Even smart people can make terrible decisions.
即使是最聰明的人也會做出糟糕的決定。
Generally, it's not because they spent time deliberating and somehow arrived at the wrong answer. It's because they didn't spend any time thinking at all.
總體而言，這些錯誤之所以發生，並不是因為他們花了時間思考卻得出錯誤的答案，相反，這是因為他們根本沒有認真思考！也就是說，人們並沒意識到自己做出了這樣的決定。
For example: You might automatically keep your phone on your desk at work, or grab a smoothie as a go-to "healthy" snack. But these aren't the wisest choices you could make.
譬如：你也許會在工作時無意識地將手機放在桌上；或是在不知不覺中拿起了手邊的「健康」零食……這些選擇都在你不曾注意到的瞬間發生了，但它們並不是你最明智的決定。
Below, we've listed some of the easiest traps to fall into, at the office and at home.
接下來就讓CD君告訴大家一些在辦公室和家中容易讓人做出錯誤決定的「陷阱」。
錯誤決定之一：Tackling your easiest tasks first
總是先做最簡單的事
Do the hard stuff first.
正確的做法是：先完成最難的事。
Some people call this strategy "eating the frog", based on a quotation attributed to Mark Twain: "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."
有人將這個策略命名為「吃青蛙」，這來源於馬克·吐溫的一句名言：「早上起來的第一件事就是先吃掉一隻活青蛙，然後接下來的其它事情都不足為懼了。」
Some researchers say willpower decreases as the day goes on, so it makes sense to work on tasks that require lots of focus and concentration in the morning. Others disagree that willpower is a finite resource.
一些研究者認為，人的意志力會在一天中逐漸減弱，所以人們應該在上午完成需要注意力的任務。而另一些研究者則認為，意志力在一天內的任何時間點都具有同樣的力量。
If nothing else, it makes practical sense to start with the hardest tasks, since you never know what scheduling conflicts will pop up later on.
率先完成較難的工作很實用，因為你不會知道接下來是不是有其它任務。
錯誤決定之二：Constantly checking your email
頻繁查看郵箱
The siren call of your inbox can be hard to resist.
若是郵箱傳來提示查收郵件的通知，你一定會忍不住點開查看。
Yet research suggests that switching between tasks — say, doing research and checking for new email — takes up to 40 percent longer than doing one at a time. Even when you think you're being more productive by multitasking, you're probably not.
研究表明，人們如果在工作的同時查閱郵件，會比只工作或只看郵件多花費40%的時間。你可能認為自己一心多用很有效率，但事實並非如此。
One simple solution, from psychologist Ron Friedman, is to silence your phone so you don't receive email alerts or to close your email tab while you're working on something important. Designate specific times to check and respond to email in batches.
心理學家羅恩·弗裡德曼告訴大家一個簡單的解決辦法，那就是做重要工作時將手機靜音或關閉郵箱通知，並在固定的時間點一次性檢查和回復所有郵件。
錯誤決定之三：Keeping your phone on your desk at work
工作時總把手機放在桌上
Turning your phone on "vibrate" isn't enough. Actually, turning your phone off isn't even enough.
你以為你可以拒絕手機的誘惑嗎？事實是：把手機調成振動還不夠，甚至連徹底關機也不能解決問題！
Research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research suggests that the mere presence of your cell phone nearby can hurt your cognitive performance — even if you're unaware of its influence. The best solution appears to be keeping your phone in another room entirely.
在消費者研究協會雜誌上的一項研究表明：手機只需短暫出現即可降低你的認知質量——儘管你並沒意識到它的影響。最好的解決方法是把手機放在別的房間裡，你的意志力遠比不上一面牆！
錯誤決定之四：Staying seated all day
在辦公室坐上一整天
Office jobs aren't exactly conducive to getting a lot of physical activity.
室內辦公真的會大大減少人們進行身體活動的機會。
But you don't need to be up and about for hours at a time. A growing body of research suggests that even if you get up and move around for a few minutes several times a day, you're improving your overall health.
但即使是這樣，你也沒必要一有機會就連續運動好幾個小時。越來越多的研究證明，我們只要每天多起身走動就可以改善健康狀態。
Recent research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and cited by The New York Times, found that people who were active for a total of about an hour a day had half the mortality risk of people who didn't. And it didn't matter whether they were active in 5-minute increments or in longer chunks.
近日，刊登在美國心臟協會雜誌並被《紐約時報》轉載的一項研究發現：每天累計活動一小時的人的死亡率，是那些不這樣做的人的一半。運動周期以五分鐘或是更長時間為單位並不重要。
錯誤決定之五：Staring at a screen for hours at a time
連續數小時盯著電腦屏幕
Staring at a computer all day can lead to "digital eye strain", resulting in symptoms like dryness and blurryness, Business Insider's Erin Brodwin reported.
商業內幕網的艾琳布羅德文表示，長時間盯著電腦屏幕可以導致「數字眼疲勞」，症狀是眼睛乾澀和視線模糊。
Enter the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, Rahul Khurana, the clinical spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmologists told Business Insider's Kevin Loria.
美國科學院眼科發言人拉胡爾·庫拉納表示，我們可以通過「三個20」的原則來緩解眼睛疲勞：每隔20分鐘注視至少20英尺遠的物體，每次至少保持20秒。
錯誤決定之六：Waiting until late afternoon to take a break from work
一直工作到將近傍晚才「中場休息」
Take that break mid-morning instead.
你應該試著將休息時間提早到上午十點左右。
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that the more time that's passed since the beginning of the workday, the less useful a break is. Breaks taken earlier in the day are more likely to replenish resources, including energy, concentration, and motivation.
2015年應用心理學雜誌上的一項研究表明，持續工作時間的越久，休息的質量就越差。早些休息可以恢復人的各項心理資源，如精力，注意力和工作動力。
Interestingly, that same study found you don't necessarily have to engage in non-work-related activities during a break. Just make sure you're doing something that you like to do and you choose to do. In other words, making some headway on a work project you're excited about could be even more restorative than browsing social media.
有趣的是，這項研究還發現，只要你選擇了喜歡的事，那麼你在休息時的活動沒必要徹底剝離開工作。換句話說，如果你喜歡手頭的工作，那麼取得工作上的進展比刷朋友圈更能恢復你的精力。
錯誤決定之七：Listening to music while you work
工作期間聽音樂
You might feel more productive when you listen to music while doing focused work — but you're probably not really.
你可能覺得邊聽音樂邊工作會讓你更專注——但其實不是這樣。
In 2015, neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, who cited a growing body of research suggesting that, in almost every case, your performance on intellectual tasks (think, reading or writing) suffers considerably when you listen to music.
2015年神經醫學家兼音樂家丹尼爾·拉文廷曾表示：大部分情況下，聽音樂會嚴重影響思考、閱讀或寫作的效果。
The exception is when you're performing tasks that are repetitive or monotonous, such as when you're working on an assembly line or driving for long periods of time. In that case, listening to music can perk you up.
例外的情況是：如果你幹的是重複而單調的活兒，比如在流水線上工作或長途開車，那麼聽音樂就能使你重振精神。
Levitin said that a better bet is to listen to music for about 10 to 15 minutes before you start doing focused work, which can put you in a better mood and relax you.
拉文廷認為，開工前聽10到15分鐘音樂會讓你進入一個更輕鬆的狀態。
錯誤決定之八：Choosing foods that seem nutritious — but aren't really
選擇那些
看似很有營養實則不然的食物
Don't believe the hype — know the facts about your food.
別相信那些華而不實的廣告詞——學會真正了解你選擇的食物。
Business Insider's Erin Brodwin put together a list of foods that you think are good for you, but aren't and foods that you think are bad for you, but aren't really.
商業內幕網的艾琳·布羅德文列出一串清單，註明了那些貌似健康，實則有害的食物，以及那些貌似有害，實則健康的食物。
For example, bottled juices and fast-casual smoothies might seem nutritious, when in fact they're generally loaded with sugar and calories. Meanwhile, many people think eating eggs will lead to high cholesterol, but that's not true for most of us.
比如，瓶裝果汁和冰沙看上去營養十足，但實際上它們含有大量糖分和卡路裡。同時，還有人認為吃雞蛋會提升膽固醇，但其實大部分人不會有這種反應。
錯誤決定之九：Passively browsing social media
被動地使用社交媒體
Scientists say there are two different ways to use Facebook: passive and active.
科學家表示，有兩類人在使用社交媒體，一種人被動，一種人主動。
Active use involves direct exchanges with others. Think posting status updates and commenting on other people's posts. Passive use is about consuming information, like by scrolling through your newsfeed. Most of the time, we use Facebook passively.
活躍的用戶積極與他人交談，更新動態並在其他人的動態下留言。而被動的用戶只是簡單地滑動滑鼠瀏覽信息。其實大多數時候，我們都是被動的社交媒體使用者。
Yet a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General suggests that passive Facebook use can make us feel worse. That's possibly because we feel jealous of everyone's (seemingly) glamorous lives that they're broadcasting publicly.
實驗心理學雜誌上刊登的一項研究發現：被動關注社交媒體會讓我們的心情更糟。這很可能是因為，被動用戶嫉妒別人在社交平臺上展現的美好生活。
So instead of merely browsing, consider sending a message to an old friend or commenting on someone's happy family photo.
因此比起只是瀏覽信息，我們更應該主動給老朋友發信息，或評論別人的家庭照。
錯誤決定之十：Escalating a fight with your partner
升級你和伴侶之間的戰火
When your partner makes a snide comment, it's all too easy to fire back with something cruel and hurtful.
當遭受來自另一半的嘲笑時，我們很容易口不擇言地反擊。
Try to curb that impulse.
但是，請抑制這種不明智的衝動。
Marriage and family therapist Hal Runkel previously told Business Insider that the most powerful word to defuse a conflict is "ouch". You're expressing vulnerability instead of putting up defenses, while encouraging your partner to do the same.
婚姻關係和家庭關係醫師Hal Runkel表示，平息怒火最有力的回答其實是一聲「哎喲」，這是示弱而非防禦，並鼓勵了你的伴侶也這樣做。
Meanwhile, couples therapist Esther Perel previously told Business Insider that one way to de-escalate a conflict is to reflect back what your partner is saying and show some empathy. Tell your partner that you understand where they're coming from — even if you don't yet.
另外，婚姻治療師伊斯特·佩雷爾也表示，緩解夫妻矛盾的方法就是站在對方的角度，用同理心去理解他說的話，告訴你的伴侶你明白他生氣的原因，雖然實際上你可能並不知道。
錯誤決定之十一：Matching with dozens of people on dating apps — but not messaging any of them
在你的交友軟體上添加一大堆朋友卻從不與他們交流
Online dating doesn't have to be a game of speed: racking up as many matches as you can in as little time as possible.
網絡約會不是一場速度的比賽：在儘可能短的時間裡找到儘可能多的情侶配對。
In fact, the Verge reported that Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and chief scientific officer at Match.com, said the biggest problem with dating apps is "cognitive overload".
事實上，美國科技網站the Verge報導過生物人類學家、美國婚戀網站Match.com首席科技官海倫·費舍的話：約會軟體最大的問題就是過多的配對選擇會讓人產生「認知超載」。
Fisher added that "the brain is not well built to choose between hundreds or thousands of alternatives". She advises people to stop when they've hit nine matches and consider those.
費舍補充道：「我們的大腦無法在成千上萬的可能性中做出選擇」，她建議大家：「如果你已經找到大約九個配對，那麼就可以做出選擇了。」
錯誤決定之十二：Staying up too late
熬夜至很晚
Scientists have identified a common phenomenon they call "bedtime procrastination": Failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so.
科學家發現，在人群中存在一個名為「睡覺拖延症」的普遍現象：即使沒有外界幹擾，人們也似乎總是無法按時上床睡覺。
For example, you keep watching one episode after another of a not-that-interesting TV show.
例如，你可能看了一集又一集的無聊電視劇，就是不去睡覺。
This isn't just silly — it can be dangerous. As Business Insider previously reported, in some cases sleep loss can be just as deadly as smoking.
這個習慣不僅很蠢還很危險。商業內幕網曾報導過，某種意義上，睡眠不足可以像抽菸一樣致命。
Turn off the TV and get ready for bed. You'll be grateful tomorrow, and years later.
所以，請及時關掉電視上床睡覺。這樣做你每天都會心情愉悅。
Editor: 張曦 Zhang Xi
Intern: 林雨亭 Lin Yuting
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