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第四期主题：坚持
金钱
兴趣最强大
最好的混合策略
……
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《如何保持长久动力，达成小目标》
文字讲义：
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.
无论你是想减 20 磅体重，升职加薪，或者是戒烟，坚持点什么总是困难的。
After all, 45% of people drop their New Year’s resolutions after one month.
毕竟，45% 的人都在一个月后放弃了自己的“New year’s resolutions(新年计划)”。
So why is it so difficult to keep motivated and how can science help us achieve what we’re after
为什么要保持动力这么困难？科学又是怎么帮助我们达成目标的呢？
In one MIT study, students were given two types of tasks.
在麻省理工的一项研究中，学生需要完成两种类型的任务。
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.
首先，他们必须在 4 分钟内尽可能多地按下键盘上的两个键，做的最快的人能获得金钱奖励。
For some the reward was $300 while the others only $30.
一组人获得了 300 刀的奖励，而另一组只获得 30 刀。
Interestingly, performance was 95% greater in the high $300 group, highlighting how money can be a motivator.
有趣的是，高奖赏组的表现要比低奖赏组好 95% ，这告诉我们金钱带来的动力有多么大。
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.
但在第二项任务中，同一批学生需要解一个复杂的数学题。而这一次高奖赏组比低奖赏组的完成速度慢了 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.
这就是所谓的“分心效应”。当我们在完成一项需要解决问题的任务时，经济或情绪压力可能会导致关注点转移到奖赏上，导致注意力分散并降低表现。
When we look 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.
在我们扫描被试大脑时，功能性磁共振成像显示，那些为了兴趣做任务的人和为了奖赏而做任务的人有相似的脑区激活。
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.
但有趣的是，如果那些第一次得到奖赏的被试在第二次必须无偿参与任务，他们的外侧纹状体和前额区域激活会降低，这部分脑区与自我激励相关。
It seems that rewards may cancel out our natural sense of play.
这样看来奖赏可能会消除我们对任务本身产生的乐趣。
So how does this apply to you Well, it turns out that play is the strongest motivator for sustained behavioural changes.
这给我们什么启发呢？事实证明，兴趣是保持我们行为改变最强大的动力。
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.
去坚持令我们愉悦的活动是合理的，但考虑到 67% 的健身卡最后会荒废，似乎我们大多数人都选择了错误的方式来实现目标。
You might burn the most calories on a treadmill, but not if you stop doing it after 2 weeks.
也许在跑步机上你才能燃烧最多的卡路里，但如果你在两周后放弃了就前功尽弃了。
Pick something you actually like doing.
选择一些你真正热爱的做的事吧。
Your goal itself also matters, a study investigating reasons for exercise found that those focused on weight loss spent 32% less time exercising than whose who said they wanted to feel better in day to day life.
目标的设定也很关键。一项关于锻炼的研究表明，目标是减肥的人比那些只希望锻炼能让自己每天感觉更好的人，花在运动上的时间要少 32% 。
And while it’s always good to have a positive attitude, optimism may not always be the best strategy.
尽管有积极的态度总是好的，但乐观不一定总是最好的策略。
In a study of 210 females trying to quit smoking, participants who only imagined major success with few obstacles were less likely reduce cigarette consumption.
一项对 210 个女性戒烟行为的研究发现，那些幻想不需遭遇挫折就能大获成功的被试，反而更不可能减少购买香烟。
Positive thoughts can often trick your brain into thinking you’ve already achieved the goal, giving you a sense of reward and reducing motivation.
积极的想法会欺骗你的大脑，让它认为你已经达到了目标，这时大脑会给予你一种获得奖赏的感觉，从而减少你的动力。
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.
但这并不意味着消极的想法才是好的，想象你的目标成真，然后再思考一下挡在面前的困难，这才是最好的混合策略。
This is known as mental contrasting.
这被称为心理对比。
Finally, try and avoid the “what the hell”effect.
最后，一定要避免“管他呢”效应。
This behaviour was first addressed when researchers gave dieters varying sizes of milkshakes from small to large and then offered them ice cream afterwards.
一项研究首次提出了这个效应。研究者给正在节食减肥的被试提供了不同大小的奶昔，在他们吃完奶昔后又给他们了一份冰淇淋。
It 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 as well go all out.
研究发现，那些吃了最大份奶昔的被试最终会吃掉更多的冰淇淋，因为“管他呢”，我的节食计划都已经被破坏了，我可以破罐子破摔了。
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 your closer to making your goals a reality.
预期一下你会在达成目标的路上遇到什么困难，有个心理准备吧。无论你想开始健身，戒烟或是在工作上有进展，这绝对会让你离你的目标更进一步。
本文系网易新闻·网易号“各有态度”特色内容
翻译 蹦迪土拨鼠
编辑 Mandy
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