@你丨懒癌患者如何坚持实现目标？

本期内容编辑来自研路陪伴你的

星火考研

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小 絮 叨  

研路漫漫，各位考研青年在奋斗的路途上是否也遇到过感觉自己快要坚持不下去的情况呢？或者说即将要打算考研的人会不会一想到日后的复习生活就望而生畏呢？

的确，无论是学习、减肥或是运动，坚持实现目标并不容易，调研发现45%的人会在一个月后就放弃新年计划。

为什么保持积极会辣么难呢？

给予一个刺激因素，如“完成任务就可以去看老公宋仲基”对你有没有帮助呢？

一样的学习任务，目标不同，如“刷个高学历或者单纯对专业学术感兴趣”坚持的程度会有区别吗？

目标实现的过程中态度积极就一定是好的吗？

这不仅仅是事关考研复习中的坚持，更是人生中做很多事情时需要注意和了解的。那么接下来就看看这碗科学味儿十足的鸡汤是怎么说的吧！

【预警】文章较长，没有耐心的童鞋请直接拉到最下面看总结(⊙_⊙)

视频翻译/ 煎蛋小学堂

视频源/ YouTube Asap SCIENCE频道

中英对照

 

Whether you are trying to lose 20 pounds, get that promotion at work, or quit smoking, sticking to your goal isn’t an easy task. After all, 45% of people drop their New Year’s resolutions after one month. So, why is it so difficult to keep motivated and how can science help us achieve what we’re after?

无论你是想减掉9Kg，获得升职或是戒烟，坚持目标并不是件容易的事。毕竟45%的人，1个月后就会放弃新年计划。为什么保持积极会这么难呢？科学又能如何帮助我们实现目标呢？

In one MIT study, students were given two types of tasks. In the first they had to hit 2 keys on a keyboard as many times as possible in 4 minutes, and those that did it the fastest would receive money. For some the reward was $300 while the others only $30. Interestingly, performance was 95% greater in the high $300 group, highlighting how money can be motivator. But in the second task the same students were asked to solve a more complex math problem, and this time, those offered the high reward performed 32% slower than the small reward group.

在麻省理工的一项研究中，学生被分配了两种类型的任务。一开始他们要在4分钟内，尽可能多地击打键盘上的两个按键，速度最快的人会得到奖金。一组得奖金是300美金，另一组只有30美金。有趣的是，表现更好的人里95%的在300奖金的那组里，显然钱可以成为动力。但在第二个任务中，同一批学生被要求解决更复杂的数学问题，这次，奖金高的那组完成得比另一组慢了32%。

This is known as the ‘distraction effect’. When we are given a task that requires problem solving, economic or emotional pressure can cause focus to shift to the motivator, ultimately dividing your attention and reducing performance. When we looking inside the brains of individuals, FMRI scans reveal that people who complete a challenge for fun, and people who do it for a reward show similar activity throughout the brain.

这就是所谓的“干扰效应”。当我们被要求解决问题时，经济和情绪压力会令注意力转移到动力上，最终令你分心并导致表现欠佳。深入检查个体的大脑时，核磁共振成像显示，出于乐趣完成挑战和为了奖励完成任务时，大脑活动是相同的。

But interestingly, if those offered a reward the first time are asked to participate again for no reward, scans show a decrease in activity in the anterior striatum and prefrontal areas; parts of the brain linked to self-motivation. It seems that rewards may cancel out our natural sense of play. So how does this apply to you?

但有趣的是，如果首次参与时给予奖金而第二次不给，扫描显示大脑有关自我激励的部位——前部纹状体和前额区的活跃程度有所降低。可见，奖励似乎可以抵消我们原本对游戏的兴趣。那么这是如何实现的呢？

Well, it turns out that ‘play’ is the strongest motivator for sustained behavioral changes. It makes sense that we stick with enjoyable activities. But considering 67% of gym memberships go unused, it seems most of us are picking the wrong activities to achieve our goals. You might burn the most calories on a treadmill, but not if you stop doing it after 2 weeks. Pick something you actually like doing!

事实证明，“玩”是延长行为变化的最强动力。所以我们会坚持做喜欢的事。考虑到健身房会员卡有67%都闲置着，说明我们大多选错了实现目标的刺激因素。或许你会在跑步机上燃烧巨多卡路里，如果两周就放弃，那就别想了。选择一些你真正喜欢的事情去做吧！

Your goal itself also matters. A study investigating reasons for exercise found that those focused on weight loss spent 32% less time exercising than those who said they wanted to feel better in day to day life. And while it’s always good to have a positive attitude, optimism may not always be the best strategy.

目标本身也很重要。一项调研运动原因的研究发现，那些目标在于减重的人，日常运动时间比以健康为目的的人少32%。虽然态度积极是好事，但乐观并不一定总是最佳策略。

In the study of 210 females trying to quit smoking, participants who only imagined major success with few obstacles were less likely to reduce cigarette consumption. Positive thoughts can often trick your brain into thinking you’ve already achieved the goal, giving you a sense of reward and reducing motivation. But this doesn’t mean negative thoughts are good-imagining a goal coming true, and then thinking through the obstacles that stand in your way is the best mixed approach. This is known as ‘mental contrasting’.

在一项针对210名戒烟女性的研究中，那些只想象最终胜利，不考虑中间障碍的戒烟者比较不可能减小烟瘾。积极的想法通常会欺骗大脑让它误认为你已经达成目标，给你精神鼓励并降低积极性。但这并不意味着消极是好的——想象目标实现，并且思考中途可能遇到的障碍，才是最好的办法。这叫做“心理对照”。

Finally, try and avoid the ‘what the hell’ effect. This behavior was first addressed when researchers gave dieters varying sizes of milkshakes-from small to large-and then offered them ice cream afterwards. In turns out, those who had large milkshakes also ended up eating more ice cream because ‘what the hell, I’ve already ruined my diet, I might is well go all out’.

最后，尽量避免“算了吧”效应。该行为首次提出于一项研究，研究者为节食者提供了不同大小的奶昔——从小杯到大杯——然后再给他们冰淇淋。事实证明，选择了大杯奶昔的人最终也吃了更多的冰淇淋，因为“算了吧，我已经毁掉了节食计划，干脆敞开了吃吧”。

Anticipating that you will have some bumps along the road to success, whether it be a fitness goal, quitting smoking or work aspirations will bring you closer to making your goals a reality.

无论是健康目标、戒烟还是工作理想，预想在成功的路上可能会遇到一些挫折将会让你更近目标的实现。

懒得看视频和文章的同学，以下是来自网友@菠萝奶滋 的总结：

1. 兴趣。找到”玩的“感觉。

2. 单纯的悲观和单纯的乐观都不好。最好的态度是，想象成功的美好，然后把一路上会遇到的挫折想一遍。

3. 不要破罐破摔。
   

END

不只是考研，坚持做你想做的事吧！

星火英语(ID：ispark8)