Hey everyone, and welcome to Top Think. Today, we're going to learn about how social media is destroying our brains.
大家好，歡迎觀看《生活中的科學》。今天我們學習的是社交媒體是如何正在毀掉我們的大腦的。
Now, let's begin. Number one, editing our lives.
我們現在開始吧。第一條，編輯我們的生活。
Life is full of important moments. Think on your favorite vacations, on holiday dinners with your family, on the biggest stepping stones in your career.
生活充滿了重要的時刻。想想你最喜歡的假期，家人共享的假日晚餐。以及職業生涯中最大的跳板。
These are the kinds of moments that you want to remember forever, right? But for many people, just remembering isn't good enough.
這些都是你想要永遠記住的時刻，不是嗎？但對很多人來說，僅僅記住是不夠的。
They want a physical reminder of what those moments felt like. So they take pictures, they record videos and they keep souvenirs.
他們想要實物來提醒他們當時的感覺。所以他們拍照，錄像，保存紀念品。
These reminders transport them back in time, letting them relive the joy, beauty or surprise of a single moment from their past. But when you start posting those photos on social media, something strange happens.
這些提醒將他們帶回到過去，讓他們重新感受過去某一時刻的喜悅，美好或驚喜。但當你開始在社交媒體上發布這些照片時，奇怪的事情發生了。
You stop focusing on the moment itself, you stop remembering what really happened and you start thinking about what you can change. You start cutting photos you don't look your best in, even if that photo makes you laugh or cry.
你不再關注那一時刻本身，不再記得當時發生的事情，而是開始思考你可以改變什麼。你開始剪掉那些你看上去不是最好的照片，即使那張照片讓你哭過、笑過。
You start doctoring how your experiences looked or felt. Why is that?
你開始修改你所真正經歷過以及感受到的。為什麼會這樣呢？
Because you want other people to see how perfect and powerful your life is? Many people on social media are so focused on displaying perfection that their real-life gets lost in the mix.
因為你想讓別人看到，你的生活是多麼完美強大。很多人在社交媒體上過於關注展示完美，以至於他們的現實生活迷失在這種混亂中。
The person on their profile may resemble an idealized version of themselves. They've changed their whole life just to impress a bunch of people on the internet.
頭像上那個人可能類似於理想化版本的自己。他們改變了自己的整個生活，只是為了給網上的一群人留下深刻印象。
If you start editing your life, you stop appreciating how imperfect it can be. If you look at a sunset, you might focus on taking the perfect picture brightening the colors or creating the right mood, instead of actually enjoying the sunset in real-time.
如果開始編輯你的生活，你就不再欣賞生活的不完美。看日落的時候，你可能會專注於拍出完美的照片，讓色彩更豔麗或是營造合適的氛圍，而不是欣賞那一刻的落日。
You pay less and less attention to the powerful moments as they happen. And you stop appreciating experiences for what they are.
你越來越不注意那些發生在你身上的重要時刻。你不再欣賞這些經曆本身。
Each one just feels like another opportunity to brag on social media. Number two, dependence on reinforcement.
而是將其視作另一個可以在社交媒體上炫耀的機會。第二條，對強化的依賴。
Views, likes and comments are all different kinds of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when someone gives you a reward for doing something good.
觀看，點讚和評論都是各種各樣的正強化。正強化是指某人因為你做了好事而給你獎勵。
Imagine a parent who gives their kid ice cream for behaving at the doctor. They're reinforcing their child's good behavior with a positive reward.
想像一下，父母因為孩子看病的時候表現好，而給他冰淇淋。他們用積極的獎勵來強化孩子的良好行為。
Hence, the name positive reinforcement. Now on social media, virtual compliments are no different than someone handing you an ice cream.
故此被稱為正強化。如今在社交媒體上，虛擬世界的讚美無異於別人給你的冰淇淋。
Each one makes you feel good about yourself. It tells you that someone in the world likes you, admires you or even envies you.
每一個都會讓你自我感覺良好。它告訴你，這個世界上有人喜歡你，羨慕你，甚至嫉妒你。
It gives you a boost of self-worth which motivates you to keep going. You might feel special after posting a picture online.
它能提升你的自我價值，激勵你繼續下去。在網上發布照片後，你可能會覺得自己很特別。
So you post another, and then another until you're posting on social media every single day. And just like that, you've become dependent on positive reinforcement.
所以你發布了一張又一張，直到每天都在社交媒體上發照片。就像這樣，你變得依賴於正強化。
You started relying on these platforms to make you feel good. And that can be dangerous, if you don't practice appreciating yourself, it gets harder and harder to do it on your own.
你開始依賴這些平臺讓自己感覺良好。這是很危險的，如果你不學著欣賞自己，你會越來越難去自我欣賞。
You forget how to value yourself. So, don't let social media take that away from you.
你忘記了如何珍視自己。所以不要讓社交媒體奪走你的快樂。
The occasional boost never hurt anybody. But if you're fishing for compliments online, it can really mess with your brain.
偶爾的鼓勵沒什麼壞處。但如果你一味沉迷於網上的讚美，它真的會影響你的大腦。
Number 3, wasting our time. Social media is a notorious time-waster.
第三條，浪費時間。社交媒體是出了名地浪費時間。
Without even realizing it, you might spend hours every single day, browsing through different platforms. Some people lie awake in bed scrolling through page after page until it's suddenly 2:00 in the morning.
不知不覺中，你可能每天就要花上幾個小時瀏覽不同的平臺。有些人醒著躺在床上，不停地刷著網頁，直到突然發現已經凌晨兩點。
Others use social media in small bursts. They might spend only five minutes at a time on their phone.
還有一些人在很少的時間段內使用社交媒體。他們可能一次只花五分鐘在手機上。
But they do this every single hour of the day. It seems like they're barely ever on social media.
但是他們每個小時都會這樣做。他們似乎很少使用社交媒體。
But those five-minute increments really add up. By the evening time, you've lost an hour or more of your time which you could have spent on work, hobbies or with your family.
但這些五分鐘加起來可不得了。等到晚上 你已經浪費了一個小時甚至更長的時間了，你本可以把這些時間花在工作，愛好，或者陪伴家人上。
Time is one area where social media becomes especially destructive. It twists the way you think, it distracts you with all those buttons, pictures and videos, and your brain loses track of time.
社交媒體在時間方面，特別具有破壞性。它扭曲了你的思維方式，它用那些按鍵，圖片和視頻分散你的注意力，然後你的大腦會忘記時間。
Number four, the motivation killer. Social media and motivation are natural enemies.
第四條，動力殺手。社交媒體和動力是天生的敵人。
In fact, social media is one of the most common ways that people procrastinate. When you're feeling stressed or insecure, social media offers you the chance to get lost in other people's lives and leave behind the stress of your own.
事實上，社交媒體是人們拖延的最常見的方式之一。但你感到有壓力或者缺乏安全感時，社交媒體讓你有機會迷失在別人的生活中，從而忘掉自己的壓力。
But there are plenty of other time wasters that do the same thing. Take watching TV or playing video games.
但有很多其他的事情也會浪費時間。以看電視或玩電子遊戲為例。
Both of these activities distract your mind from whatever it's supposed to be doing. But social media hurts your motivation in a way that no other bad habit does.
這兩種活動都會分散你的注意力，讓你無法專注於本該做的事情。但是社交媒體會以其他任務壞習慣所不具備的方式削弱你的動力。
It destroys your productivity and your self-esteem. Each time you browse through social media, you see people doing amazing things, maybe they're traveling the world or chasing their dreams.
它會摧毀你的工作效率和自尊。每次你瀏覽社交媒體，看到其他人做著很不錯的事情，也許他們正在週遊世界或追逐夢想。
Now on the surface, these kinds of profiles seem inspiring, right? But deep down, they make you feel worse about yourself.
從表面上看，這些信息似乎很鼓舞人心，是吧？但實際上，他們會讓你的自我感覺更糟糕。
You can't help but compare your life to theirs. So, you hope in on all the ways, you wish your life were different.
你會不由自主地拿自己的生活和他們比較。所以你不停地希望，你的生活不是現在這樣的。
These comparisons tear your motivation apart. Not just because you're procrastinating with social media, but because you don't feel as satisfied with the life you're living.
這些比較會粉碎你的動力。不僅僅是因為你在社交媒體上拖延，還因為你不滿足於當前的生活。
And that makes you lazy. So, do yourself a favor.
這會讓你變懶。所以，幫自己一個忙吧。
Cut down on social media, so this bad habit doesn't ruin your motivation. Number 5, blocking our happiness.
減少使用社交媒體，這樣這個壞習慣才不會毀掉你的動力。第五條，阻礙我們的幸福。
The social media change your mood? So, most social media seems harmless.
社交媒體會改變你的情緒嗎？大多數時候，社交媒體似乎無害。
It's just something you do when you're waiting in line or trying to fall asleep. But social media isn't just a way to pass the time, it can actually stop you from being happy.
它只是你在排隊或試圖入睡時，看的東西。但是社交媒體不僅僅是一種打發時間的方式，它實際上會阻止你獲得快樂。
A 2013 study from the journal PLoS ONE discovered that avid Facebook users feel less satisfied. And not just with their jobs or social circles but with their lives in general.
2013 年發表在《公共科學圖書館綜合》日報上的一項研究發現，臉書的狂熱用戶滿意度更低。不僅僅是對他們的工作和社交圈，還有整個生活。
People who frequently used Facebook were lonelier, had lower self-esteem, and they felt less supported. Now on the other hand, people who rarely used their accounts, were more fulfilled and confident.
經常使用臉書的人更孤獨，自尊心也更低，他們感受不到太多的支持。另一方面 很少使用臉書的人，會更加充實和自信。
Oh, but it's not just Facebook. No, no, another study from 2017 published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine tested this on 11 different media platforms.
但不僅僅臉書是這樣。2017 年發表在《美國預防醫學雜誌》上的另一項研究，在 11 個不同的媒體平臺進行了測試。
They tried everything from Instagram to Reddit. They even collected data from career-oriented platforms like LinkedIn
他們嘗試了從 Ins 到 Reddit 的所有平臺。他們甚至從 Linked In 這樣面向職業的平臺上收集數據。
But no matter where they looked, the results were always the same. Social media had a negative effect on people's happiness.
但無論他們在哪裡觀察，結果總是一樣的。社交媒體對人們的幸福感有負面影響。
And avid users had higher perceived isolation. In other words, even if you have a lot of friends, you'll still feel lonely and less satisfied.
而狂熱用戶有更高的孤獨感。換句話說，即使你有很多朋友，仍會感到孤獨和不滿足。
I know social might seem like a fun way to pass the time, but the truth is it can stand in the way of your happiness. Number 6, the cycle of jealousy.
我知道社交似乎是一種有趣的消磨時間的方式，但事實是，它會阻礙你的幸福。第六條，嫉妒的循環。
Every time, you log on to your account, you participate in a jealous cycle. In fact, many social media users try to create that jealousy in other people.
每次登陸社交帳戶，你都在參與一個嫉妒的循環。事實上，很多社交媒體用戶試圖引起別人的嫉妒。
The cycle of jealousy starts when you browse through the profile of someone you admire. Now in your eyes, they're doing something amazing and you respect or you envy them for it.
當你瀏覽崇拜的人的信息時，嫉妒的循環就開始了。在你眼裡，他們在做一些了不得的事情，你覺得他們了不起，甚至嫉妒他們。
So you try to make your profile look amazing too. But that just means someone else is gonna look at your pictures and think, wow, I wish I was doing that.
所以你也要努力讓自己的資料看起來很棒。但這只是意味著會有人看你的照片然後想：「哇，我希望我也能這樣」。
And they're going to carry that feeling into their own virtual lives. And just like that a chain of jealousy can span across dozens or even hundreds of people.
然後他們會把這種感覺帶入自己的虛擬生活中。就這樣，嫉妒的鏈條可以跨越幾十人甚至幾百人。
So, how does that jealousy impact your brain? Suddenly you're not thinking about the life you want, you're not living for you anymore, you're living to make other people jealous.
那麼，嫉妒是如何影響你的大腦的呢？突然間，你不再考慮自己想要的生活了，你不再為自己而活，而是為了讓別人嫉妒。
You only feel satisfied when people envy you. And you get bitter when they don't.
只有當別人羨慕你時，你才會感到滿足。當他們不這樣做時，你就會感到痛苦。
My point is social media pulls you into this vicious cycle. If you're not careful, you'll lose sight of what really matters.
我的觀點是，社交媒體把你拉進了這個惡性循環。一不小心，你就會忘記什麼才是真正重要的。
Number seven, forecasting errors. Many people make a basic cognitive error every time they log on to social media.
第七條，預測誤差。很多人在每次登陸社交媒體的時候，都會犯一個基本的認知錯誤。
They expect social media to have a positive impact on their lives. They expected to be fun, helpful and satisfying them.
他們希望社交媒體能對他們的生活起到積極的影響。他們希望社交媒體有趣，有用，使他們滿足。
But it rarely ever is. When you expect to feel one thing, and then end up feeling another, you're making something called a forecasting error.
但這種情況幾乎是不可能的。當你期待著一種感受，卻得到與預期不同的感受，你就犯了預測錯誤。
In this case, your forecast said you're gonna have fun, but reality had something different in-store. Forecasting errors are incredibly common in combination with bad habits.
比如你預測會玩得很開心，但現實並非如此。預測錯誤與壞習慣的結合是非常普遍的。
You convince yourself this time is going to be different And then end up regretting your decision.
你說服自己這次會有所不同。 最後卻後悔自己的決定。
Doing this once or twice as natural, but what happens if you make the same forecasting errors over and over again? Well not surprisingly, it's gonna make you feel worse.
這樣做一次兩次沒什麼，但如果你一遍又一遍地犯同樣地預測錯誤，會怎麼樣呢？不出意外，它會讓你感覺更糟。
And it'll take its toll on your self-discipline. So be realistic with yourself.
會影響你的自律。所以對自己現實一點。
Just because something seems like a good idea in the moment, it doesn't mean it actually is. Number eighths, rifts in our relationships.
只是因為某件事在當時看起來是個好主意，並不意味著它實際上就是。第八條，關係出現裂痕。
Social media impacts more than just your thoughts and your move, it also damages your relationships. It pulls you away from your friends, it creates a whole bunch of unnecessary tension, and it weakens the bond that the two of you share.
社交媒體不僅影響你的想法和情緒，還會破壞你的人際關係。它讓你遠離朋友，它會製造一堆不必要的緊張，削弱你們之間的關係紐帶。
Okay, just imagine you're grabbing lunch with your friend. You're excited to see them, and tell them what's been going on in your life.
想像一下，你正在和朋友一起吃午餐。你很高興見到他們，激動地告訴他們你生活中的事情。
But they spend the whole time taking pictures of their food and updating their story, they smile when other people like their post. But they're barely paying attention to you.
但他們卻一直在給食物拍照發帖，當別人點讚他們的帖子時，他們才笑。他們幾乎沒有將注意力放到你的身上。
Now wouldn't that drive a wedge in your relationship? This happens all the time for people who overuse social media.
這難道不會破壞你們的關係嗎？對於過度使用社交媒體的人來說，這種情況經常發生。
Their friends feel neglected, and social media changes their priorities. They start to value virtual connections more than real ones.
他們的朋友感到被忽視，社交媒體改變了他們的優先級。他們開始重視虛擬的聯繫，而不是真實的聯繫。
And before they know it, their actual friends start to fade away. Hey, thank you for watching Top Think.
在他們認清之前，他們的朋友就開始消失了。感謝觀看 《生活中的科學》。
And be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way.
記得訂閱，敬請期待更多精彩內容。