覺很好的荷爾蒙，

and helps us live longer.

協助我們更長壽。

I call this building your village,

我稱這個叫做建立你的村子，

and building it and sustaining it is a matter of life and death.

建立它、維護它，它悠關生死。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Helen Walters: Susan, come back. I have a question for you.

海倫華特斯：蘇珊，請回來。 我有個問題想請教你。

I'm wondering if there's a middle path.

我很好奇是否有條中道？

你談到在面對面時會有 神經傳遞介質在做連結，

So you talk about the neurotransmitters connecting when in face-to-face,

but what about digital technology?

但數位科技呢？

We've seen enormous improvements in digital technology

我們已經在數位科技上 看到巨大的改善，

like FaceTime, things like that.

就像 FaceTime 之類的。 （註：視訊通話應用程式）

Does that work too?

那也有用嗎？

I mean, I see my nephew.

我看我的姪兒，

He plays Minecraft and he's yelling at his friends.

他會玩 Minecraft （創世神）， 他會對他的朋友吼叫。

It seems like he's connecting pretty well.

他的連結似乎挺好的。

Is that useful? Is that helpful?

那有用嗎？那有幫助嗎？

Susan Pinker: Some of the data are just emerging.

蘇珊平克：有些 這類的資料正在產生中。

The data are so fresh that the digital revolution happened

資料還很新，數位革命發生了，

and the health data trailed behind.

而健康資料還落在後面。

So we're just learning,

所以我們還在學習，

but I would say there are some improvements

但我會說，對於科技，

that we could make in the technology.

我們可以做些改善。

比如，筆記型電腦的攝影機 是在螢幕的上方，

For example, the camera on your laptop is at the top of the screen,

so for example, when you're looking into the screen,

所以如果，當你看著螢幕的時候，

you're not actually making eye contact.

你無法與對方真的對到眼。

So something as simple as even just looking into the camera

就像看著攝影機這麼簡單的事，

can increase those neurotransmitters,

也能增加那些神經傳遞介質，

or maybe changing the position of the camera.

也許能改變攝影機的位置也可行。

So it's not identical, but I think we are getting closer with the technology.

不完全一樣，但我想科技 的確有越來越接近真實。

HW: Great. Thank you so much.

海倫：非常謝謝你。

SP: Thank you.

蘇珊：謝謝你。

(Applause)

（掌聲）